Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 3697

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3697. Verses 12-15. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set on the earth, and its head reaching to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold Jehovah standing upon it; and He said, I am Jehovah the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt break forth to the sea, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee shall all the families of the ground be blessed, and in thy seed; and behold I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back to this ground; for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee. "And he dreamed," signifies foresight; "and behold a ladder set on the earth," signifies the communication of the lowest truth and its derivative good; "and its head reaching to heaven," signifies with the Divine; "and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it," signifies infinite and eternal communication, and the consequent conjunction; and that from what is lowest there is as it were an ascent, and afterwards when the order is inverted, a descent; "and behold Jehovah standing upon it," signifies the Lord in the highest; "and He said, I am Jehovah the God of Abraham thy father," signifies the Lord, that from Him that good comes; "and the God of Isaac," signifies the Lord as to the Divine Human; "the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it," signifies the good in which He was, that it was from what was His own; "and to thy seed," signifies that so also was the truth; "and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth," signifies that Divine truth natural would be as natural good; "and thou shalt break forth to the sea, and to the east," signifies the infinite extension of good; "and to the north, and to the south," signifies the infinite extension of truth; thus all states of good and truth; "and in thee shall all the families of the ground be blessed," signifies that all truths of the good of doctrine will be conjoined with good; "and in thy seed," signifies and with truth; "and behold I am with thee," signifies the Divine "and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest," signifies the Divine Providence; "and will bring thee back to this ground," signifies conjunction with Divine doctrine; "for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee," signifies that nothing would be wanting to prevent its having effect.


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