10152. And Aaron and his sons will I sanctify, to minister to Me in the priest's office. That this signifies a representative of the Lord in both heavens in respect to the work of salvation, is evident from the representation of Aaron, as being the Lord as to celestial good (see n. 9806, 9946, 10068); and from the representation of the sons of Aaron, as being the Lord as to spiritual good (n. 10017, 10068); thus in both heavens, as well the higher as the lower, for whether you say celestial good, or the celestial kingdom, or the higher heavens, it is the same. (Concerning the higher and the lower heavens, see what was said just above, n. 10150, 10151.) And from the representation of the priest's office, as being the Lord's work of salvation (n. 9809, 10017). From this it is evident that by "sanctifying Aaron and his sons to minister to Jehovah in the priest's office" is signified a representative of the Lord in both heavens in respect to the work of salvation. [2] Something may here be said about the Lord's work of salvation. It is known in the church that the Lord is the Savior and the Redeemer of the human race, but it is known to few how this is to be understood. They who are in the externals of the church believe that the Lord redeemed the world, that is, the human race, by His own blood, by which they mean the passion of the cross; but they who are in the internals of the church know that no one is saved by the Lord's blood, but by a life according to the precepts of faith and charity from the Lord's Word. They who are in the inmosts of the church understand by the Lord's blood the Divine truth proceeding from Him, and by the passion of the cross they understand the last of the Lord's temptation, by which He completely subjugated the hells and at the same time glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine; and that thereby He redeemed and saved all who suffer themselves to be regenerated by a life according to the precepts of faith and of charity from His Word. Moreover, by "the Lord's blood" in the internal sense, according to which the angels in the heavens perceive the Word, is meant the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (n. 4735, 5476, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7850, 9127, 9393, 10026, 10033). [3] But no one can know how man was saved and redeemed by the Divine through the subjection of the hells and the glorification of His Human, unless he knows that there are with every man angels from heaven and spirits from hell, and that unless these are constantly present with man, he cannot think anything, or will anything; and thus that in respect to his interiors man is either under the dominion of spirits who are from hell, or else is under the dominion of angels who are from heaven. When this is first known, it can then be known that unless the Lord had wholly subjugated the hells, and reduced all things both there and in the heavens into order, no one could have been saved; nor likewise unless the Lord had made His Human Divine, and had thereby acquired for Himself to eternity Divine power over the hells and over the heavens. For neither the hells nor the heavens can be kept in order without Divine power, because the power by which anything comes forth must be perpetual for it to subsist, for subsistence is a perpetual coming forth. [4] The Divine Itself which is called "the Father," without the Divine Human which is called "the Son," could not effect this, because the Divine Itself without the Divine Human cannot reach man, nor even an angel, when the human race has altogether removed itself from the Divine. This came to pass in the end of the times, when there was no longer any faith or any charity; and therefore the Lord then came into the world and restored all things, and this by virtue of His Human; and thus saved and redeemed man through faith and love to the Lord from the Lord; for such the Lord can withhold from the hells and from eternal damnation, but not those who reject faith and love from Him to Him, for these reject salvation and redemption. [5] That the Divine Itself does this by means of the Divine Human is evident from many passages in the Word, as from those in which the Divine Human, which is the Son of God, is called the right hand and arm of Jehovah; and in which it is said that the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth. (That the Lord is called the "right hand and arm of Jehovah," see n. 10019; and that He has all power in the heavens and on earth, n. 10089.) That by virtue of the Divine Human the Lord subjugated the hells, and reduced all things therein and in the heavens into order, and at the same time glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, see the places cited in n. 9528, 9715, 9809, 9937, 10019; and that the Divine Itself, which is called "the Father," effected this by means of the Divine Human is evident in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word; all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made; and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:1-3, 14);
it is evident that the Lord as to the Divine Human is He who is here called "the Word," for it is said, "the Word was made flesh." And again:
No one hath seen God at any time, the Only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth (John 1:18). Ye have neither heard the voice of the Father at any time, nor seen His shape (John 5:37). I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one cometh unto the Father, but by Me. Henceforth ye have known the Father, and have seen Him. He that seeth Me seeth the Father (John 14:6-7, 9). No one knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son shall will to reveal Him (Matt. 11:27). From all this it can now be seen what the work of salvation and of redemption is, and that it is effected by virtue of the Lord's Divine Human.