Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 12:50-51
They journeyed from Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month, on the morrow after the passover in the eyes of all the Egyptians, while the Egyptians were burying their firstborn that were slain (Num. 33:1-4).
The presence of the Lord liberates from damnation those who are in good, and brings those who are in evil into damnation, (n. 7926, 7989).
. That Jehovah led forth the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt. That this signifies that the Lord liberated from damnation those who were in the good of truth and in the truth of good, is evident from the signification of "to lead forth," as being to liberate; and from the representation of the sons of Israel, as being those who are of the spiritual church, or what is the same, who are in the good of truth and the truth of good (n. 7957, 8006); and from the signification of "the land of Egypt," as being damnation. That "the land of Egypt" here denotes damnation, is because by the state of the Egyptians is now signified damnation (n. 7766, 7778). The Lord liberated from damnation those who were of the spiritual church, that is, who were in the good of truth and the truth of good, (n. 6854, 6914, 7091, 7828, 7932).[2] Their liberation by the Lord when He rose again is signified by the descent of the Lord to the lower regions, and was clearly shown by the awakening of the, dead out of the tombs, of which in Matthew:--
And the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that were sleeping were raised; and going forth out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared to many (Matthew 27:52, 53);
their going forth out of the tombs, and entering into the holy city, and also their appearing, were for a testification that they, who had hitherto been detained in spiritual captivity, had been liberated by the Lord, and would be introduced into heaven. In the internal sense heaven is signified by "the holy city;" and therefore it is called "the holy city," when yet it was not holy but profane, seeing that its people had so cruelly treated the Lord Himself, who was represented in all the rituals of their church, and described in the Word that was among them; and thus who had been the God of their church.
[3] The like is signified by this passage in Daniel:--
At that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book. And then many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, these to eternal life, but the rest to shame and everlasting disgrace (Daniel 12:1, 2).
And also by this in Ezekiel:--
Prophesy and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold I will open your sepulchres, and cause you to come up out of your sepulchres, O My people; and I will bring you upon the land of Israel, that ye may know that I am Jehovah, when I shall open your sepulchres, and shall cause you to come up out of your sepulchres, O My people, and I shall put My spirit in you, that ye may live, and I shall place you upon your land, that ye may know that I Jehovah have spoken it, and performed it, said Jehovah (Ezek. 17:12-14);
where by "the land of Israel," or of Canaan, is meant heaven (n. 8011). By these words in the prophet is described the new creation or generation of man, and also the vivification by the Lord of those who are of the spiritual church.
. By their armies. That this signifies these distinct according to the quality of good from truth, is evident from the signification of "armies," as being goods and truths (n. 7988); "by their armies" signifies that they who are represented by the sons of Israel were made distinct according to the quality of good from truth. All in the other life are distinct and conjoined according to goods, (n. 7833, 7836, 8003). It is said "according to the quality of good from truth," because all good has its quality from truth, and is thereby varied (n. 3804, 4149, 5345, 5355, 6916). . From the statutes and laws concerning the eating of the paschal lamb, which are treated of in this chapter, it is clearly evident that there are heavenly secrets contained and hidden in every detail, and that without knowledge from the internal sense nothing is known but a mere ritual in an external form, and nothing heavenly, still less Divine. As for instance, why the paschal animal was to be a lamb or a kid; why the animal was to be a male, and a son of a year; why it was to be killed on the fourteenth day of the month; why its blood was to be sprinkled upon the posts and the lintel; why it was to be eaten roasted with fire, with unleavened bread upon bitter herbs, and not raw or boiled in water; why it was to be roasted with its head upon its legs and upon its midst; why they were not to leave anything of it until the morning, and why that which was left was to be burned with fire; why they were to eat unleavened bread seven days, and why whosoever ate leavened bread was to be cut off; why an alien, a lodger, and a hireling were not to eat of it, but a man’s servant that is bought with silver, and a sojourner, if they were circumcised; why it was to be eaten in one house, and none of the flesh taken out of doors; why a bone was not to be broken in it. What these and very many other particulars involve, and why they were commanded, would be utterly unknown, unless the laws of order in the spiritual world to which they correspond, were known, and unless it were known from the internal sense what each detail signifies in that world, that is, in heaven; and especially unless it were believed that in all things there is something spiritual. If there were not something spiritual in the whole and in each detail, the angels who are with man when he reads the Word would comprehend but little, indeed scarcely anything, from the Word; for the angels comprehend spiritually all things that have been described in the Word in a natural manner.