226. 'And the first voice that I heard, like a trumpet speaking with me, was saying, Come up hither' signifies Divine influx, and the resulting elevation of mind, and a manifest perception then. It may be seen above (n. 37, 50) that a 'voice', when it is heard out of heaven, is Divine Truth inflowing, thus a Divine influx; and that by a voice 'like a trumpet' is signified a manifest perception (also above n. 37); and by 'Come up hither' an elevation of mind is signified; for in the spiritual world the higher one goes up, the purer the light one comes into, by which means the understanding is opened by degrees, that is, the mind is elevated. It follows also, therefore, that he then 'came to be in the spirit'. By this is understood that he was let into a spiritual state in which the things that are in heaven appear manifestly. Because it treats of the setting of the heavens in order for the last judgment, the voice was heard 'like a trumpet'; and voices as of a trumpet are heard in heaven when assemblies and arrangements in order take place. Therefore also with the sons of Israel, among whom all things were representative of heaven and the Church, it was a statute that
they should make trumpets out of silver, and that the sons of Aaron should make a sound with them for assemblies, for departures, in days of gladness, at festivals, in the beginnings of months, over the sacrifices, for a memorial, and for war Num. x 1-10.
But [something] will be said about 'trumpets' and 'sounding' through them, in the exposition of chap. viii 6, where it treats of the seven angels to whom seven trumpets were given.
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