744. 'And they who are with Him are called, chosen and faithful' signifies that those who approach and worship the Lord Only are the ones who come into heaven, both those who are in the external things of the Church and those who are in the internal and inmost things thereof. 'They who are with Him' signify those who approach the Lord, for they are with Him. By the 'called, chosen and faithful' are signified those who are in the external, internal and inmost things of the Church, who come into heaven because they are in the Lord. By the 'called' all are indeed understood, because all have been called; but by the 'called who are with the Lord' are understood those who are in heaven with the Lord, as are all the 'called' who are at the nuptials with the Bridegroom. By the 'chosen' is not understood that some have been chosen as a result of predestination, but those who are with the Lord are so called. By the 'faithful' are understood those who have faith in the Lord. [2] The reason they are those who are in the external, internal and inmost things of the Church is because the Lord's Church, like heaven, is distinguished into three degrees. In the ultimate degree are those who are in its external things, in the second degree are those who are in its internal things, and in the third degree are those who are in its inmost things. Those who are with the Lord in the external things of the Church are termed 'called', those in its internal things are termed 'chosen', and those in the inmost are termed 'faithful'; for so they are called in the Word, where Jacob is said to be 'called' and Israel 'chosen', since by 'Jacob' there are understood those who are in the external things of the Church and by 'Israel' those who are in the internal things thereof. The reason that it is said here 'they who are with Him are called, chosen and faithful' is because it says before (praecedit) that they will fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them', so that they may know that those whom the Lord overcomes, that is, convinces by means of the Word, are with Him in heaven, some in the ultimate heaven, some in the second, and some in the third, each in accordance with the reception.