Revelation 3:18 Shame of nakedness

18 I counsel thee to buy of me... white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear...

Apocalypse Explained, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1757-9], tr. by John Whitehead [1911], at sacred-texts.com

243.

And white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, signifies genuine truths and intelligence therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "white garments," as being genuine truths, for garments signify truths (see above, n. 195), and "white" signifies what is genuine, and is predicated of truths (see above, n. 196); also from the signification of "to clothe," as being to acquire intelligence for oneself therefrom, for by means of genuine truths all intelligence is acquired; for the human understanding is formed to receive truths, therefore it becomes such as the truths are out of which it is formed... This, therefore, is signified by "I counsel thee to buy of Me white garments, that thou mayest be clothed."

244.

That the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, signifies that filthy loves may not appear. This is evident from the signification of "nakedness," as being the deprivation of truth and good from the understanding... And because this deprivation is signified by "nakedness," "the shame of nakedness" signifies filthy loves, for these appear when they are not removed by the love of good and by the faith of truth therefrom. For man is born into two loves, which are the love of self and the love of the world, therefore by heredity he derives the inclination to love self and the world above all things; these loves are filthy loves, because out of them all evils flow, namely, contempt of others in comparison with oneself, enmity against those who do not favor oneself, hatred, revenge, craftiness, and deceits of every kind. These loves with their evils cannot be removed except by the two loves, which are the love to the Lord and the love towards the neighbor; from these man inclines to love the Lord above all things, and the neighbor as himself. These two loves are pure loves, since they are out of heaven from the Lord. Moreover, from these all goods flow; so far, therefore, as man is in these, so far the filthy loves into which he is born are removed, even until they do not appear; and they are removed by the Lord by means of truths. From this it can be seen that "I counsel thee to buy of Me white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear," signifies that they should acquire for themselves genuine truths, and from these intelligence from the Lord, that filthy loves may not appear.

Arcana Coelestia, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1749-56], tr. by John F. Potts [1905-10], at sacred-texts.com

814.

CONTINUATION CONCERNING THE HELLS. HERE, CONCERNING THE HELLS OF THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED THEIR LIFE IN HATREDS, REVENGES, AND CRUELTIES. Such spirits as cherish deadly hatred, and hence breathe out vengeance and nothing less than death to another, knowing no rest till then, are kept in the deepest cadaverous hell, where there is a noisom [having an extremely offensive smell] stench as of carcasses; and, wonderful to say, such spirits are so delighted with the stench there that they prefer it to the most pleasing odors. Such is their dreadful nature, and their consequent phantasy. A like stench actually exhales from that hell. When the hell is opened (which occurs rarely, and then only for a short time), so great a stench pours forth from it that spirits cannot remain in the neighborhood. Certain genii, or rather furies, who were sent forth thence in order that I might know their quality, infected the sphere with such poisonous and pestilent breath that the spirits about me could not stay; and at the same time it so affected my stomach that I vomited. They manifested themselves under the appearance of a little child, of not uncomely face, with a concealed dagger, whom they sent to me, bearing a cup in his hand. From this it was given me to know that they had a mind to murder, either with the dagger or with poison, under a show of innocence. Yet they themselves had naked bodies, and were very black. But presently they were sent back into their cadaverous hell, and it was then given me to observe how they sank down. They went on to the left, in the plane of the left temple, and to a great distance, without descending, and afterwards sank down; first into what appeared as a fire, then into a fiery smoke as of a furnace, and then under that furnace, toward the front, where were many most gloomy caverns tending downward. On the way they were continually revolving and intending evils, and chiefly against the innocent, without cause. When they sank down through the fire they greatly lamented. That they may be well distinguished as to whence and what they are, when they are sent out they have a kind of ring to which are affixed points as of brass, which they press with the hands and twist about. This is a sign that they are of this nature, and are bound.