AE 714c - "Because he has set his love upon Me" (Psalm 91:14)

AE 714c [24]
Because he has set his love upon Me I will rescue him,
I will set him on high because he has known My name.
(Psalm 91:14)

. . . to lead away from falsities
and to lead to interior truths and goods
one who is in doctrine from the Word is signified by
"I will rescue him, I will set him on high, who hath known My name,"
"to rescue" meaning to lead away from falsities,
"to set on high" to lead to interior truths,
and "to know My name," to be in doctrine from the Word.

AE 734b - trees

AE 734b [3]
. . . trees in gardens signify the perceptions and knowledges of truths.

AE 730d - natural, rational, spiritual, a church; AE 732 - the growth of the New Church

AE 730d [31]
Every person is born natural,
and lives naturally until he becomes rational;
and when he has become rational
he can be led by the Lord and become spiritual;
and this is effected by the implanting of the knowledges of truth from the Word,
and at the same time by the opening of the spiritual mind
which receives the things of heaven,
and by calling forth these knowledges
and elevating them out of the natural person
and conjoining them with the spiritual affection of truth.
This opening and conjunction is possible only through temptations,
because in temptations a person fights interiorly
against the falsities and evils that are in the natural person.
In a word, a person is introduced into the church
and becomes a church through temptations.

This was represented by the wandering
and leading about of the sons of Israel in the wilderness.
The state of the natural person before he is regenerated
was represented by their sojourning in the land of Egypt,
for "the land of Egypt" signified the natural person . . ..
But the spiritual state, which is the state of the church with a person,
was represented by the introduction of the sons of Israel
into the land of Canaan,
for "the land of Canaan" signified the church with its truths and goods,
together with its affections, and delights,
which reside in such a person;
while the reformation and regeneration of a person
before from being natural he becomes spiritual and thus a church,
was represented by their wanderings and journeyings
in the wilderness forty years.

AE 732 [2-3]
There are several reasons why this New Church
that is called the Holy Jerusalem
will first begin with a few,
afterwards to be with more,
and finally to reach fullness.

First, its doctrine,
which is the doctrine of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor,
cannot be acknowledged and thus received
except by those who are interiorly affected by truths,
and those only can be interiorly affected by truths
who have the ability to see them,
and those only see truths
who have cultivated their intellectual faculty,
and have not destroyed it in themselves by the loves of self and of the world.

A second reason is
that the doctrine of that church cannot be acknowledged
and consequently received
but by those who have not confirmed themselves by doctrine
and at the same time by life
in faith alone;
confirmation by doctrine alone does not prevent reception,
but confirmation by life also does prevent,
for such do not know what love to the Lord is,
nor what charity towards the neighbor is,
nor are they willing to know.

A third reason is
that the New Church on the earth grows
according to its increase in the world of spirits,
for spirits from that world are with people,
and they are from such as while they lived on earth
were in the faith of their church,
and none of these receive the doctrine
but those who have been in the spiritual affection of truth;
these only are conjoined to heaven where that doctrine is,
and they conjoin heaven to a person.

AE 730a - with every person the Lord can . . .

AE 730a [2]
. . . the Lord does not flow immediately into a person's understanding
except so far as the will is in good.
With every person the Lord can enlighten the understanding,
and thus flow in with Divine truths,
since there is given to every person the ability to understand truth,
and this for the sake of his reformation;
nevertheless the Lord does not flow in,
because truths do not remain except so far as the will has been reformed.
Moreover, it is dangerous
to so enlighten the understanding in truths as to produce belief
except so far as the will acts as one with it;
since a person can then pervert, adulterate, and profane truths,
which is most hurtful.

AE 727b - "rod & staff"

AE 727b [14]
As "rod and staff" signify the power of Divine truth,
and thus Divine truth in respect to power,
so in the contrary sense "rod and staff"
also signify the power of infernal falsity,
and thence infernal falsity in respect to power.

Jehovah has broken the staff of the wicked,
the rod of them that rule.
(Isaiah 14:5)

"To break the staff of the wicked"
signifies to destroy the power of falsity from evil; and
"to break the rod of them that rule"
signifies to destroy the rule of falsity.

AE 726 - the Lord's infinite power through Divine truth

AE 726 [4]
. . . spiritual auras and atmospheres
that are nearest to the Lord as a sun are the most pure;
but according to the degrees in which they are removed from Him
they are less and less pure.
Therefore there are three heavens,
the inmost heaven in a purer aura,
the middle heaven in an aura less pure,
and the lowest heaven in an aura still less pure.
These auras or atmospheres, which are spiritual,
because they have sprung from the Lord as a sun,
when made active in common exhibit heat,
but when modified in their least parts exhibit light.
That heat, which in its essence is love,
and that light, which in its essence is wisdom,
are called specifically Divine truth;
but together with the auras, which are also spiritual,
they are called the Divine proceeding.
Now from these the heavens were created, and also the worlds;
for all things that exist in the natural world
are produced from the spiritual world,
as effects from their effecting causes.
From this the creation of heaven and earth
by means of Divine truth proceed from the Lord as a sun,
which is above the angelic heavens,
can be seen as in a natural mirror.
It can also in some degree be comprehended
that the Lord has infinite power by means of the Divine proceeding,
which in general is called Divine truth.
This also is meant by these words in John:

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and God was the Word;
all things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything made that was made.
And the world was made by Him.
(John 1:1, 3, 10)

And in David:

By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made.
(Psalm 33:6)

"The Word" signifies Divine truth.

The Lord Is God (Deuteronomy 4:32-40)

Deuteronomy 4:32-40

Ask now about the former days, long before your time,
from the day God created human beings on the earth;
ask from one end of the heavens to the other.
Has anything so great as this ever happened,
or has anything like it ever been heard of?
Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire,
as you have, and lived?
Has any god ever tried to take for himself
one nation out of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,
or by great and awesome deeds,
like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt
before your very eyes?

You were shown these things so that you might know
that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.
From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you.
On earth he showed you his great fire,
and you heard his words from out of the fire.
Because he loved your ancestors
and chose their descendants after them,
he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength,
to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you
and to bring you into their land
to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.

Acknowledge and take to heart this day
that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
There is no other.
Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today,
so that it may go well with you and your children after you
and that you may live long in the land
the LORD your God gives you for all time.

AE 724 - doctrine, life & regeneration

AE 724a
. . . every doctrine of he church is a doctrine of truth,
and that truth of doctrine becomes good
and comes to be of love and charity
when from doctrine it passes into life.

AE 724b [8]
... regeneration is the conjunction of goods with truths
and of truths with goods,
and it is the Lord who regenerates,
and the Word that teaches.

AE 721c - "and she shall bring forth sons in pain"

AE 721c [26]
Jehovah God said to the woman,
In multiplying I will multiply your pain and your conception;
in pain you will bring forth sons;
and your obedience shall be to your man,
and he shall rule over you.
(Genesis 3:16)

This does not mean that women are to bring forth sons in pain,
but "the woman" means the church that from celestial has become natural;
"eating of the tree of knowledge" signifies this.
That the person of the church cannot easily be regenerated
by means of truths and a life according to them,
and that he must endure temptations
that truths may be implanted and conjoined to good,
is signified by "pain and conception shall be multiplied,"
and by "she shall bring forth sons in pain,"
"conception" signifying the reception of truth that is from good,
and "to bring forth sons" signifying to bring forth truths
from the marriage of truth and good.
Because the natural person is full of lusts
from the love of self and of the world,
and these can be removed only by means of truths,
therefore it is said
"your obedience shall be to your man, and he shall rule over you,"
"man" signifying here as elsewhere in the Word the truth of the church.

AE 721c - "and she shall bring forth sons in pain"

AE 721c [26]
Jehovah God said to the woman,
In multiplying I will multiply thy pain and thy conception;
in pain you will bring forth sons;
and your obedience shall be to your man,
and he shall rule over you.
(Genesis 3:16)

This does not mean that women are to bring forth sons in pain,
but "the woman" means the church that from celestial has become natural;
"eating of the tree of knowledge" signifies this.
That the people of the church cannot easily be regenerated
by means of truths and a life according to them,
and that he must endure temptations
that truths may be implanted and conjoined to good,
is signified by "pain and conception shall be multiplied,"
and by "she shall bring forth sons in pain,"
"conception" signifying the reception of truth that is from good,
and "to bring forth sons" signifying to bring forth truths
from the marriage of truth and good.
Because the natural person is full of lusts
from the love of self and of the world,
and these can be removed only by means of truths,
therefore it is said
"your obedience shall be to your man, and he shall rule over you,"
"man" signifying here as elsewhere in the Word the truth of the church.

AE 717a - "precious stones" signify divine truths; AE 717d - the truths of the Word

AE 717a [2]
. . . "precious stones" signify Divine truths.
They mean Divine truths in the ultimate of order,
which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word,
because these are transparent, having in them a spiritual sense,
and in that sense there is the light of heaven,
which makes all things of the sense of the letter of the Word
to be translucently clear, and to be variegated also
according to the series of things in the spiritual sense
from which arise modifications of heavenly light,
that present such colors as appear in the heavens,
and so in precious stones of various kinds.

AE 717d [15,18]
. . . with the evil, the same as with the good,
the Word is still the Word
and its truths are truths in themselves;
and when the evil pervert and falsity the truths of the Word
it yet does not change their essence.

. . . the truths of the Word do not change their essence
when they are with the evil.

AE 715 - contrary sense

AE 715
. . . in the Word every word has also a contrary sense,
and what is contrary to what is holy is profane.

AE 714b - those in the spiritual affection of truth

AE 714b [10]
. . . all who are in the spiritual affection of truth,
that is, who love truth because it is truth
and because it is serviceable to eternal life
and to the life of the souls of people,
have intelligence from the Lord.

AE 714a - spiritual or sensual?

AE 714a
And behold a great red dragon,
signifies all who are merely natural and sensual from the love of self,
and yet have more or less knowledge from the Word
from doctrine therefrom or from preaching,
and think to be saved by knowledge alone apart from life.

. . . all who live for the body and the world,
and not for God and heaven,
become merely natural and sensual . . .

. . . truths from the Word with a life according to them
are what make a person spiritual,
for life is willing truths
and doing them
from a love of them . . .

. . . to love truths
and from love to will them
and from that will
to do them
is from heaven,
that is, through heaven from the Lord,
and is in its nature celestial and Divine . . .

AE 711 - the woman clothed with the Sun

AE 711
She cried out travailing and pained to bring forth,
signifies non-reception by those in the church
who are natural and sensual, and their resistance.

AE 710c - "the babe leaped in the womb"

AE 710c [31]
It is said of John the Baptist:

That he was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother's womb;
and that the babe leaped in the womb at the salutation of Mary.
(Luke 1:15, 41, 44).

This signified that he was to represent the Lord in relation to the Word,
as Elijah did;
for in the Word, which is Divine truth,
there is everywhere the marriage of Divine good and Divine truth,
and Divine good united with Divine truth
is the Divine proceeding from the Lord,
which is called the Holy Spirit.
The leaping in the womb at the salutation of Mary
represented the joy arising from the love of the conjunction of good and truth,
thus the joy of celestial conjugial love,
which is in every particular of the Word.

AE 710c - the circle of marriage

AE 710c [25, 26]
. . . there are marriages in the heavens even as on earth,
but in the heavens the marriages are of like with like;
for man is born to act from the understanding,
but woman from affection,
and the understanding with men is the understanding of truth and good,
and the affection with women is the affection of truth and good;
and as all understanding derives its life from affection,
therefore the two there are joined together,
as the affection which belongs to the will
is joined with the correspondent thought which belongs to the understanding.
. . . yet, in order that the understanding and affection may act as one,
they are so joined together in heaven that the correspondent affection,
which belongs to the woman,
is conjoined with the correspondent understanding
which belongs to the man;
and as a result, both by correspondence have a life that is full of love.
Now because two different affections
cannot correspond to one understanding,
therefore in heaven one man never has and never can have several wives.

"Therefore they are no more twain but one flesh"
signifies that thus the understanding of good and truth
and the affection of good and truth are not two but one,
in like manner as while will and understanding are two
they are nevertheless one;
and the like is true of truth and good and of faith and charity,
which indeed are two but yet one, that is,
when truth is of good and good is of truth,
so also when faith is of charity and charity is of faith;
and this also is the source of conjugial (marriage) love.

AE 710a - "Blessed are they . . ."

AE 710a [9]
Jesus said, Yea, rather blessed are they
that hear the Word of God and keep it.
(Luke 11:28)

"Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it,"
which describes the regeneration
that is effected by truths from the Word and a life according to them;
"to hear the Word of God" signifies to learn truths from the Word,
and "to keep it" signifies to live according to those truths.

AE 707 - the effects in loving the Lord

AE 707
. . . for love to the Lord
is to love and to will those things that are of the Lord,
consequently those things that the Lord has commanded in the Word,
and love towards the neighbor is to act from that will,
thus it consists in the performance of uses,
which are effects.

AE 706 - signs and wonders

AE 706a
"Sign" and "wonder" are mentioned in many passages in the Word,
"sign" meaning that which indicates, witnesses,
and persuades respecting the subject of inquiry,
and "wonder" meaning that which stirs up, strikes dumb,
and fills with amazement;
thus a sign moves the understanding and faith,
but a wonder the will and its affection,
for the will and its affection are what are stirred up,
stricken dumb, and filled with amazement,
while the understanding and its faith
are what are persuaded and moved by indications and proofs.

[2] That there is a difference between a sign and a wonder
is evident from the fact that the Jews,
although they had seen so many wonders performed by the Lord,
still sought signs from Him;
and also from the fact
that the prodigies wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness
are sometimes called "signs" and sometimes "wonders,"
and sometimes both.
It is further evident from this,
that in every particular of the Word there is a marriage of truth and good,
and thus also of the understanding and will,
for truth is of the understanding and good of the will,
consequently "signs" there have reference to things
pertaining to truth, and to faith and the understanding,
and "wonders" to the things pertaining to good,
and to affection and the will.

AE 701e - conjunction through Divine truth

AE 701e [32]
. . . "covenant", where the Lord is treated of,
signifies conjunction through Divine truth.
There is indeed, a conjunction with Him through the good of love;
but because the Lord flows in with a person through good into truths,
whereby a person has the affection of truth,
and receives the Lord's good in truths,
from which he acknowledges, confesses, and worships the Lord . . .

AE 701c - covenants, old & new

AE 701c [12]
. . . the covenants that the Lord makes with men
must be on the part of the Lord and on the part of men;
they must be on the part of both that there may be conjunction . . .

[15-16]
. . . "the old covenant," . . . was a conjunction through such Divine truth
as is contained in the books of Moses
and is called "commandments, judgments, and statutes,"
in which . . . there lay inwardly hidden
such Divine truth as is in heaven, which is internal and spiritual.

This Divine truth was disclosed by the Lord when He was in the world;
and as through this alone there is conjunction of the Lord with men,
therefore this is what is meant by "the new covenant,"
also by "His blood," which is therefore called "the blood of the new covenant."
"Wine" has a similar meaning.

AE 701a - conjunction, covenant, Divine light, & freedom

AE 701
. . . it was called "the ark of the covenant" because the law was in it,
and the "law," which in a broad sense means the Word,
signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth, which is the Word,
. . . for all Divine truth proceeds from Him,
and when this is received by a person
conjunction with the Lord is effected,
and this conjunction is what is signified by "covenant."

. . . The Lord continually flows into all people with light that enlightens,
and with the affection of knowing and understanding truths,
also for willing and doing them;
and as that light and that affection continually flow in from the Lord,
it follows that a person becomes rational to the extent
that he receives of that light,
and he becomes wise and is led by the Lord
so far as he receives of that affection.
That affection with its light draws to itself and conjoins to itself
the truths that person from infancy has learned from the Word,
from doctrine out of the Word, and from preaching;
for every affection desires
to be nourished by the knowledges that are in harmony with it.
From this conjunction a person's spiritual love or affection is formed,
through which he is conjoined to the Lord,
that is, through which the Lord conjoins a person to Himself.

[2] But in order that that light and that affection may be received,
freedom of choice has been given to a person,
and as that freedom is from the Lord,
it is also a gift of the Lord with a person
and is never taken away from him;
for that freedom belongs to a person's affection or love,
and consequently also to his life.
From freedom a person can think and will what is evil,
and can also think and will what is good.
So far, therefore, as from that freedom,
which belongs to his love and so to his life,
a person thinks falsities and wills evils,
which are the opposites of the truths and goods of the Word,
so far he is not conjoined to the Lord;
but so far as he thinks truths and wills goods, which are from the Word,
so far he is conjoined to the Lord,
and the Lord makes those truths and goods to be of his love,
and consequently of his life.
From this it is evident that this conjunction is reciprocal,
namely, of the Lord with a person and of a person with the Lord;
such is the conjunction that is meant in the Word by "covenant."

[3] . . . If one lets his hands hang down and waits for influx
he receives nothing,
and can have no reciprocal conjunction with the Lord,
thus he is not in the covenant.
That this is so is clearly evident from this,
that the Lord in a thousand passages in the Word has taught
that a person must do good and must not do evil,
and this the Lord would by no means have said,
unless something had been given to a person by which he has ability to do,
and unless that which has been given to a person
might seem to him to be as if his own, although it is not his.

AE 700e - "Philistines", and to serve

AE 700e [20]
. . . he who makes no account of the good of charity and of life
becomes merely natural, and even sensual, loving only worldly things,
and is unable to understand any truths spiritually,
and the truths he apprehends naturally he either falsifies or defiles.
Such are they who are meant in the Word by the "Philistines."
So it is evident why the Philistines so frequently fought with the sons of Israel,
and that sometimes the Philistines conquered,
and sometimes the sons of Israel.
The Philistines conquered
when the sons of Israel departed
from the statutes and precepts in not doing them;
but when the sons of Israel lived according to these
they conquered.
To live according to the precepts and statutes
was their good of love and good of life.

[23]
. . . to bear a yoke signifies to serve . . .

AE 700a - "the law" and the third heaven

AE 700a [2]
. . . the "law" means the Lord in relation to Divine truth or the Word,
. . . and it is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord that forms the heavens.
This is received in the greatest purity by the angels of the third heaven,
because they are in conjunction with the Lord through love to Him,
since all angels in that heaven are in love to the Lord;
consequently they see Divine truth in themselves,
like something implanted,
although it flows in continually from the Lord.
For this reason that heaven more than the other heavens which are below it,
is said to be in the Lord,
because it is in the Divine that proceeds from Him.

AE 696d - spiritual fear vs. natural fear

AE 696d [23]
. . . spiritual fear is a holy fear
that abides within every spiritual love variously
according to the quality and the quantity of the love.
In such fear is the spiritual person,
and he knows that the Lord does not do evil to anyone,
much less does He destroy any one as to body and soul in Gehenna,
but that He does good to all
and desires to raise up every one as to body and soul into heaven to Himself.
This is why the the fear of the spiritual person is a holy fear
lest by the evil of life and the falsity of doctrine a person should turn away,
and thus do harm to that Divine love in himself.

But natural fear is a fearfulness, dread,
and terror of dangers and punishments, and thus of hell;
this fear abides within every corporeal love,
also variously according to the quality and quantity of the love.
The natural person who has such fear
does not know otherwise than that the Lord does evil to the evil,
condemns them, casts them into hell, and punishes them,
and on this account such persons are in fear and dread of the Lord.

AE 696b - to fear, serve, walk, & love

AE 696b [7]:
What does Jehovah your God ask of you
but to fear Jehovah your God,
to walk in all His ways and to love Him,
and to serve Jehovah your God
with your whole heart and with your whole soul?
(Deuteronomy 10:12, 20)

The expressions "to fear Jehovah God,"
"to walk in His ways,"
"to love Him,"
and "to serve Him," are here used,
and by all these worship by truths from good is described;
worship by truths
is meant by "fearing Jehovah God" and by "serving Him,"
and worship from good
by "walking in His ways" and by "loving Him;"
therefore it is also said "with the whole heart and with the whole soul,"
"heart" signifying the good of love and charity that belongs to the will,
and "soul" the truth of doctrine and faith that belongs to the understanding;
for "heart" corresponds to the good of love,
and in a person to his will,
and "soul" corresponds to the truth of faith,
and in a person to his understanding . . ..

AE 695d - the loves of evil & falsity

AE 695d [22]
. . . the love of evil is nourished by falsities,
and the love of falsity is nourished by evils . . ..

AE 695a - "reward"

AE 695a [2]
And to give reward to His servants, the prophets and the saints.
(Revelation 11:18)

"Reward" means properly that delight, blessedness, and happiness
that is in the love or affection of good and truth.

. . . the Lord is in that love or affection, and with the Lord is heaven;

. . . those will receive who do good and speak truth
from the love or affection of good and truth,
thus from the Lord,
and in no wise from themselves;
and as they do this from the Lord
and not from themselves
it is not a reward of merit but a reward of grace.

AE 689 - all being, living, and ability are from the Lord

AE 689
Saying, we give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
(Revelation 11:17)
signifies the acknowledgment
that all being, living, and ability are from the Lord.

[2] In respect to Divine omnipotence:
it does not involve any power to act contrary to order,
but it involves all power to act according to order,
for all order is from the Lord . . ..

Because it is of the Divine omnipotence
to lead one who wishes to be led according to order,
and thus to lead no one contrary to order,
therefore it is not of the Divine omnipotence to lead anyone to heaven
who wishes to lead himself,
since it is a law of order that what a person does
he shall do from reason and from freedom,
because that which is received by the reason
and done from freedom remains with a person,
and is appropriated to him as his own,
but not that which is not received by the reason and done from freedom.
Consequently it is clear
that it is not of the Divine omnipotence to save those
who are not willing to be led according to order,
for to be led according to order is to be led according to the laws of order,
and the laws of order are the precepts of doctrine and life from the Word;
it is therefore of the Divine omnipotence to lead a person
who is willing to be led according to these
every moment and continually to eternity.

. . . It is also of the Divine omnipotence to protect people from the hells,
so far as this can be done without injury to freedom and reason;
for all the hells are as nothing against the Lord's Divine power;
without this power of the Lord it is impossible for any person to be saved.