10149. And it shall be sanctified in My glory. That this signifies receptivity of Divine truth from the Lord, is evident from the signification of "to be sanctified" as being receptivity of the Divine from the Lord (of which below); and from the signification of "glory," as being Divine truth (see n. 4809, 5922, 8427, 9429). That "to be sanctified" denotes the receptivity of the Divine from the Lord, is because the Lord alone is holy, and consequently everything holy is from Him (n. 9229), and because the Divine truth proceeding from Him is what is meant in the Word by "holy" (n. 9818); but here, where the subject treated of is the sons of Israel, their burnt-offerings and sacrifices, the Tent of meeting, and the altar, by "holy," and by "being sanctified," is signified what is representative thereof; for the reason that with the Israelitish and Jewish nation all things were representative of the interior things of the church, which belong to faith and love from the Lord to the Lord.
[2] For the church instituted with that nation was a representative church; consequently all external things signified and represented such things as the internal sense teaches, and were therefore called "holy," as the altar, the fire upon it, the burnt-offering, the fat, the blood, the Tent of meeting, the table there on which were the breads of faces, the table of incense, the lampstand, and all their vessels, especially the ark in which was the Testimony; besides the breads, cakes, wafers, which were called the meat-offering, the oil, the frankincense; also the garments of Aaron, as the ephod, robe, tunic, miter, especially the breastplate; and Aaron himself was likewise called "holy," as also were the sons of Israel. But all these things were holy merely because they represented and thus signified holy things, that is, Divine things from the Lord, for these alone are holy.
[3] They who are in external things without internal believe that after consecration such things were holy, not representatively, but essentially; but they are quite mistaken. If they worship these things as being essentially holy, they worship earthly things, nor are they very far from those who worship stones and wood, as idolaters do. But those who worship the things that are represented or signified, which are holy and Divine, are in genuine worship, for to them the external things are merely mediate causes leading them to think and to will such things as are the essentials of the church, which as said above are things that belong to faith and love from the Lord to the Lord.
[4] The same is true at this day in regard to the Holy Supper; those who when they attend it do not think from faith about the Lord, His love toward the human race, and a renewal of life according to His precepts, worship only the bread and wine there, and not the Lord, and believe these external things to be holy, although they are not holy in themselves, but only from what they signify. For the "bread" in the Supper signifies the Lord as to the good of love, and the "wine" the Lord as to the truth of faith, and at the same time their receptivity by man, these two things being the very essentials of the church, thus the very essentials of worship (see n. 4211, 4217, 4735, 6135, 6789, 7850, 8682, 9003, 9127, 10040). From all this it can now be seen what is signified in the Word by "holy," and by being "made holy."
