10412. And Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to jehovah.* That this signifies that this is a very essential of the church, which is to be celebrated, and a very divine which is to be perpetually adored, is evident from the signification of a "feast," as being the worship of the church in respect to celebration, for a celebration was made on the feast days; thus by "proclaiming a feast" is signified some very essential thing of the church which is to be celebrated. That it denotes a very divine that is to be adored, is signified by that feast being called "a feast to jehovah."* And from the signification of "tomorrow," as being what is eternal and perpetual (see n. 3998, 7140, 9939).
[2] Moreover those who are in external things without what is internal desire to be worshiped as a god, and to have what is their own adored as Divine, insofar as they dare, on account of the common people. From this it may be concluded that in their heart they deny the Divine, and that they themselves are continually aspiring to loftier things, and insofar as obstacles are not presented, to the loftiest things, thus at last to the throne of God; as is very plain from those who in the Word are meant by "Babel," who take away from the Lord all power in heaven and on earth, and arrogate it to themselves, opening and shutting heaven at their pleasure. That they are of such a character is evident in Isaiah:
Utter this parable concerning the king of Babel. Hell below has been moved on thine account; how hast thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer! Thou hast been cut off to the earth, thou hast been weakened beneath the nations; and thou saidst in thine heart, I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars, and I will sit on the mount of assembly, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud, I will become like the Most High. Howbeit thou hast been let down to hell (Isa. 14:4, 9, 12-15).
[3] That the king of Babel did indeed command that he should be worshiped as a god, is evident in Daniel 6. By "Babel" are meant those who are holy in externals but profane in internals, thus those who use the holy things of the church as means that they themselves may be worshiped as gods, which also all those do who by the holy things of the church as means are desirous of rising to dignities above others, and to wealth above others, as their ends. With such persons the case is similar in the other life. There also at heart they deny the Divine, and by wicked arts labor to make themselves gods. They set themselves aloft upon mountains, and proclaim some one from amid them as a god, and also adore him. But when they are in this profane worship, the mountain opens into a chasm, and they are swallowed up, and are thus cast down into hell. That it is so has been granted me to see several times.
* The name "jehovah" is in this connection given by Swedenborg with a small initial letter, doubtless because as applied to the golden calf the name is profane and unworthy of veneration. The same remark applies to "divine" as here used, for contrary to his usual custom Swedenborg here writes this word with a small initial letter. See also n. 10566, 10603. [REVISER.]