enter heaven easily and the rich with difficulty comes from not
understanding the Word where the rich and the poor are mentioned. In
the Word those that have an abundance of knowledges of good and
truth, thus who are within the church where the Word is, are meant in
the spiritual sense by the "rich;" while those who lack these
knowledges, and yet desire them, thus who are outside of the church
and where there is no Word, are meant by the "poor." [2] The rich man
clothed in purple and fine linen, and cast into hell, means the
Jewish nation, which is called rich because it had the Word and had
an abundance of knowledges of good and truth therefrom, "garments of
purple" signifying knowledges of good, and "garments of fine linen"
knowledges of truth.{1} But the poor man who lay at the rich man's
gate and longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich
man's table, and who was carried by angels into heaven, means the
nations that have no knowledges of good and truth and yet desired
them (Luke 16:19-31). Also the rich that were called to a great
supper and excused themselves mean the Jewish nation, and the poor
brought in in their place mean the nations outside of the church
(Luke 14:16-24). [3] By the rich man of whom the Lord says:

It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than
for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Matt.
19:24),

the rich in both the natural sense and the spiritual sense are meant.
In the natural sense the rich are those that have an abundance of
riches and set their heart upon them; but in the spiritual sense they
are those that have an abundance of knowledges and learning, which
are spiritual riches, and who desire by means of these to introduce
themselves into the things of heaven and the church from their own
intelligence. And because this is contrary to Divine order it is said
to be "easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye," a "camel"
signifying in general in the spiritual sense the knowing faculty and
things known, and a "needle's eye" signifying spiritual truth.{2}
That such is the meaning of a "camel" and a "needle's eye" is not at
present known, because the knowledge that teaches what is signified
in the spiritual sense by the things said in the literal sense of the
Word has not up to this time been disclosed. In every particular of
the Word there is a spiritual sense and also a natural sense; for the
Word was made to consist wholly of corre