Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 7042

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7042. That Jehovah met him. That this signifies opposition, is evident from the signification of "meeting," as being opposition, namely, to the possibility of any church being instituted with that nation. That it denotes opposition against the Divine, is signified by "Jehovah met him." From the sense of the letter it appears as if Jehovah or the Divine set Himself in opposition, because it is said that "Jehovah met him;" but the internal sense is that the opposition was against the Divine. For the Divine never opposes itself to anyone, but it is the man, or the nation, which opposes itself to the Divine; and when it opposes itself, as it cannot endure the Divine, it appears as if there were resistance by the Divine. How the case herein is can be seen from those who come into the other life, and desire to come into heaven, and yet are not such as to be capable of being there. When they are permitted to attempt what they desire, even when they are in the way and near to the entrance into heaven, they appear to themselves as monsters, and begin to be in anguish and torment, because they cannot endure the truth and good which are there; and they believe that heaven and the Divine have opposed themselves to them; when yet it is they who bring this upon themselves, because they are in what is the opposite. From this also it can be seen that the Divine does not oppose itself to anyone, but that it is the man who opposes himself to the Divine.


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