Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 8533

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8533. To be kept for your generations. That this signifies that it may be the measure for those who are of that spiritual church, is evident from the signification of "an omer of manna," which was laid up to be kept, as being as much as is sufficient (see n. 8468), thus also a measure, namely, of the amount of good this church had. (That "your generations" denotes those who are of the spiritual church, see n. 8526.) As regards the measure or degree of good that belongs to a church, be it known that goods in the other life vary in quality and in quantity, and that they are determined for everyone during his life in the world; they are determined according to the quality and quantity of each person's faith and charity in his life. When the Lord grants, the quality and quantity of the good of everyone in the other life is manifested before the angels; for it can be presented to view in the light of heaven, but not in the light of the world. The case is the same in general, namely, in respect to the good of the church. The quantity and the quality of the good belonging to every individual, and to the church, are represented by weights and by measures in the Word; in the present case the quantity of the good of the spiritual church which is represented by the sons of Israel, by the "omer of manna" that was laid up before Jehovah to be kept.


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