AR 675 - angels and charity

AR 675

. . . the angels, who worship the Lord alone . . . are adverse to faith alone.

. . . charity is the soul, the life, and the essence of faith.

AR 673 - darkness and light

AR 673
Evils and falsities are exposed in no other way than by truths and goods;
for these are in the light of heaven,
but falsities and evils are in the darkness of hell;
and in darkness nothing is exposed,
because nothing but evil and falsity appears there.
But by light from heaven all things are exposed,
because in that all things appear;
for the light of heaven is the Divine truth of the Lord's Divine wisdom.

AR 665 - Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name?

AR 665
Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name?
(Revelation 15:4)
signifies that He alone is to be loved and worshiped.
"To fear God" signifies to love Him;
and "to glorify His name" signifies to worship Him. . .

That to fear God is to love Him,
by fearing to do what is contrary to Him,
and that such fear is in all love. . ..

AR 655 - every devil can understand truth

AR 655 [7]
. . . every devil can understand truth,
when he hears it;
but he cannot retain it,
because when the affection of evil returns,
it casts out the thought of truth.

AR 649a - fruit of the vineyard, fruit of trees

AR 649a
There are goods of celestial love, and there are goods of spiritual love;
the goods of celestial love are of love to the Lord,
and the goods of spiritual love are of love towards the neighbor;
the latter goods are called the goods of charity,
and are meant by "the fruit of the vineyard,"
which consists of grapes and clusters;
but the goods of love to the Lord
are meant in the Word by "the fruits of trees,"
especially by "olives."

AR 628 - living so truly loving the Lord

AR 628
Verse 7. Saying with a great voice, Fear God,
(Revelation 14:7)
signifies an admonition not to do evils, because this is against the Lord.
That "to fear God" is to love Him,
by fearing to do evil
because it is against Him,
and that all love has within it this fear.
These things are now said to those who will be of the New Church upon earth,
because the first step of reformation
is to live according to the commandments of the Decalogue,
where those evils are recounted which are not to be done.
For he who does them, fears not God;
but he, who does them not, by shunning them,
because they are against the Lord,
the same fears and also loves the Lord . . ..

AR 618 - "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes unto the Father but by Me ." (John 14:6)

AR 618 [3]
. . . the Lord glorified His Human,
that is, united it to the Divine of the Father,
that is, to the Divine which was in Him from conception,
for the sake of making it possible
for the human race to be united
to God the Father in Him and through Him.
That this was the reason of the Lord's coming into the world,
and of the glorification of His Human,
He fully teaches in John; for He says:

In that day you shall know,
that I am in my Father,
and you in Me,
and I in you.
(John 14:20)

He that abides in Me and I in him,
the same brings forth much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing;
if anyone abides not in Me,
he is cast forth as a branch,
and is dried up in the fire.
(John 15:5-6)

AR 613 - Soul and Body

AR 613
Having His father's name written on their foreheads,
(Revelation 14:1)
signifies their acknowledgment
of the Lord's Divine and Divine Human from love and faith with them.
By "the name of the Father"
is meant the Lord as to the Divine from whom all things are,
which is called the Father,
and at the same time,
as to the Divine Human, which is called the Son,
because they are One and one Person, united like soul and body . . ..

AR 601 - the appearance of a church and a man

AR 601 [2-3]
Every church appears before the Lord as a man;
if it is in truths from the Word,
it appears as a beautiful man,
but if it is in truths falsified,
it appears as a man-monster.
The church so appears from its doctrine
and from a life according to it;
from which it follows,
that the doctrine of a church is its image.

Man, also, in the spiritual world,
appears like some animal;
but it is his affection which thus appears at a distance.
They who are in truths and goods from the Lord,
appear as lambs and doves;
but they who are in falsified truths and adulterated goods,
appear as owls and bats.
They who are in faith separated from charity,
appear as dragons and goats;
they who are in falsities from evil,
as basilisks and crocodiles.
And they who are such, and yet have confirmed the doctrinals of the church,
appear like fiery flying serpents.
From these things it may be seen,
that the doctrine of the church and life according to it
are meant by "the image of the beast"
which they made for "them that dwell upon the earth."

AR 591-593 - a warning to us from Revelation 13:10

AR 591
If any one shall lead into captivity
he shall go into captivity
(Revelation 13:10)

By "leading into captivity"
is signified to persuade and draw over to his own party,
that they may consent and adhere to that heresy,
which is meant by "the dragon" and "the beast",
and so to lead away from believing well and living well.
By "going into captivity"
is signified to be lead away into hell by his own falsities and evils.
By "captivity" is here meant spiritual captivity,
which is to be seduced,
and thus led away from truths and goods,
and led into falsities and evils.

AR 592
If any one shall kill with the sword,
he must be killed with the sword
(Revelation 13:10)

. . . signifies that he who by falsities destroys the soul of another,
is himself destroyed by falsities, and perishes.

AR 593
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints,
(Revelation 13:10)

signifies that a person of the Lord's New Church,
by temptations . . . is explored as to the quality of his life and faith.
By "patience" is here signified patience in temptations,
and then exploration of a person's quality
as to life according to the Lord's commandments,
and as to faith in the Lord. . .
by "saints" are signified they who are of the Lord's New Church,
specifically they who are in Divine truths therein.
Patience is predicated of temptations,
whereby a person is explored as to what he really is . . ..

AR 586 - Who is holy?

AR 586
. . . no one is holy from himself,
not even the angels . . .
but from the Lord,
because "the Lord alone is holy."
(Revelation 15:4)

AR 571 - questions

AR 571
For what is more universally taught in the Word,
than to shun evil and do good?
And what is more evident
than that God and the neighbor ought to be loved?
And who does not see, that no one can love the neighbor,
unless he lives according to the works of the law,
and he who does not love his neighbor does not love God?
For in the love of the neighbor the Lord conjoins himself with a person,
and a person conjoins himself with the Lord,
that is, the Lord and a person are together in that love.
And what is it to love the neighbor but not to do him evil,
according to the commandments of the Decalogue (Rom. 13:8-11)?

AR 566 - "Come here, and you will see something still more wonderful."

AR 566
[6] "Come here, and you will see something still more wonderful."
And they came, and entered into a chamber,
the walls of which shone as if from gold;
and they saw there also a table,
upon which lay the Word,
set around with precious stones in heavenly forms.
And the angel keeper said,
"When the Word is opened,
a light beams forth from it of ineffable brightness;
and at the same time there appears from the precious stones
a rainbow above and around the Word.

When any angel from the third heaven comes here,
and looks at the open Word,
there appears above and around the Word
a rainbow of various colors on a red ground.

When an angel comes here from the second heaven,
and looks, there appears a rainbow on a blue ground.

When an angel from the lowest heaven comes and looks,
there appears a rainbow on a white ground.

When any good spirit comes and looks,
there appears a variegation of light, as of marble."
That it was so, was also shown them visibly.

AR 565 - pride

AR 565
. . . from pride proceeds hatred,
and from hatred proceed anger and revenge . . .

AR 564 - the truth of the church should be seen, in order that it may be believed

AR 564
How can any person be led by the Lord,
and conjoined with heaven,
who shuts up his understanding
in such things as relate to salvation and eternal life?

Is it not the understanding which will be enlightened and taught?

Is not religion to shun evil and do good?

Must not the doctrine of the church teach this,
as also what a person should believe,
that he may do the good works of religion from God?

AR 548 - Michael

AR 548
And there was war in heaven,
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon . . .
(Revelation 12:7)

By "war" is signified spiritual war,
which is of falsity against truth, and truth against falsity . . ..

By "Michael" is not meant any archangel; neither by "Gabriel, and Raphael,"
but ministries in heaven are meant;
the ministry signified by "Michael"
is performed by those who confirm from the Word,
that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth,
and that God the Father and He are one, as the soul and body are one;
also that people ought to live
according to the commandments of the Decalogue,
and that then people have charity and faith.

AR 542, 547 - protecting truth

AR 542
And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth,
that after she had brought forth, he might devour her offspring,
(Revelation 12:4)
signifies that they who are meant by "the dragon"
will endeavor to extinguish the doctrine of the New Church in its first origin.

AR 547
It is of the Lord's Divine providence,
that the church should at first be among a few,
and that it should successively increase among many,
because the falsities of the former church must first be removed;
for before this, truths cannot be received,
since truths,
which are received and implanted before falsities are removed,
do not remain . . ..

AR 535 - "And being with child . . ."

AR 535
And being with child, she cried,
travailing, and pained to bring forth"
(Revelation 12:2)

. . . nothing else is signified by "being with child",
"In travail,' and "bringing forth,"
in the spiritual sense of the Word,
than to conceive and bring forth
those things which are of spiritual life . . .

AR 533 - in heaven

AR 533 [2]
. . . all angels there were people,
and their departure out of the world was only a continuation of their life;
therefore they are also perfected in love and wisdom,
everyone according to the degree of the affection of truth and good
which he took with him out of the world.

AR 529 - nothing could be more holy

AR 529
And the temple of God was opened in heaven,
and there was seen in His temple the ark of His covenant,
(Revelation 11:19)

[2] But something shall first be said of the Decalogue. What nation is there in the whole world which does not know that it is evil to kill, to commit adultery, to steal, to testify falsely? If mankind did not know these things, and if laws were not made to guard against these crimes, they must perish; for a society, republic, and kingdom, would fall without such laws. Who can suppose that the Israelitish nation could have been so much more stupid than all others, as not to know that these things were evils? Therefore anyone may wonder why these laws, universally known throughout the whole world, should have been promulgated by Jehovah Himself from Mount Sinai with so great a miracle, and were written with His own finger. But hear: they were promulgated with so great a miracle by Jehovah Himself, and were written by His finger, to make known to them that those laws were not only civil and moral laws, but also spiritual laws, and that to act contrary to them, was not only to commit evil against a fellow citizen and against society, but that it was also to sin against God.
Wherefore these laws, by being promulgated from Mount Sinai by Jehovah, were made laws of religion. For it is evident that whatsoever Jehovah God commands, He commands that it may be a thing of religion, and that it should be done for His sake, and for man's sake, that he may be saved.

[3] These laws, because they were the first fruits of the church about to be established by the Lord among the Israelitish nation, and because they were in a short summary the complex of all things of religion, whereby a conjunction of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord was given, therefore they were so holy, that nothing could be more holy.

AR 527 - fear

AR 527
And to them that fear Thy name
(Revelation 11:18)
The reason why "to fear" here signifies to love, is,
because every one who loves
also fears to do evil to whom he loves.
Genuine love is not given without that fear.
Therefore he who loves the Lord fears to do evils,
because evils are contrary to Him,
contrary to His Divine laws in the Word,
which are from Him
and thus are Himself;
indeed, they are contrary to His Divine essence,
which is that He wills to save all,
for He is the Saviour,
and cannot save a person
unless a person lives according to His laws and commandments.
And, what is more,
he who loves evils
also loves to do evil to the Lord,
indeed, to crucify Him.

AR 508 - gifts

AR 508
And shall send gifts one to another . . ..
(Revelation 11:10)
"To send gifts" signifies to be consociated by love and friendship,
because a gift consociates,
for it produces love, and causes friendship;
"one to another" signifies mutually.


Definition of consociate from Merriam-Webster's dictionary:
transitive verb : to bring into association
intransitive verb : to associate especially in fellowship or partnership

AR 493 - two olive trees & two lampstands

AR 493
These are the two olive trees,
and the two lampstands
which are standing before the God of the earth,
(Revelation 11:4)
signifies love and intelligence, or charity and faith,
both from the Lord with them.
By "an olive tree" is signified love and charity . . .
and by "lampstands" is signified enlightenment in truths,
and consequently intelligence and faith,
because intelligence is from enlightenment in truths, and faith is from this.
By "standing before God" is signified to hear and do what He commands. . .

that by the two witnesses being "two olive trees and two lampstands"
is signified that they were love and intelligence, or charity and faith,
for these two make the church;
love and charity its life,
and intelligence and faith its doctrine.

AR 490 - two witnesses, two essentials

AR 490
And I will give unto My two witnesses,
(Revelation 11:3)
signifies those who confess and acknowledge from the heart
that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth,
and that His Human is Divine,
and who are conjoined to Him
by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue.
The reason why these are here meant by "the two witnesses," is,
because these two are the two essentials of the New Church.
That the first essential,
that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth,
and that His Human is Divine,
is "a testimony," and consequently,
that they are "witnesses" who confess and acknowledge it in the heart,

That the second essential of the New Church,
which is conjunction with the Lord
by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue,
is "a Testimony," is manifest from the fact
that the Decalogue is called "the Testimony" . . . .

Something shall here be said concerning conjunction with the Lord
by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue.
There are two tables upon which those precepts are written,
one for the Lord, the other for mankind.
The first table, teaches that many gods are not to be worshiped, but one;
the second table, that evils are not to be done;
therefore, when one God is worshiped,
and a person does not do evils,
conjunction takes place;
for so far as a person desists from evils,
that is, does the work of repentance,
so far he is accepted by God, and does good from Him.
But who now is the one God?
A trine or triune God is not one God
when this trine and triune is in three Persons;
but He, in whom the trine or triune is in one Person, is one God,
and that God is the Lord.

--------------------------------------------------
From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
testimony
a (1) : the tablets inscribed with the Mosaic law
(2) : the ark containing the tablets
b : a divine decree attested in the Scriptures

witness
1 : attestation of a fact or event - testimony
2 : one that gives evidence

AR 478 - from the Lord's kingdom

How delightful upon the mountains
are the feet of Him that declares good tidings,
that makes us to hear peace,
that declares good tidings of good,
that makes us to hear salvation,
that said to Zion,
Your God shall reign.

(Isaiah 52:7; Nahum 1:15)

AR 471, 472 - the voices of the Lord (also AC 8823) OR how we hear Him.

AR 471
And cried with a great voice, as a lion roars . . .
(Revelation 10:3)
is signified grievous lamentation respecting the church,
and that it has been taken away from Him . . .
for a lion roars when he sees His enemies and is assaulted by them,
and when he sees his whelps and pray taken away;
so does the Lord, comparatively,
when he sees His church taken away from Him by devils.

AR 472
And when he cried, seven thunders uttered their voices . . .
(Revelation 10:3)
when the Lord speaks,
as it descends through the heavens into the lower parts,
it is heard as thunder;
and because He speaks through the whole heaven at once,
and thus fully, they are called "seven" thunders,
for by "seven" are signified all, all things, and the whole;
therefore also by "thunder" is signified instruction
and the perception of truth; here also disclosure and manifestation.

AC 8823
And the voice of the trumpet grew louder and louder
(Exodus 19:19)
means revelation in its general aspects,
which comes through the angelic heaven.
This is clear from the meaning of 'the voice of a trumpet'
as celestial or angelic truth joined to the Divine . . .
and so revelation in its general aspects, since God's truth is revelation . . .
and from the meaning of 'growing louder and louder' as increasing,
for just as a sound is inaudible on high,
where the air is rarer,
but grows and sounds louder as it comes down to lower levels,
where the air is denser,
so Divine Good and Divine Truth on highest levels are peaceful
and altogether without any agitation;
but as they pass down to lower levels
they become by degrees less peaceful and at length violently agitated.
These things are described in the following way by the Lord to Elijah
when he was in Horeb, in the first Book of Kings,

Go out, and stand on the mountain before Jehovah.
Behold, Jehovah was passing by,
so that a great and strong wind was breaking apart the mountains,
and shattering the rocks before Jehovah;
Jehovah was not in the wind.
Then after the wind, an earthquake;
but Jehovah was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake, a fire;
Jehovah was not in the fire.
Finally after the fire, a slight whisper.*
(1 Kings 19:11, 12)
* lit. a thin voice of silence

AR 461 - the second table of the Decalogue

AR 461
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their enchantments,
nor of their whoredoms, nor of their thefts.
(Revelation 9:21)
The second table of the Decalogue is a table of repentance,
because it is not there said that good works are to be done,
but that evil works are not to be done, as
"Thou shalt not kill,"
"though shalt not commit adultery,"
"thou shalt not steal,"
"thou shalt not bear false witness,"
"thou shalt not covet the things which are thy neighbor's" . . ..

AR 459 - idols

AR 459
And idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood,
(Revelation 9:20)

By "idols" in the Word, are signified the falsities of worship,
and therefore to adore them signifies worship from falsities. . .
"idols of gold" signified falsities concerning Divine things;
"idols of silver," falsities concerning spiritual things;
"idols of brass," falsities concerning charity;
"idols of stone," falsities concerning faith;
and "idols of wood," falsities concerning good works.

All these falsities exist in those who do not do the work of repentance,
that is, shun evils as sins against God.

AR 434 - the church

AR 434
. . . the church is a church from the love or affection of truth;
for from this comes the understanding of truth.

AR 454 - the sensual person

AR 454 [4]
As few at this day know what is meant by the sensual,
and what the quality of the sensual person is;
and as "locusts" signify that,
the following extracts are therefore given as examples
concerning it from our Arcana Coelestia.

• That the sensual is the ultimate of the life of a person's mind,
  adhering and cohering to his five bodily senses.
  
• That he is called a sensual person
  who judges of all things from the bodily senses,
  and who believes nothing but what he can see with his eyes,
  and touch with his hands;
  saying that these are something, and rejecting the rest.
  
• That the interiors of his mind,
  which see from the light of heaven, are closed,
  so that he sees nothing of truth there,
  which is of heaven and the church.
  
• That such a person thinks in outermost things,
  and not interiorly from any spiritual light.
  
• In a word, that they are in a gross natural light [lumen].
  
• That so interiorly they are against the things
  which are of heaven and the church,
  but that exteriorly they can speak in favor of them, and ardently,
  according to the dominion they exercise by means of them.
• That they who have reasoned from sensual things only,
  and so against the genuine truths of the church,
  were called by the ancients, serpents of the tree of knowledge.
• That sensual things ought to be in the last place, and not in the first,
  and that in a wise and intelligent person they are in the last place,
  and subject to the interiors;
  but that with an unwise person, they are in the first place, and govern;
  these are they who are properly called sensual.
• If sensual things are in the last place,
  a way is opened by them to the understanding . . ..
• That a person, when his thought is elevated above sensual things,
  comes into a clearer light, and, at length, into heavenly light.

This number is a series of teachings from the Arcana. After each sentence is a reference to the number(s) in the Arcana, which are not given here. These are just a few of the teachings.

AR 417 - from a Relation

AR 417
". . . every good of charity, which is called a good work,
done by a person for the sake of salvation or eternal life,
is not good but evil,
by reason that person desires to save himself by his own works . . .
and that it is so with every good work,
in which a person feels his own will."

"Do you not know that the Lord is the Word?
Is not the Word from the Lord?
Is He not therefore in it?
If then you do good from the Word,
do you not do it from the Lord, from His mouth and will?
And if you at the same time look to the Lord,
He will also lead you, and will cause you to do it,
and this He will do through you,
and you as from yourselves."