854. 'But they shall be priests of God and Christ' signifies because they are kept by the Lord in the good of love and consequently in the truths of wisdom. By 'priests' in the Word are understood those who are in the good of love, and by 'kings' those who are in the truths of wisdom; and therefore it is said above:-
Jesus Christ makes us kings and priests Rev. i 6;
and also:-
The Lamb made us kings and priests so that we may reign over the land Rev. v 10;
and it can be clearly seen that the Lord is not going to make men kings and priests, but that He is going to make angels of those who will be in the truths of wisdom and the good of love from Himself. That by 'kings' are understood those who are in the truths of wisdom from the Lord, and that the Lord is termed 'King' by reason of Divine Truth, may be seen above (n. 20, 483, 664, 830); but that by 'priests' are understood those who are in the good of love from the Lord is because the Lord is Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, or what is the same, Divine Good and Divine Truth, and the Lord by reason of Divine Love or Divine Good is called 'Priest' and by reason of Divine Wisdom or Divine Truth is called 'King'. This is why there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are distinguished, a celestial and a spiritual; and the celestial kingdom is called the Lord's priestly kingdom, for the angels there are recipients of Divine Love or Divine Good from the Lord; and the spiritual kingdom is called the Lord's regal kingdom, for the angels there are recipients of Divine Wisdom or Divine Truth from the Lord. But more concerning these two kingdoms may be seen above (n. 647, 725). [2] It is said that they are recipients of Divine Good and of Divine Truth from the Lord; but it should be known that they are perpetually receiving, for Divine Good and Divine Truths cannot be appropriated by any angel or man so as to be his but only so as to appear as his, for they are Divine. Therefore no angel or man is able from himself to produce anything good and true that in itself is good and true. From this it is plain that they are kept in what is good and true by the Lord, and that they are continually being [so] kept. Consequently if anyone comes into heaven and thinks that good and truth have been appropriated by him as his own, he is there and then sent down out of heaven and instructed. From these considerations it can now be established that by 'they shall be priests of God and Christ' is signified because they are kept by the Lord in the good of love and consequently in the truths of wisdom. [3] That by 'priests' in the Word are understood those who are in the good of love from the Lord can be established from many passages there; and because these have been quoted in ARCANA CAELESTIA published at London, I wish only to quote from it the following statements:-
That priests represented the Lord as to Divine Good (n. 2015, 6148).
That the priesthood was representative of the Lord as to the work of salvation, because this was out of the Divine Good of His Divine Love (n. 9809).
That the priesthood of Aaron, his sons, and the Levites was representative of the Lord's work of salvation in successive order (n. 10,017).
That therefore by priests and the priesthood is signified the good of love from the Lord (n. 9806, 9809).
That by the two names, Jesus and Christ, is signified both the priestly and the regal [office] of the Lord (n. 3004, 3005, 3009).
That priests administer ecclesiastical matters and kings civil matters (n. 10,793).
That priests shall teach truths, and by means of them lead to good and thus to the Lord (n. 10,794).
That they shall not claim to themselves authority over men souls (n. 10,795).
That there shall be respect for priests for the sake of holy things, but that they shall not attribute the respect to themselves but to the Lord from Whom Only holy things exist, because the priesthood is not in the person but adjoined to the person (n. 10,796, 10,797).
That priests who do not acknowledge the Lord have in the Word the signification of contrary things (n. 3670).