AC 1900 - Life From the Internal Person

AC 1900 [1, 3]

A person's very life is from the internal man,
which cannot have communication with the external,
except a most obscure communication,
until the receiving vessels that are of the memory
have been formed,
which is effected by means of knowledges.

These are the genuine vessels
in the organic forms of each memory,
and to which the celestial things of love
and the spiritual things of faith can be fitted in;
for they are there arranged by the Lord
according to the idea and image of the societies of heaven,
or of His kingdom,
insomuch that the man becomes, in least form, a heaven,
or a kingdom of the Lord,
as also the minds of those
who are in the celestial things of love
and the spiritual things of faith
are called in the Word.
But these things have been said
for those who love to think more deeply.

Ezekiel Has Another Vision

In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day,
while I was sitting in my house
and the elders of Judah were sitting before me,
the hand of the Sovereign Lord came upon me there.
I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man.
From what appeared to be his waist down
he was like fire
and from there up
his appearance was as bright as glowing metal.
He stretched out what looked like a hand
and took me by the hair of my head.
The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven
and in vision of God
He took me to Jerusalem,
to the entrance to the north gate of the inner court,
where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood.
And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel,
as in the vision I had seen in the plain.

(Ezekiel 8:1-5)

AC 1893 - Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob

AC 1893

Sarai, Abram's wife, did not bear unto him.
(Genesis 16:1)

That this signifies that the rational man was not yet,
will be evident from what follows, where Isaac is treated of.
For, as has been said,
there are in every man an internal man,
a rational man that is intermediate,
and an external, which is properly called the natural man.
With the Lord these were represented by
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;
the internal man by Abraham,
the rational by Isaac,
and the natural by Jacob.
The internal man in the Lord was Jehovah Himself,
for He was conceived of Jehovah;
on this account He so often called Him His "Father,"
and in the Word He is called
the "Only-begotten of God," and the only "Son of God."
The rational man is not born with man,
but only the capacity for becoming rational,
as all may see from the fact
that new-born infants are not endowed with any reason,
but become rational in process of time
by means of things of sense external and internal,
as they are imbued with knowledges.
In children indeed there is an appearance of rationality,
yet it is not rationality,
but is only a kind of rudiment of it,
which is known from the fact
that reason belongs to adults and men of years. 

[2] The rational man in the Lord is treated of in this chapter.
The Divine Rational itself is represented by Isaac;
but the first rational before it was made Divine, by Ishmael;
and therefore that
"Sarai, Abram's wife, did not bear unto him"
here signifies that hitherto there was no Divine rational.
As before said, the Lord was born as are other men,
and as regards all that He drew from Mary the mother
He was like other men;
and as the rational is formed by means of knowledges,
which enter through things of the external senses,
or those of the external man,
therefore His first rational was born
as with any other man;
but as by His own power
He made Divine all the human things
that appertained to Him,
so did He also make the rational Divine.
His first rational is described in this chapter,
and also in chapter 21, where Hagar and Ishmael
are likewise treated of (from verses 9 to 21),
and it is said
that Ishmael was expelled when Isaac grew up,
by whom is represented the Divine rational. 

The Lord Calls Ezekiel

Then there came a voice
from above the expanse over their heads
as they stood with lowered wings.
Above the expanse over their heads
was what looked like a throne of sapphire,
and high above on the throne
was a figure like that of a Man.
I saw that from what appeared to be His waist up
He looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire,
and that from there down He looked like fire;
and brilliant light surrounded Him.
Like the appearance of a rainbow
in the clouds on a rainy day,
so was the radiance around Him.

This was the appearance of the likeness
of the glory of the Lord.
When I saw it,
I fell face-down,
and I heard the voice of one speaking.

He said to me,
"Son of man, stand up on your feet
and I will speak to you."
As He spoke,
the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet,
and I heard Him speaking to me.

He said:  "Son of man,
I am sending you to the Israelites,
to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me;
they and their fathers have been in revolt against Me
to this very day.
The people to whom I am sending you
are obstinate and stubborn.
Say to them,
'This is what the  Sovereign Lord says."
And whether they listen or fail to listen --
for they are a rebellious house --
they will know that a prophet has been among them."

(Ezekiel 1:25-28; 2:1-5)

AC 1889 - Abram, Hagar, Ishmael

AC 1889

When the rational is spoken of, or the rational man,
some idea can be formed of it;
but when it is said
that the rational is the intermediate
between the internal and the external,
few if any comprehend it.
Yet as the subject here treated of in the internal sense
is the Lord's Rational Man,
and how it was conceived and born
by the influx of the internal man into the external,
and as it is these very matters
that are involved in the historical facts
stated concerning Abram, Hagar, and Ishmael,
therefore in order to prevent what we have to say
in the following explanation from being utterly unintelligible,
be it known that in every man
there is an internal man,
a rational man which is intermediate,
and an external man,
and that these are most distinct from one another.

Wait Quietly

The Lord is good
to those whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

(Lamentations 3:25-26)

AC 1873 - What Is the Fruit of Faith?

AC 1873

. . .  good works are the fruit of faith
in the external sense or that of the letter,
but that these good works have no life
unless they proceed from charity;
and that thus the fruit of faith
in the proximate interior sense is charity.
But as charity or love toward the neighbor
ought to proceed from love to the Lord,
this love is the fruit of faith in the internal sense;
and as all love is from the Lord,
it is the Lord Himself.
For thus in the good work is charity;
in charity is love to the Lord;
and in love to the Lord is the Lord Himself.
 

He Made the Earth

He made the earth by His power;
He founded the world by His wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
When He thunders,
the waters in the heavens roar;
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from His storehouses.

(Jeremiah 51:15-16)

AC 1860 - Darkness & Thick Darkness; AC 1861 - The Appearance of the Lord

AC 1860

In the Word "darkness" signifies falsities,
and "thick darkness" evils.
There is "darkness"
when falsity is in the place of truth;
and there is "thick darkness"
when evil is in the place of good,
or what is precisely the same,
when hatred is in the place of charity.
When hatred is in the place of charity,
the thick darkness is so great
that the man is quite unaware that it is evil,
still less that it is so great an evil
as in the other life
to thrust him down to hell,
for they who are in hatred perceive a kind of delight
and as it were a kind of life in it,
and this delight and life themselves
cause him scarcely to know but that it is good,
for whatever favors a man's pleasure and cupidity,
because it favors his love,
he feels as good,
and this to such a degree
that when he is told that it is infernal
he can scarcely believe it,
still less when he is told that such delight and life
are in the other life
turned the stench of excrement and cadavers.
And still less does he believe
that he is becoming a devil and a horrible image of hell;
for hell consists of nothing but hatreds
and such diabolical forms. 

AC 1861 [15]

For Jehovah, or the Lord,
appears to everyone according to his quality --
to celestial angels as a Sun,
to spiritual angels as a Moon,
to all the good as a Light of varied delight and pleasantness,
but to the evil as a smoke and as a consuming fire.

Lost Sheep

"My people have been lost sheep;
their shepherds have led them astray
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill
and forgot their own resting place.
Whoever found them
devoured them;
their enemies said, 'We are not guilty,
for they sinned against the Lord
their true pasture,
the Lord, the hope of their fathers.'"

(Jeremiah 50:6-7)

AC 1857 - Every Evil

AC 1857 [2-3]

Every evil has its limit
that varies in each individual case,
beyond which it is not allowable to pass.
When an evil person passes beyond this limit
he precipitates himself into the penalty,
and this is so in every particular. 

It is the same in general,
the wicked thrust themselves down into hell,
not in a moment, but successively.
This has its origin in the universal law of order
established by the Lord,
that the Lord never casts anyone down into hell;
but that evil casts itself down,
or that the evil person casts himself down,
and this successively,
until the evil has been consummated,
and nothing of good any longer appears.
So long as there is any good,
he is uplifted above hell;
but when there is nothing but evil,
of himself
he is thrust down into it.
Good and evil must first be separated from each other,
for they are opposites;
and no one is allowed to incline both ways.
This is what is signified
by the iniquity of the Amorites having to be consummated.
But with the good the case is otherwise;
they are continually uplifted by the Lord toward heaven,
and their evil is successively wiped away. 

A Curse

A curse on him
who is lax in doing the Lord's work!

(Jeremiah 48:10)

AC 1844 - The Church Is With Those

AC 1844

At this day men speak of the church as existing
from the mere doctrinals of faith,
and thereby distinguish the churches of the Lord,
not caring what life men live --
whether they cherish inward hatreds,
and tear one another like wild beasts,
rob one another,
and deprive others of reputation, honor, and wealth,
and at heart deny whatever is holy.
And yet with such there is no church at all;
but the church is with those who love the Lord,
and who love the neighbor as themselves,
who have conscience,
and are averse to such hatreds as have been mentioned. 

Jeremiah Released from Prison

The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord
after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard
had released him at Ramah.
He had found Jeremiah bound in chains
among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah
who were being carried into exile to Babylon.
When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah,
he said to him,
"The Lord your God decreed this disaster for this place.
And now the Lord has brought it about;
He has done just as He said He would.
All this happened because you people
sinned against the Lord
and did not obey Him.
But today I am freeing you
from the chains on your wrists.
Come with me to Babylon, if you like,
and I will look after you;
but if you do not want to,
then don't go with me.
Look, the whole country is before you;
go wherever you please."
However, before Jeremiah turned to go,
Nebuzaradan added,
"Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam,
the son of Shaphan,
whom the king of Babylon
has appointed over the towns of Judah,
and live with him among the people,
or go anywhere else you please."

Then the commander gave him provisions and a present
and let him go.
So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah
and stayed with him among the people
who were left behind in the land.

(Jeremiah 10:1-6)

AC 1831, 1832 - Celestial Things, Spiritual Things

AC 1831

Celestial things, as has often been said,
are all that pertain to love to the Lord
and to love toward the neighbor.
It is the Lord who gives love and charity;
it is the church that receives.
What unites is conscience,
in which the love and charity are implanted;
and therefore the middle space between the parts
signifies that in person which is called
perception, internal dictate, and conscience.
The things which are above
the perception, dictate, and conscience, are the Lord's;
those which are below, are in man.
Because they thereby mutually regard each other,
there is said to be a parallelism;
and because they correspond to each other,
as the active and the passive,
there is said to be correspondence.

AC 1832 [1,2]

By spiritual things are signified, as often said before,
all the things of faith, consequently all doctrinal things,
for these are called things of faith,
although they are not of faith
until they have been conjoined with charity.
Between these and the Lord
there is not a parallelism and correspondence,
for they are such things as do not flow in
by internal dictate and conscience,
as do those which are of love and charity,
but they flow in by instruction,
and so by hearing,
thus not from the interior,
but from the exterior,
and in this way they form
their vessels or recipients in man. 

The greater part of them appear as if they were truths,
but are not truths,
such as those things
which are of the literal sense of the Word,
and are representatives of truth and significatives of truth,
and thus are not in themselves truths;
some of them even being falsities,
which however can serve as vessels and recipients.
But in the Lord there
are none but truths that are essentially such;
and therefore with these
there is no parallelism and correspondence
on the part of those apparent truths,
but still they may be so adapted
as to serve as vessels for the celestial things
which are of love and charity.
These apparent truths are what constitute
the cloud of the intellectual part,
before spoken of,
into which the Lord insinuates charity,
and so makes conscience. 

The Word of the Lord Comes to Jeremiah Again

While Jeremiah was still confined
in the courtyard of the guard,
the word of the Lord came to him a second time.
"This is what the Lord says,
He who made the earth,
the Lord who formed it and established it --
the Lord is His name.
'Call to me
and I will answer you
and tell you great and unsearchable things
you do not know.'"

(Jeremiah 33:1-3)

AC 1812 - The Lord's Combats; AC 1820 - Our Temptations

AC 1812 [1,2]
He believed in Jehovah.
(Genesis 15:6)

That this signifies the Lord's faith at that time . . .
which is that while He lived in the world
the Lord was in continual combats of temptations,
and in continual victories,
from a constant inmost confidence and faith
that because He was fighting
for the salvation of the whole human race from pure love,
He could not but conquer;

 . . .  But in all His combats of temptations
the Lord never fought from the love of self, 
or for Himself,
but for all in the universe, consequently,
not that He might become the greatest in heaven,
for this is contrary to the Divine Love,
and scarcely even that He might be the least;
but only that all others might become something,
and be saved.

AC 1820 [1-2]

He who is in temptation
is in doubt concerning the end in view.
The end in view is the love,
against which the evil spirits and evil genii fight,
and thereby put the end in doubt;
and the greater the love is,
the more do they put it in doubt.
If the end which is loved were not put in doubt,
and indeed in despair,
there would be no temptation.
Assurance respecting the result
precedes the victory, and belongs to the victory. 

As few know how the case is with temptations,
it may here be briefly explained.
Evil spirits never fight against other things
than those which the person loves;
the more ardently he loves them,
the more fiercely do they wage the combat.
It is evil genii who fight against the things
that pertain to the affection of good,
and evil spirits that fight
against those which pertain to the affection of truth.
As soon as they notice
even the smallest thing which a man loves,
or perceive as it were by scent
what is delightful and dear to him,
they forthwith assault it and endeavor to destroy it,
and thereby the whole person,
for a person's life consists in his loves.
Nothing is more delightful to them
than to destroy a man in this way,
nor would they desist, even to eternity,
unless they were driven away by the Lord.

Stop Being Sad

This is what the Lord says:

"Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,"
declares the Lord.

(Jeremiah 31:16)

AC 1807 - Look Toward Heaven

AC 1807

And said, Look now toward heaven.
(Genesis 15:5)

That this signifies a representation of the Lord's kingdom
in a mental view of the universe,
may be seen from the signification of "heaven."
"Heaven" in the Word, in the internal sense,
does not signify the heavens which appear to the eyes;
but the Lord's kingdom, universally and particularly.
When a person
who is looking at internal things from external
sees the heavens,
he does not think at all of the starry heaven,
but of the angelic heaven;
and when he sees the sun,
he does not think of the sun,
but of the Lord, as being the Sun of heaven.
So too when he sees the moon, and the stars also;
and when he sees the immensity of the heavens,
he does not think of their immensity,
but of the immeasurable and infinite power of the Lord.
It is the same when he sees all other things,
for there is nothing that is not representative. 

[2] In like manner as regards the things on the earth;
as when he beholds the dawning of the day
he does not think of the dawn,
but of the arising of all things from the Lord,
and of progression into the day of wisdom.
So when he sees gardens, groves, and flower-beds,
his eye remains not fixed on any tree,
its blossom, leaf, and fruit;
but on the heavenly things which these represent;
nor on any flower, and its beauty and pleasantness;
but on what they represent in the other life.
For there is nothing beautiful and delightful
in the skies or on the earth,
which is not in some way
representative of the Lord's kingdom.
This is the "looking toward heaven"
which signifies a representation of the Lord's kingdom
in a mental view of the universe. 

[3] The reason why
all things in the sky and on earth are representative,
is that they have come forth and do continually come forth,
that is, subsist, from the influx of the Lord through heaven.
It is with these things as it is with the human body,
which comes forth and subsists by means of the soul;
on which account all things in the body
both in general and in particular
are representative of the soul.
The soul is in the use and the end;
but the body is in the performance of them.
All effects, whatever they may be,
are in like manner representatives
of the uses which are the causes;
and the uses are representative of the ends
which belong to the first principles. 

[4] Those who are in Divine ideas
never come to a stand in the objects of the external sight;
but from them and in them constantly see internal things.
The veriest internal things themselves
are those which are of the Lord's kingdom,
thus those which are in the veriest end itself.
It is the same with the Word of the Lord;
he who is in Divine things
never regards the Lord's Word from the letter;
but regards the letter and the literal sense
as being representative and significative
of the celestial and spiritual things
of the church and of the Lord's kingdom.
To him the literal sense
is merely an instrumental means for thinking of these.
Such was the Lord's sight.

This Is What the Lord Says

Early in the reign of Jehoiakim
son of Josiah king of Judah,
this word came from the Lord:

"This is what the Lord says:
Stand in the courtyard of the Lord's house
and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah
who come to worship in the house of the Lord.
Tell them everything I command you;
do not omit a word.
Perhaps they will listen
and each will turn from his evil way."

(Jeremiah 26:1-3)

AC 1799 - What Is . . . ?

AC 1799 [3]

What is doctrine
but that which teaches how a person must live?

AC 1791, 1793 - "Abram said, Lord Jehovih"

AC 1791

Abram said, Lord Jehovih.
(Genesis 15:2)

That this signifies the Lord's perception,
may be seen from the fact that the Lord
had the most interior and perfect perception
of all things.
This perception, as before said,
was a perceptive sensation and knowledge 
of all things that were taking place in heaven,
and was a continual communication
and internal conversation with Jehovah,
which the Lord alone had.
This is meant in the internal sense by the words
"Abram said to Jehovah;"
this was represented by Abram
when he spoke with Jehovah;
and the like is signified in what follows
wherever the expression "Abram said to Jehovah" occurs.

AC 1793 [1,2]

That the "Lord Jehovih"
is the internal man relatively to the interior,
is evident from what has been said
concerning the Lord's internal man,
namely, that it was Jehovah Himself,
from whom He was conceived,
and whose only Son He was,
and to whom the Lord's Human became united
after He had by the combats of temptation
purified the maternal human,
that is, that which He derived from the mother.
The appellation "Lord Jehovih"
occurs very often in the Word;
indeed, as often as Jehovah is called "Lord"
He is not called "Lord Jehovah,"
but "Lord Jehovih,"
and this especially where temptations are treated of. 

[2] As in Isaiah:
   
Behold, the Lord Jehovih comes in strength,
and His arm shall rule for Him;
behold, His reward is with Him,
and His work before Him.
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd,
He shall gather the lambs in His arm,
and carry them in His bosom,
and shall lead those that give suck.
(Isaiah 40:10-11)

where "the Lord Jehovih comes in strength,"
relates to His victory in the combats of temptations;
"His arm shall rule for Him,"
means that it is from His own power.
What the reward is
that is mentioned in the first verse of this chapter
is here declared, namely,
that it is the salvation of the whole human race,
that is to say, "He feeds His flock like a shepherd,
gathers the lambs in His arm,
carries them in His bosom,
and leads those that give suck;"
all of which things pertain to inmost or Divine love. 

Do and Do Not

This is what the Lord says:
Do what is just and right.
Rescue from the hand of his oppressor
the one who has been robbed.
Do no wrong or violence to the alien,
the fatherless or the widow,
and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

(Jeremiah 22:3)
 

AC 1789 - Thy Great Reward

AC 1789

Thy great reward.
(Genesis 15:1)

That this signifies the end and purpose of the victories,
is evident from the signification of "reward,"
as being the prize after the combats of temptations;
here the end and purpose of the victories,
because the Lord never looked
for any prize of victory for Himself.
His prize of victories
was the salvation of the whole human race;
and it was from love toward the entire human race
that He fought.
He who fights from this love demands for himself no prize,
because this love is such
that it wills to give and transfer all its own to others,
and to have nothing for itself;
so that it is the salvation of the whole human race
that is here signified by the "reward." 

The Lord Searches

"I, the Lord, search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

(Jeremiah 17:10)

AC 1787, 1788 - A Shield

AC 1787, 1788

Fear not, Abram, I am a shield to thee.
(Genesis 15:1)

These words, namely, that Jehovah is a shield,
and that He is an exceeding great reward,
are words of consolation after temptations.
Every temptation is attended with some kind of despair
(otherwise it is not a temptation),
and therefore consolation follows.
He who is tempted is brought into anxieties,
which induce a state of despair as to what the end is to be.
The very combat of temptation is nothing else.
He who is sure of victory is not in anxiety,
and therefore is not in temptation.

That a "shield" means protection against evils and falsities,
which is trusted in, is evident without explanation;
for from common usage
the expression has become familiar
that Jehovah is a shield and a buckler.
But what is specifically signified by "a shield,"
may be seen from the Word,
in that as regards the Lord it signifies protection,
and as regards man, trust in the Lord's protection. 

If

Therefore this is what the Lord says:

"If you repent,
I will restore you that you may serve Me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.

"Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.

"I will make you a wall to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but will not overcome you,
for I am with you to rescue and save you,"
declares the Lord.

"I will save you for the hands of the wicked
and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel."

(Jeremiah 15:19-21)
 

AC 1767, 1776 - When We Read the Word

AC 1767

When the Word of the Lord
is being read by a man who loves the Word
and lives in charity,
or by a man who from simplicity of heart
believes what is written
and has not formed principles contrary
to the truth of faith which is in the internal sense,
it is presented by the Lord before the angels
in such beauty and in such pleasantness,
with representatives also,
and this with inexpressible variety
in accordance with all their state at the time,
that every particular is perceived as if it had life,
which life is that which is in the Word,
and from which the Word had birth
when it was sent down from heaven.
From this cause the Word of the Lord is such,
that although in the letter it appears crude,
there are stored up in it spiritual and celestial things
which lie open before good spirits, and before angels,
when the Word is being read by man.

AC 1776

It may seem a paradox, but still it is most true,
that the angels understand
the internal sense of the Word better and more fully
when little boys and girls are reading it,
than when it is read by adult persons
who are not in the faith of charity.
The cause has been told me, and is that
little boys and girls are in a state
of mutual love and innocence,
and thus their most tender vessels are almost heavenly,
and are simply capacities for receiving,
which therefore can be disposed by the Lord;
although this does not come to their perception,
except by a certain delight suited to their genius.
It was said by the angels
that the Word of the Lord is a dead letter;
but that in him that reads it
is vivified by the Lord
according to the capacity of each one;
and that it becomes living
according to the life of his charity
and his state of innocence,
and this with inexpressible variety.

Obey My Vioce

Obey My voice,
and I will be your God
and you will be My people.
Walk in all the ways I command you,
that it will go well with you.

(Jeremiah 7:23)

** He Is Risen **

After the Sabbath,
at the dawn on the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake,
for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven,
and going to the tomb,
rolled back the stone and sat on it.
His appearance was like lightning,
and his clothes were white as snow.
The guards were so afraid of him
that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women,
"Do not be afraid,
for I know that you are looking for Jesus,
who was crucified.
He is not here;
He has risen,
just as He said.
Come and see the place where He lay.
Then go quickly and tell His disciples:
'He has risen from the dead
and is going ahead of you into Galilee.
There you will see Him.'
Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb,
afraid yet filled with joy,
and ran to tell His disciples.
Suddenly Jesus met them.
"Greetings," He said.
They came to Him,
clasped His feet and worshiped Him.
Then Jesus said to them,
"Do not be afraid.
Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee;
there they will see Me."

(Matthew 28 (1-10)
 

AC 1745 - The Lord's States; AC 1749 - Dominion

AC 1745

I have lifted up my hand to Jehovah.
(Genesis 14:22)

That this signifies the state of mind in the Lord,
is evident from the signification of "lifting up the hands."
 The lifting up of the hand to Jehovah
is a gesture of the body
corresponding to an affection of the mind,
as is well known. In the sense of the letter,
those things which are interior, or of the mind,
are expressed by external things which correspond;
but in the internal sense it is internal things that are meant;
here therefore the lifting up of the hand means the mind,
or an affection of the mind. 

[2] So long as the Lord was in a state of temptations,
He spoke with Jehovah as with another;
but so far as His Human Essence was united to,
He spoke with Jehovah as with Himself;
which is evident from many passages in the Gospels,
as also from many in the Prophets and in David.
The cause is clearly evident from what has been said before
concerning the inheritance from the mother.
So far as this remained,
He was as it were absent from Jehovah;
but so far as this was extirpated,
He was present, and was Jehovah Himself. 

[3] This may be illustrated by
the conjunction of the Lord with the angels.
Sometimes an angel does not speak from himself,
but from the Lord,
and he then does not know but that he is the Lord;
but then his externals are quiescent.
It is otherwise when his externals are active.
The reason is, that the internal man of the angels
is the Lord's possession;
and so far then as there are no obstructions
on the part of what is their proprium,
it is the Lord's, and even is the Lord.
With the Lord, however, complete conjunction,
or an eternal union with Jehovah, was effected,
so that His Human Essence as well is Jehovah.


AC 1749 [3]

Dominion from evil and falsity
is altogether contrary
to dominion from good and truth.
Dominion from evil and falsity
consists in desiring to make all slaves;
dominion from good and truth
in desiring to make all free.
Dominion from evil and falsity
consists in destroying all;
but dominion from good and truth
in saving all.
From which it is evident
that dominion from evil and falsity is of the devil,
and that dominion from good and truth is of the Lord. 

Let Us Fear the Lord Our God

'Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'

(Jeremiah 5:5-6)

** The Burial of Jesus **

It was Preparation Day
(that is, the day before the Sabbath).
So as evening approached,
Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council,
who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God,
went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.
Pilate was surprised to hear that He was already dead.
Summoning the centurion,
he asked him if Jesus had already died.
When he learned from the centurion what it was so,
he gave the body to Joseph.
So Joseph bought some linen cloth,
took down the body,
wrapped it in the linen,
and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock.
Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus
saw where He was laid.

(Mark 15:42-47)

AC 1731

. . . the signification of "blessing,"
as to enjoy all goods.

AC 1732, 1741

By "Abram," as before said,
is signified the interior or rational man
which is to be united to the internal man or Jehovah,
and this by the combats of temptations and victories.
For with the interior man the case is as follows.
The interior man, as before said,
is intermediate between the internal and the external man,
and enables the internal man to flow into the external;
for without the interior man there is no communication.
There is thus effected a communication
of celestial things, and of spiritual.
When the communication was of celestial things,
the interior man was called "Melchizedek;"
but when there is a communication of spiritual things,
it is called "Abram the Hebrew."

 In the two chapters which precede,
Abram represented the Lord or His state in childhood;
here in this chapter, he represents the Lord's rational,
and is then called "Abram the Hebrew;"
. . . and here the representation is the same;
for in this chapter
no other Abram is meant than Abram the Hebrew.
The Lord's spiritual which is adjoined to His internal man
is Abram the Hebrew
but the celestial which is adjoined to His internal man
is represented and signified by Melchizedek,
as before said.

"Heaven is My Throne"

This is what the Lord says:

"Heaven is My throne,
and the earth is My footstool.
Where is the house you will build for Me?
Where will My resting place be?
Has not My hand made all these things,
and so they come into being?"
declares the Lord.

"This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at My word."

(Isaiah 66:1-2)

AC 1726 - A State of Peace, Dawn and Early Morning

AC 1726

King of Salem.
(Genesis 14:18)

That this signifies a state of peace
as to interior or rational things,
is evident from the signification of "Salem."
In the original language "Salem" means "peace,"
and also "perfection;"
thus it signifies a state of peace,
and a state of perfection.

A state of peace is the state of the Lord's kingdom;
in that state the Lord's celestial and spiritual things
are as in their morning, and in their spring;
for peace is like the dawn in the early morning,
and like the spring in the springtime.
The dawn and the spring cause all things
that then meet the senses to be full of joy and gladness;
every object draws an affection
from the general one of the dawn and of the springtime.
So is it with the state of peace in the Lord's kingdom:
in the state of peace
all celestial and spiritual things are
as it were
in their morning or springtime flower
and smile,
that is, in their happiness itself.
So does the state of peace affect everything,
for the Lord is peace itself.
This is signified by Salem also in David:

In Judah is God known,
His name is great in Israel,
in Salem also is His tabernacle,
and His dwelling place in Zion.
(Psalm 76:1, 2)

When a man is in the combats of temptations,
he is by turns gifted by the Lord with a state of peace,
and is thus refreshed.
A state of peace is here signified by "Salem;"
and presently also by the "bread and wine,"
by which celestial and spiritual things are signified;
thus a state of celestial and spiritual things in peace,
which state is refreshment itself.

** The Final Hours of the Last Day **

Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged.
The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns
and put it on His head.
They clothed Him in a purple robe
and went up to Him again and again, saying,
"Hail, king of the Jews!"
And they struck Him in the face.

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews,
"Look, I am bringing Him out to you
to let you know that I find no basis
for a charge against Him."
When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns
and the purple robe,
Pilate said to them, "Here is the Man!"

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw Him,
they shouted, "Crucify!  Crucify!"

But Pilate answered, "You take Him and crucify Him.
As for me, I find no basis for a charge against Him."

The Jews insisted, "We have a law,
and according to that law He must die,
because He claimed to be the Son of God."

When Pilate heard this,
he was even more afraid,
and he went back inside the palace.
"Where do You come from?" he asked Jesus,
but Jesus gave him no answer.
"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate asked.
"Don't You realize I have power
either to free You or to crucify You?"

Jesus answered,
"You would have no power over Me
if it were not given to you from above.
Therefore the one who handed Me over to you
is guilty of a greater sin."

From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free,
but the Jews kept shouting,
"If you let this Man go, you are afraid of Caesar.
Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out
and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known
as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).
It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week,
about the sixth hour.

"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

But they shouted "Take Him away! Take Him away!
Crucify Him!"

"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.

"We have no king but Caesar,"
the chief priests answered.

Finally Pilate handed Him over to them to be crucified.

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.
Carrying His own cross,
He went out to the place of the Skull
(which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).
Here they crucified Him,
and with Him two others --
one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross
which read:  JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS.
Many of the Jews read this sign,
for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city,
and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate,
"Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,'
but that this Man claimed to be king of the Jews."

Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

When the soldiers crucified Jesus,
they took His clothes,
dividing them into four shares,
one for each of them,
with the undergarment remaining.
This garment was seamless,
woven in one piece from top to bottom.

"Let's not tear it," the said to one another.
"Let's decide by lot who will get it."

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled
which said,

"They divided My garments among them
and cast lots for My clothing."
(Psalm 22:18)

So this is what the soldiers did.

Near the cross of Jesus
stood His mother, His mother's sister,
Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw His mother there,
and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby,
He said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"
and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."
From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Later, knowing that all was not completed,
and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled,
Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
A jar of wine vinegar was there,
so they soaked a sponge in it,
put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant,
and lifted it to Jesus' lips.
When he had received the drink,
Jesus said, "It is finished."
With that, He bowed His head
and gave up His spirit.

(John 19:1-27)

Never Again

"Never again will there be in an infant
who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
he who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere youth;
the sinner who fails to reach a hundred
will be considered accursed.

They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
No longer will they build houses
and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of My people;
My chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands.
They will not toil in vain
or bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
they and their descendants with them.
Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
but dust will be the serpent's food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all My holy mountain," says the Lord.

(Isaiah 65:20-25)

Addition to ** Which Way? **

AC 1729

To God Most High.
(Genesis 14:18)

That this signifies the internal man, which is Jehovah,
is evident from what has been said already several times
concerning the Lord's internal man,
that it is Jehovah Himself,
and thus that the Lord is the same as Jehovah the Father;
as He Himself says in John:

I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
Philip said, Show us the Father.
Jesus saith unto him,
Am I so long time with you,
and you do not know Me, Philip?
He that has seen Me has seen the Father;
how do you say then, Show us the Father?
Don't you believe
that I am in the Father and the Father in Me?
Believe Me, that I am in the Father,
and the Father in Me.
(John 14:6, 8-11)

[2] It is the Lord's Human Essence
which is called the "Son of man;"
which also, after the combats of the temptations,
was united to His Divine Essence,
so that it was itself also made Jehovah;
wherefore in heaven they know no other Jehovah the Father
than the Lord (AC 15).
With the Lord all is Jehovah;
not only His internal and His interior man,
but also the external man, and the very body;
and therefore He alone rose into heaven with the body also;
as is sufficiently evident in the Gospels,
where His resurrection is treated of;
as also from the words of the Lord Himself:

Wherefore do thoughts arise in your hearts?
See My hands and My feet,
that it is I Myself;
handle Me and see,
for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see Me have.
And when He had said this,
He showed them His hands and His feet.
(Luke 24:38-40)

_________________________________________________________

Thomas said to Him,
"Lord, we don't know where You are going,
so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered,
"I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
If you really knew Me,
you would know My Father as well.
From now on,
you know Him and have seen Him."

Philip said,
"Lord, show us the Father
and that will be enough for us."

Jesus answered:
"Don't you know Me, Philip,
even after I have been among you such a long time?
Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Don't you believe that I am in the Father,
and that the Father is in Me?
The words I say to you are not just My own.
Rather, it is the Father,
living in Me,
who is doing His work.
Believe Me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me;
or at least believe on the evidence
of the miracle themselves.
I tell you the truth,
anyone who has faith in Me
will do what I have been doing.
He will do even greater things than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And I will do whatever you ask in My name,
so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
You may ask Me for anything in My name,
and I will do it."

(John 14:5-14)

** Which Way? **

Thomas said to Him,
"Lord, we don't know where You are going,
so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered,
"I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
If you really knew Me,
you would know My Father as well.
From now on,
you know Him and have seen Him."

Philip said,
"Lord, show us the Father
and that will be enough for us."

Jesus answered:
"Don't you know Me, Philip,
even after I have been among you such a long time?
Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Don't you believe that I am in the Father,
and that the Father is in Me?
The words I say to you are not just My own.
Rather, it is the Father,
living in Me,
who is doing His work.
Believe Me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me;
or at least believe on the evidence
of the miracle themselves.
I tell you the truth,
anyone who has faith in Me
will do what I have been doing.
He will do even greater things than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And I will do whatever you ask in My name,
so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
You may ask Me for anything in My name,
and I will do it."

(John 14:5-14)

AC 1701 - The Lord Knew; AC 1702 - The Interior Person

AC 1701

The interior man perceives
what is going on in the external man
just as if one were to tell it.
The Lord, who had a perception of all things
that were taking place,
knew very clearly the quality and the source
of all that took place in connection with Himself,
as for example if anything of evil
were taking possession of the affections of His external man,
or anything of falsity of its thoughts,
He could not but know what it was, and from where;
and also what evil spirits were exciting the evil and the falsity;
and how they were exciting them, besides other things;
for such things, and others beyond number,
are not concealed from the angels,
and scarcely from men who have celestial perception,
still less from the Lord.


AC 1702 [2-3]

What the interior man is, scarcely anyone knows,
and it must therefore be briefly stated.
The interior man is intermediate
between the internal and the external man.
By the interior man
the internal man communicates with the external;
without this medium, no communication at all is possible.
The celestial is distinct from the natural,
and still more from the corporeal,
and unless there is a medium
by which there is communication,
the celestial cannot operate at all into the natural,
and still less into the corporeal.
It is the interior man which is called the rational man;
and this man, because it is intermediate,
communicates with the internal man,
where there is good itself and truth itself;
and it also communicates with the exterior man,
where there are evil and falsity.
By means of the communication with the internal man,
a man can think of celestial and spiritual things,
or can look upward, which beasts cannot do.
By means of the communication with the exterior man,
a man can think of worldly and corporeal things,
or can look downward;
in this differing little from the beasts,
which have in like manner an idea of earthly things.
In a word, the interior or middle man
is the rational man himself,
who is spiritual or celestial when he looks upward,
but animal when he looks downward. 

It is well known that a man can know
that he speaks in one way while thinking in another,
and that he does one thing while willing another;
and that there exist simulation and deceit;
also that there is reason, or the rational;
and that this is something interior,
because it can dissent;
and also that with one who is to be regenerated
there is something interior which combats
with that which is exterior.
This that is interior,
and that thinks and wills differently from the exterior,
and that combats,
is the interior man.
In this interior man there is conscience with the spiritual man,
and perception with the celestial.
This interior man,
conjoined with the Divine internal man
that was in the Lord,
is what is here called "Abram the Hebrew."

The Redeemer Will Come to Zion

The way of peace they do not know;
there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;
no one who walks in them will know peace.

So justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light,
but all is darkness;
for brightness,
but we walk in deep shadows.
Like the blind we grope along the wall,
feeling our way like men without eyes.
At midday we stumble as if it were twilight;
among the strong,
we are like the dead.
We all growl like bears;
we moan mournfully like doves.
We look for justice,
but find none;
for deliverance,
but it is far away.

For our offenses are many in Your sight,
and our sins testify against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:
rebellion and treachery against the Lord,
turning our backs on our God,
fomenting oppression and revolt,
uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
So justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one,
He was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so His own arm worked salvation for Him,
and His own righteousness sustained Him.
He put on righteousness as His breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on His head;
He put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak.
According to what they have done,
so will He repay wrath to His enemies
and retribution to His foes;
He will repay the islands their due.
From the west,
men will fear the name of the Lord,
and from the rising of the sun,
they will revere His glory.
For He will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath of the Lord drives along.

"The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,"
declares the Lord.

(Isaiah 59:8-20)

** The Woman and Jar of Expensive Ointment **

When Jesus had finished saying all these things,
He said to His disciples,
"As you know, the Passover is two days away --
and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people
assembled in the palace of the high priest,
whose name was Caiaphas,
and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill Him.
"But not during the Feast," they said,
"or there may be a riot among the people."

While Jesus was in Bethany
in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper,
a woman came to Him
with an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment,
which she pored on His head
as He was reclining at the table.

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant.
"Why this waste?" they asked.
"This perfume could have been sold at a high price
and the money given to the poor."

Aware of this, Jesus said to them,
"Why are you bothering this woman?
She has done a beautiful thing to Me.
The poor you will always have with you,
but you will not always have Me.
When she poured this perfume on My body,
she did it to prepare Me for burial.
I tell you the truth,
wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world,
what she has done will also be told,
in memory of her."

Then one of the Twelve --
the one called Judas Iscariot --
went to the chief priest and asked,
"What are you willing to give me
if I hand Him over to you?"
So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.
From then on
Judas watched for an opportunity to hand Him over.

(Matthew 26:1-16)

AC 1691 - Mountains and Hills

AC 1691 [6]

As "mountains" and "towers"
signify the love of self and of the world,
it may be seen what is signified by
the Lord's being taken by the devil
"upon a high mountain,"
and "upon a pinnacle of the temple,"
namely, that He was led into temptation combats,
the most extreme of all,
against the loves of self and of the world,
that is, against the hells.
"Mountains" also, in the opposite sense,
signify celestial and spiritual love . . ..

Like the Days of Noah

"To Me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,
never to rebuke you again.
Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

(Isaiah 54:9-10)

** Do Not Worry **

Then He said to them:
"Nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be great earthquakes, famines
and pestilences in various places,
and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

"But before all this,
they will lay hands on you and persecute you.
They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons,
and you will be brought before kings and governors,
and all on account of My name.
This will result in your being witnesses to them.
But make up your mind not to worry before hand
how you will defend yourselves.
For I will give you words and wisdom
that none of your adversaries
will be able to resist or contradict.
You will be betrayed even by parents,
brothers, relatives and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
All men will hate you because of Me.
But not a hair of your head will perish.
By standing firm
you will gain life."

Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple,
and each evening He went out to spend the night
on the hill called the Mount of Olives,
and all the people came early in the morning
to hear Him at the temple.

(Luke 21:10-19, 37-38)

AC 1670 - The Fourteenth Year; AC 1673, 1675- Persuasions; AC 1676 - An Eternal Truth

AC 1670

In the fourteenth year.
(Genesis 14:5)

That this signifies the first temptation,
may be seen from the signification of "fourteen,"
. . . where the time of seven days or of one week
signifies the beginning of temptation.

1673 [2,3-4]

The most direful persuasions of falsity
existed with those who lived before the flood,
especially with those who were called "Nephilim."
These Nephilim are of such a character
that in the other life they
by their persuasions
take away from the spirits to whom they come
all faculty of thinking,
so that these spirits seem to themselves scarcely to live,
much less to be able to think anything true.
For, as before shown,
there is in the other life
a communication of the thoughts of all,
and therefore when such a persuasiveness flows in,
it cannot do otherwise
than as it were murder all power of thought in others.
Such were the wicked tribes
against whom the Lord combated in His earliest childhood,
and whom He conquered;
and unless the Lord had conquered them
by His coming into the world,
not a man would have been left at this day upon the earth;
for every man is governed by the Lord through spirits.

There are also those at this day,
especially from the Christian world,
who likewise have persuasions,
but not so direful as the antediluvians had.
There are certain persuasions of falsity
which take possession of both the will part
and the intellectual part of man . . ..
But there are other persuasions of falsity
which take possession of the intellectual part only,
and which arise from the principles of falsity
that are confirmed in one's self.
These are not so powerful, nor so deadly, as the former;
but still they cause much annoyance
to spirits in the other life,
and take away in part their ability to think.
Spirits of this kind excite in a man
nothing but confirmations of what is false,
so that the man sees no otherwise
than that falsity is truth, and evil good.
It is their sphere which is of such a character.
As soon as anything of truth is called forth by angels,
they suffocate and extinguish it. 

A man can perceive
whether he is governed by such as these
simply by observing
whether he thinks the truths of the Word to be false,
and confirms himself so that he cannot see otherwise;
if such be the case,
he may be pretty sure that such spirits are with him,
and that they have the dominion.
In like manner they who persuade themselves
that their private advantage is the common good,
and who regard nothing as being for the common good
but what is also to their own advantage;
in this case also the evil spirits who are present
suggest so many things in confirmation
that they see no otherwise.
Those who are such that they regard
every advantage to themselves as the common good,
or who veil it over with the appearance
of being the common good,
do much the same in the other life
in regard to the common good there.


AC 1675 [7]

There are persuasions of falsity
from the love of self,
and there are persuasions of falsity
from the love of the world;
the persuasions that are from the love of self
are most foul;
but the persuasions from the love of the world
are not so foul.
The persuasions of falsity from the love of self
are opposite to the celestial things of love;
but the persuasions of falsity from the love of the world
are opposite to the spiritual things of love.
Persuasions from the love of self carry with them
a desire to exercise command over all things;
and so far as restraints are relaxed to them,
they rush on,
even to desire to exercise command over the universe,
and even over Jehovah Himself, as has been shown.
Therefore persuasions of this kind
are not tolerated in the other life.
But persuasions from the love of the world
do not rush on so far;
but only to the insanity of not being contented with one's lot.
They vainly affect a heavenly joy,
and desire to appropriate the goods of others,
but not so much with the disposition to exercise command.
But the differences that exist among these persuasions
are innumerable.

AC 1676 [3]

Therefore it is sufficient for men to know, and,
because it is so, to believe,
that it is an eternal truth
that unless the Lord had come into the world
and subjugated and conquered the hells
by means of temptations admitted into Himself,
the human race would have perished;
and that otherwise those who have been on this earth
even from the time of the Most Ancient Church
could not possibly have been saved.
 

Shout and Rejoice!

Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord comforts His people
and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

(Isaiah 49:13)

** Whose Son Is the Christ? **

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, He asked,
"How is it that the teachers of the law say
that the Christ is the son of David?
David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:

"'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at My right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet."'

David himself calls him "Lord.'
How then can He be his son?

The large crowd listened to Him with delight.

As He taught, Jesus said,
"Watch out for the teachers of the law.
They like to walk around in flowing robes
and be greeted in the marketplace,
and have the most important seats in the synagogues
and the places of honor at banquets.
They devour widow's houses
and for a show make lengthy prayers.
Such men will be punished most severely."

(Mark 12:35-40)

AC 1666, 1668 - The Twelfth and Thirteenth Year

AC 1666 [4]

Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer,
and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
(Genesis 14:4)

"Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer,"
signifies that the evils and falsities did not appear in childhood,
but that they served the apparent goods and truths;
"and in the thirteenth year they rebelled,"
signifies the beginning of temptations in childhood.

AC 1668 [2]

Evils or evil spirits rebel in proportion
as the man who desires to be in good and truth
confirms in himself any evils and falsities,
that is, in proportion as cupidities and falsities
insinuate themselves into his goods and truths.
In cupidities and falsities is the life of evil spirits,
and in goods and truths is the life of angels;
and from this come infestation and combat.
This is so with all who have conscience;
and much more was it the case with the Lord when a child,
who had perception.
With those who have conscience
there arises therefrom a dull pain;
but with those who have perception, a sharp one,
and the more interior the perception is,
the sharper is the pain.
From this we may see
what was the nature of the Lord's temptation
in comparison with that of men,
for He had interior and inmost perception.

I Am He

"You are my witnesses," declares the Lord,
and My servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and and believe Me
and understand that I am He.
Before Me no god was formed,
nor will there be one after Me.
I, even I, am the Lord,
and apart from Me there is no savior.
I have revealed and saved and proclaimed --
I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses," declares the Lord,
"that I am God.
Yes, and from ancient days I am He.
No one can deliver out of My hand.
When I act,
who can reverse it?"

(Isaiah 43:10-13)

** The Lord Rides into Jerusalem **

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast
heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem.
They took palm branches and went out to meet Him,
shouting,

"Hosanna!"

"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Blessed is the King of Israel!"

Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it,
as it is written,

"Do not be afraid,
O Daughter of Zion;
see, your King is coming,
seated on a donkey's colt."
(Zechariah 9:9)

 At first His disciples did not understand all this.
Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize
that these things had been written about Him
and they had done these things to Him.

Now the crowd that was with Him
when He called Lazarus from the tomb
and raised him from the dead
continued to spread the word.
Many people, because they had heard
that He had given this miraculous sign,
went out to meet Him.
So the Pharisees said to one another,
"See, this is getting us nowhere.
Look how the whole world has gone after Him!"

(John 12:12-19)

AC 1659 - Genesis 14; AC 1664 - 'The Wars of Jehovah'

AC 1659

The things contained in this chapter
appear as if they were not representative,
for it treats only of wars between several kings,
and the rescue of Lot by Abram;
and finally concerning Melchizedek;
and thus it seems as if
they contained no heavenly arcanum (secrets).
But still these things, like all the rest,
conceal in the internal sense the deepest arcana,
which also follow in a continuous series
from those which go before,
and connect themselves
in a continuous series with those which follow. 

In those which precede,
the Lord has been treated of, and His instruction,
and also His external man,
which was to be conjoined with the internal
by means of knowledges [scientiae et cognitiones].
But as His external man was--as before said--
of such a nature that it had in it
by inheritance from the mother
things that hindered conjunction,
and yet that were to be expelled
by means of combats and temptations,
before His external man could be united to His internal man,
or His Human Essence to the Divine Essence,
therefore these combats are treated of in this chapter;
and are represented and signified in the internal sense
by the wars of which it treats.
It is known within the church
that Melchizedek represented the Lord,
and therefore that the Lord is meant
in the internal sense where Melchizedek is mentioned.
It may be concluded from this,
that not only the things concerning Melchizedek,
but all the rest also, are representative;
for not a syllable can have been written in the Word
which was not sent down from heaven,
and consequently in which
the angels do not see heavenly things. 

In very ancient times also,
many things were represented by wars,
which they called the Wars of Jehovah,
and which signified nothing else
than the combats of the church,
and of those who were of the church,
that is, their temptations,
which are nothing but combats and wars
with the evils in themselves,
and consequently with the diabolical crew
that excite the evils,
and endeavor to destroy the church
and the man of the church.
That nothing else is meant in the Word by "wars,"
may be clearly seen from the fact
that nothing can be treated of in the Word
except the Lord and His kingdom, and the church;
because it is Divine and not human,
consequently heavenly and not worldly,
and therefore by "wars," in the sense of the letter,
nothing else can be meant in the internal sense.
This will be more evident from what follows.


AC 1664 [11-12]

Spirits and angels also appear as men of war,
when a representation is being made, as in Joshua,
 
Joshua lifted up his eyes and saw,
and behold, a man was standing before him,
with his sword drawn in his hand.
He said to Joshua,
I am the Prince of the army of Jehovah;
and Joshua fell on his face to the earth.
(Joshua 5:13, 14)

These things were seen taking the form they did
because they were representative,
and this also is why descendants of Jacob
called their wars the Wars of ]Jehovah.

It was similar in the Ancient Churches
among whom there were books
which also were called The Wars of Jehovah,
as is clear in Moses.

It is said in the Book of the Wars of Jehovah.
(Numbers 21:14, 15)

These were written about in a way
not unlike the wars described in this chapter;
but wars involving the Church were meant.
Such a manner of writing was common in those times,
for they were interior men
and their thoughts were of more exalted things.

"Here is your God!"

You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"
See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and His arm rules for Him.
See, His reward is with Him,
and His recompense accompanies Him.
He tends His flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in His arms
and carries them close to His heart;
He gently leads those that have young.

(Isaiah 40:9-11)

** Jesus Visits Lazarus, Martha and Mary **

Six days before the Passover,
Jesus arrived at Bethany,
where Lazaraus lived,
whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor.
Martha served,
while Lazarus was among those
reclining at the table with Him.
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard,
an expensive perfume;
she poured it on Jesus's feet
and wiped his feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot,
who was later to betray Him,
objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold
and the money given to the poor?
It was worth a year's wages."
He did not say this because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief;
as keeper of the money bag,
he used to help himself to what was put into it.

"Leave her alone," Jesus replied.
"It was intended that she should save this perfume
for the day of my burial.
You will always have the poor among you,
but you will not always have Me."

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews
found out that Jesus was there
and came, not only because of Him
but also to see Lazarus,
whom He had raised from the dead.
So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,
for on account of him
many of the Jews were going over to Jesus
and putting their faith in Him.

(John 12:1-11)

AC 1648-1649 - Speech of Good Spirits and Angelic Spirits

AC 1648-1649

There is a speech of good spirits, and also of angelic spirits,
which is a simultaneous speech of many,
especially in circles or choirs . . ..
The speech in choirs has often been heard by me;
it has a cadence, as if in rhythm.
They have no thought about the words or ideas,
for into these their sentiments flow spontaneously.
No words or ideas flow in which multiply the sense,
or draw it away to something else,
or to which anything artificial adheres,
or that seems to them elegant from self, or from self-love,
for such things would at once cause disturbance.
They do not inhere in any word;
they think of the sense;
the words follow spontaneously from the sense itself.
They come to a close in unities, for the most part simple;
but when in those which are compound,
they turn by an accent to the next.
These patterns are the product of
their thinking and speaking in association,
as a consequence of which the form that this speech
takes has a cadence that is determined
by the manner of association
and the unity of the group.
Such was once the form of songs;
and such is that of the Psalms of David.


Wonderful to say, this kind of speech,
possessing the rhythmical or harmonic cadence of songs,
sis natural to spirits.
They speak so among themselves,
although they are not aware of it.
Immediately after death
souls come into the habit of speaking this way.

The Lord Is Gracious, Exalted, Our Mighty One

O Lord, be gracious to us;
we long for You.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.

The Lord is exalted,
for He dwells on high;
He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.

Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode,
a tent that will not be moved;
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship will sail on them.
For the Lord is our judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
it is He who will save us.
No one living in Zion will say, "I am ill"'
and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.

(Isaiah 33:2, 5, 20-22, 24)

** A Young Man Asks and A Prediction **

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked,
"Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

"Why do you ask Me about what is good?" Jesus replied.
"There is only One who is good.
If you want to enter life,
obey the commandments."

(Matthew 19:16-17)


They were on their way up to Jerusalem,
with Jesus leading the way,
and the disciples were astonished,
while those who followed were afraid.
Again He took the Twelve aside
and told them what was going to happen to Him.
"We are going up to Jerusalem," He said,
"and the Son of Man will be betrayed
to the chief priests and teachers of the law.
They will condemn Him to death
and will hand Him over to the Gentiles,
who will mock Him and spit on Him,
flog Him and kill Him.
Three days later He will rise."

(Mark 10:32-34)

AC 1621 - The Atmospheres in which the Angels Live

AC 1621

Regarding the atmospheres in which the blessed live,
which are of the light 
because from that light,
they are numberless,
and are of beauty and pleasantness so great
that they cannot be described.
There are diamond-like atmospheres,
which glitter in all their least parts,
as if they were composed of spherical diamonds.
There are atmospheres resembling
the sparkling of all the precious stones.
There are atmospheres as of great pearls
translucent from their centers,
and shining with the brightest colors.
There are atmospheres that flame as from gold,
also from silver,
and also from diamond-like gold and silver.
There are atmospheres of flowers of variegated hue
that are in forms most minute and scarcely discernible;
such, in endless variety, fill the heaven of infants.
There are even atmospheres as of infants at play,
in forms most minute, indiscernible,
and perceptible only to an inmost idea;
from which the infants receive the idea
that all the things around them are alive,
and are in the Lord's life;
which affects their inmosts with happiness.
There are other kinds besides,
for the varieties are innumerable,
and are also unspeakable. 

 

Righteousness

The fruit of righteousness will be peace;
the effect of righteousness
will be quietness and confidence forever.

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.
Though hail flattens the forest
and the city is leveled completely,
how blessed you will be,
sowing your seed by every stream,
and letting your cattle and donkey's range free.

(Isiah 32:17-20)

** In That Day **

For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning,
which flashes and lights up the sky
from one end to the other.
But first He must suffer many things
and be rejected by this generation.

"Just as it was in the days of Noah,
so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.
People were eating, drinking,
marrying and being given in marriage
up to the day Noah entered the ark.
Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

"It was the same in the days of Lot.
People were eating and drinking, buying and selling,
planting and building.
But the day Lot left  Sodom,
fire and sulfur rained down from heaven
and destroyed them all.

"It will be just like this
on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day no one who is on the roof of his house,
with his goods inside,
should go down to get them.
Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.
Remember Lot's wife!
Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life will preserve it."

(Luke 17:24-33)

AC 1616-1617 - The Lord's Sixth State

AC 1616 [3-5], 1617

From the internal sense it is here evident
how the case was with the Lord,
namely, that His external man, or the Human Essence,
was conjoined with the Divine Essence by degrees,
according to the multiplication
and fructification of knowledges.
In no way can anyone, as a man,
be conjoined with Jehovah or the Lord,
except by means of knowledges,
for by means of knowledges a man becomes a man;
and so the Lord, because born as are other men,
was also instructed as they are,
but into His knowledges as receptacles
celestial things were constantly being insinuated,
so that the knowledges continually became
the recipient vessels of celestial things,
and themselves also became celestial. 

He continually advanced in this way
to the celestial things of infancy for,
as before said, the celestial things that are of love
are insinuated from the earliest infancy up to childhood,
and also to youth,
when being a man he is then and afterwards
imbued with knowledges.
If the man is such that he can be regenerated,
these knowledges are then filled
with the celestial things that are of love and charity,
and are thus implanted in the celestial things
with which he has been gifted
from infancy up to childhood and youth;
and thus his external man is conjoined with his internal man. 
They are first implanted
in the celestial things with which he was gifted in youth,
next in those with which he was gifted in childhood,
and finally in those with which he was gifted in infancy;
and then he is a "little child," of whom the Lord said
that "of such is the kingdom of God."
This implantation is effected by the Lord alone;
and for this reason nothing celestial is possible with man,
nor can be,
that is not from the Lord, and that is not the Lord's. 

But the Lord from His own power
conjoined His external man with His internal man,
and filled His knowledges with celestial things,
and implanted them in the celestial things,
and this in fact according to Divine order;
first in the celestial things of His childhood,
next in the celestial things of the age
between childhood and infancy;
and finally in the celestial things of His infancy;
and thus at the same time became,
as to the Human Essence,
innocence itself and love itself,
from which are all innocence and all love
in the heavens and on earth.
Such innocence is true infancy,
because it is at the same time wisdom.
But the innocence of infancy,
unless by means of knowledges
it becomes the innocence of wisdom,
is of no use;
and therefore in the other life
infants are imbued with knowledges.
As the Lord implanted knowledges in celestial things,
so had He perception,
for, as before said,
all perception is from conjunction.
He had His first perception
when He implanted the memory-knowledges of childhood,
which perception is signified by "the oak-grove of Moreh;"
and His second, treated of here, which is more internal,
when He implanted knowledges,
which perception is signified by
"the oak-groves of Mamre that are in Hebron."

. . . this is the sixth state . . ..

The Farmer Who Listens to the Lord

Listen and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
When a farmer plows for planting,
does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil?
When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?
Doe he not plant wheat in its place,
barley it its plot,
and spelt in its field?
His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.

Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,
and cumin with a stick.
Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
Though he drives the wheels of this threshing cart over it,
his horses do not grind it.
All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.

(Isaiah 28:23-29)

** Parable of the Lost Coin **

"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one.
Does she not light a lamp,
sweep the house
and search carefully until she finds it?
And when she finds it,
she calls her friends and neighbors together and says,
'Rejoice with me;
I have found my lost coin.'
In the same way, I tell you,
there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner who repents."

(Luke 15:8-10)

AC 1598, 1600 - Memory-knowledges for beautiful use or deformed evil?

AC 1598, 1600

"Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain,
and pitched his tent as far as Sodom,"
(Genesis 13:12)

signifies the external man when not united to the internal;
and by these things is signified memory-knowledges
from the affections of evil, or from cupidities.
For there was described the beauty
of the external man when united to the internal;
but here, its deformity when not united;
and still more is this deformity described
in the verse that follows, where it is said,
"and the men of Sodom
were wicked and sinners against Jehovah exceedingly." 
What the deformity of the external man is
when separated from the internal,
may be seen by everyone from what has been said
concerning the love of self and its cupidities,
which are what principally disunite.
As great as is the beauty of the external man
when united to the internal,
so great is its deformity when disunited.
For considered in itself
the external man is as nothing else
than a servant to the internal;
it is a kind of instrumentality by means of which
ends may become uses,
and uses be presented in effect,
so that there may thus be a perfection of all things.
The contrary takes place when the external man
separates itself from the internal,
and desires to be of service to itself alone;
and still more is this the case
when it desires to rule over the internal man,
which is principally the case
from the love of self and its cupidities,
as has been shown.

Memory-knowledges are said
to extend themselves to cupidities,
when they are learned with no other end
than that the man may become great;
not that they may serve him for use,
that he may thereby become good.
All memory-knowledges are for the end
that a man may become rational, and thus wise;
and that thereby he may serve the internal man. 

You Will See It - You Will Hear It

All you people of the world,
you who live on the earth,
when a banner is raised on the mountains,
you will see it,
and when a trumpet sounds,
you will hear it.

This is what the Lord says to me:
"I will remain quiet
and will look on from My dwelling place,
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,
like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."

(Isaiah 18:3-4)

** Parable of the Lost Sheep **

Now the tax collectors and "sinners"
were all gathering around to hear Him.
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered,
"This Man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Then Jesus told them this parable:
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep
and loses one of them.
Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country
and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
And when he finds it,
he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.
Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says,
'Rejoice with me;
I have found my lost sheep.'
I tell you that in the same way
there will be more rejoicing in heaven
over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous persons
who do not need to repent.

(Luke 15:1-7)