AC 2500 - Abraham Journeys; AC 2504 - Spiritual Things of Faith

AC 2500

Abraham Journeyed from there
toward the land of the south.
(Genesis 20:1)

That this signifies the Lord's progression
in the goods and truths of faith,
is evident from the signification of "journeying,"
as being to progress;
and from the signification of the "land of the south,"
as being the good and truth of faith.
It has already been stated concerning Abraham,
in the twelfth chapter, that he
"journeyed, going and journeying toward the south,"
when he went into Egypt;
by which was signified in the internal sense
that the Lord when a child
progressed into goods and truths
in respect to the memory-knowledge of knowledges;
and here it is said that he journeyed
"toward the land of the south,"
by which there is signified a further
and more interior progression,
which is into goods and truths
in respect to the doctrine of faith;
on which account it is here said
the "land" of the south,
because "land" in its proper sense
signifies the church,
for the sake of which is doctrine.

AC 2504 [2]

The spiritual things of faith
are all the truths which are from good,
that is, from a celestial origin.
Whatever is derived from the celestial
is a spiritual thing of faith.

Joseph Makes Himself Known to His Brothers

Then Joseph could no longer control himself
before all his attendants,
and he cried out,
"Have everyone leave my presence!"
So there was no one with Joseph
when he made himself known to his brothers.
And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him,
and Pharaoh's household heard about it.
Joseph said to his brothers,
"I am Joseph!  Is my father still living?"
But his brothers were not able to answer him,
because they were terrified at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers,
"Come close to me."
When they had done so, he said,
"I am your brother Joseph,
the one you sold into Egypt!
And now, do not be distressed
and do not be angry with yourselves
for selling me here,
because it was to save lives
that God sent me ahead of you.
For two years now there has been famine in the land,
and for the next five years
there will not be plowing and reaping.
But God sent me ahead of you
to preserve for you a remnant on earth
and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

"So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.
He made me father to Pharaoh,
lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.
Now hurry back to my father and say to him,
"This is what your son Joseph says:
God has made me lord of all Egypt.
Come down to me; don't delay.
You shall live in the region of Goshen
and be near me --
you, your children and grandchildren,
your flocks and herds, and all you have.
I will provide for you there,
because five years of famine are still to come.
Otherwise you and your household
and all who belong to you
will become destitute.'"

(Genesis 45:1-11)

AC 2477 - Adopting a Principle; AC 2480 - Affection Gives Life

AC 2477

. . . whatever is adopted as a principle,
no matter what it may be,
can be confirmed by innumerable things,
until at length,
to the man who has confirmed himself,
it appears entirely true
even though false;
and that men can be more easily persuaded of falsity
than of a truth.

AC 2480

It is the affection itself which gives life --
the affection of evil
which give life to falsities,
and the affection of good
which give life to truths.
Everyone thinks from affection,
and no one without affection.

 

Joseph Is Put in Charge of Egypt

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh
and to all his officials.
So Pharaoh asked them,
"Can we find anyone like this man,
one in whom is the spirit of God?"

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,
"Since God has made all this known to you,
there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
You shall be in charge of my palace,
and all my people are to submit to your orders.
Only with respect to the throne 
will I be greater than you."

So Pharaoh said to Joseph,
"I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt."
Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger
and put it on Joseph's finger.
He dressed him in robes of fine linen
and put a gold chain around his neck.
He had him ride in a chariot
as his second-in-command,
and men shouted before him, "Make way!"
Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

(Genesis 41:37-43)

AC 2468 - "Moab" and "Ammon"

AC 2468

. . . they denote those who are in an external worship
which appears in a manner holy,
but who are not in internal worship;
and who readily learn as being goods and truths
the things that belong to external worship,
but reject and despise those of internal worship

Such worship and such religion
fall to the lot of those
who are in natural good,
but despise others in comparison with themselves.

Joseph

Now Israel loved Joseph
more than any of his other sons,
because he had been born to him in his old age;
and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.
When his brothers saw
that their father loved him more than any of them,
they hated him
and could not speak a kind word to him.

Then they got Joseph's robe,
slaughtered a goat
and dipped the robe in the blood.
They took the ornamented robe back to their father . . ..

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt.
Potiphar, an Egyptian
who was one of Pharaoh's officials,
the captain of the guard,
bought him from the Ishmaelites
who had taken him there.

The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered,
and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
When his master saw that the Lord was with him
and that the Lord gave him success
in everything he did,
Joseph found favor in his eyes
and became his attendant.
Potiphar put him in charge of his household,
and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.
From the time he put him in charge of his household
and of all that he owned,
the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian
because of Joseph.

When she (Potiphar's wife) saw
that he had left his cloak in her hand
and had run out of the house,
she called her household servants.
. . . She kept his cloak beside her
until his master came home.
Then she told him this story . . .

Joseph's master took him and put him in prison,
the place where the king's prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison,
the Lord was with him;
He showed him kindness and granted him favor
in the eyes of the prison warden.
So the warden put Joseph in charge
of all those held in the prison,
and he was made responsible
for all that was done there.
The warden paid no attention to anything
under Joseph's care,
because the Lord was with Joseph
and gave him success in whatever he did.

(Genesis 37:3-4,31-32; 39:1-5,13-14,16-17, 20-23)

AC 2466 - Adulteries and Whoredoms

AC 2466 [2]

. . . contaminations of good
and perversions of truth
are described in the Word
by adulteries and whoredoms . . . 

Jacob Arrives Near Shechem

After Jacob came from Paddan Aram,
he arrived safely at the city of Shechem n Canaan,
and camped within sight of the city.
For a hundred pieces of silver,
he bought from the sons of Hamor,
the father of Shechem,
the plot of ground where he pitched his tent.
here he set up an altar
and called it El Elohe Israel.

(Genesis 33:18-20)

AC 2461 - If One Loves Something, Does That Makes it Good?

Ac 2461

. . . such as the good is,
such are the affections that are derived from it.
Even spurious and impure good has its affections,
for all are affected
by the things which they deem to be good,
of whatever kind these may be,
for they are the objects of their love.

Jacob Leaves Laban

Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying,
"Jacob has taken everything our father owned
and has gained all this wealth
from what belonged to our father."
And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him
was not what it had been.

Then the Lord said to Jacob,
"Go back to the land of your fathers
and to your relatives,
and I will be with you."

Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels,
and he drove all his livestock ahead of him,
along with all the goods
he had accumulated in Paddan Aram,
to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

When Laban had gone to shear his sheep,
Rachel stole her father's household gods.
Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean
by not telling him he was running away.
So he fled with all he had,
and crossing the River,
he headed for the hill country of Gilead.

(Genesis 31:1-3, 17-21)

AC 2454 - Good Is Life According to Doctrine

AC 2454 [5]

Truth is said to turn itself away from good,
and to look to doctrinal things,
when the man of the church
no longer has at heart
what kind of a life he lives,
but what kind of a doctrine he possesses;
when yet it is a life according to doctrine
that makes a man of the church,
but not doctrine separate from life;
for when doctrine is separated from life,
then because good, which is of the life,
is laid waste,
truth, which is of doctrine,
is also laid waste,
that is, becomes a pillar of salt . . ..

Ishmael's Descendants

This is the account of Abraham's son Ishmael,
whom Sarah's maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian,
bore to Abraham.

These are the names of the sons of Ishmael,
listed in the order of their birth:
Nebaioth the first born of Ishmael,
Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah.
These are the sons of Ishmael,
and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers
according to their settlements and camps.
Altogether, Ishmael lived
a hundred and thirty-seven years.
He breathed his last and died,
and he was gathered to his people.
His descendants settled in the area
from Havilah to Shur,
near the border of Egypt,
as you go toward Asshur.
And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.

(Genesis 25:12-18)

AC 2441 - The Sun, Moon and Stars

AC 2441 [5]

Immediately after the affliction of those days
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will fall from heaven.
(Matthew 24: 29)

'The sun' is not used to mean the sun,
nor 'the moon' the moon,
nor 'stars' the stars,
but 'the sun' is used to mean love and charity,
'the moon' faith derived from these,
and 'the stars' knowledges of good and truth,
which are said to have been darkened,
to lose their light,
and to fall from heaven
when the acknowledgement of the Lord,
and love to Him and charity towards the neighbor,
cease to exist any longer.
And when these have become non-existent
self-love together with falsities deriving from it
take possession of man;
for the one thing results
as a consequence of the other.

Isaac Is Born

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as He had said,
and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised.
Sarah became pregnant
and bore a son to Abraham in his old age,
at the very time God had promised him.
Abraham gave the name Isaac
to the son Sarah bore him.
When his son Isaac was eight days old,
Abraham circumcised him,
as God commanded him.
Abraham was a hundred years old
when his son Isaac was born to him.

(Genesis 21:1-5)

AC 2434 - "Face"

AC 2434

The term "face is of frequent occurrence in the word,
and there signifies the interiors . . .;
when the face is attributed to Jehovah or the Lord,
it signifies Mercy, Peace, Good . . ..

Abraham Feeds Three Visitors

The Lord appeared to Abraham
near the great trees of Mamre
while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent
in the heat of the day.
Abraham looked up
and saw three men standing nearby.
When he saw them,
he hurried from the entrance of his tent
to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

He said, "If I have found favor in your eye, O Lord,
do not pass your servant by.
Let a little water be brought,
and then you may all wash your feet
and rest under this tree.
Let me get you something to eat,
so you can be refreshed and then go on your way --
now that you have come to your servant."

"Very well," they answered, "do as you say."

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah.
"Quick," he said,
"get three seahs of fine flour and knead it
and bake some bread."

Then he ran to the heard and selected
a choice, tender calf
and gave it to a servant,
who hurried to prepare it.
He then brought some curds and milk
and the calf that had been prepared,
and set these before them.
While thy ate,
he stood near them under a tree.

(Genesis 18:1-8)
 

AC 2429 - The Ratio Between Good and Truth

AC 2429 [2-3]

The truth present with someone
is altogether as is the good with him.
Where there is little good there is little truth.
They are present in the same ratio
and are of the same degree,
or as people say,
they march in step with each other.
This may indeed seem a paradox
but it is nevertheless the truth.
Good is the actual essence of truth,
and truth without its essence is not truth.
Although it looks as though it were,
it is no more than something that merely resounds,
and is like an empty vessel. 

For anyone to have the truth within him
he must not only know it,
but also acknowledge it and have faith in it.
When he does 
he possesses truth for the first time,
for in that case
it has an influence on him and remains.
It is different when he merely knows the truth
but does not acknowledge it and have faith in it.
In that case he does not have the truth within him,
as applies to many who are governed by evil.
They can know of truths,
sometimes better than anybody else,
but they nevertheless do not possess it.
Indeed their possession of it
is so much the less
because at heart they deny it.

The Lord Tells Abram to Lift His Eyes and Take a Walk

The Lord said to Abram
after Lot had parted from him,
"Lift up your eyes from where you are
and look north and south, east and west.
All the land that you see
I will give to your and your offspring forever.
I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth.
so that if anyone could count the dust,
then your offspring could be counted.
Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land,
for I am giving it to you."

So Abram moved his tents
and went to live near
 the great trees of Mamre at Hebron,
where he built an altar to the Lord.

(Genesis 13:14-18)

AC 2425 - To Act From the Good of Charity From the Lord

AC 2425 [3]

But those who are in the good of charity,
and from this in the affection of truth,
do all things with discrimination,
for they are in light;
since the light of truth
is from no other source than good,
because the Lord flows in by means of good.
These persons do not do good
to the poor, to orphans, to widows, and to strangers,
for the mere reason because they are so termed;
for they know that those who are good,
whether poor or rich,
are neighbors more than all others;
since by the good,
good is done to others;
and therefore insofar as these persons
do good to the good,
they do it to others through them.
They also know how
to make distinctions among goods,
and so among good men.
They call the general good itself
their neighbor in a greater degree,
for in this there is regarded
the good of still greater numbers.
Still more their neighbor
to whom charity is to be done
do they acknowledge the Lord's kingdom on earth,
which is the church;
and the Lord's kingdom itself in the heavens
even still more.
But those who set the Lord before all these --
who adore Him alone
and love Him above all things --
derive the neighbor in all these degrees from Him;
for the Lord alone
is the neighbor in the highest sense,
thus all good is the neighbor
insofar as it is from Him. 

The Lord Asks Cain

Then the Lord said to Cain,
"Why are you angry?
Why is your face downcast?
If you do what is right,
will you not be accepted?
But if you do not do what is right,
sin is crouching at your door;
it desires to have you,
but you must master it."

(Genesis 4:6-7)

AC 2412 - Imploring Grace, Imploring Mercy

AC 2412

. . . those who are in truth
and from truth in good
implore the Lord's grace only,
where those who are in good
and from good in truth
implore His mercy;
and this difference results
from the difference that exists
in their respect states of humiliation
and consequent adoration.


 

In His Image

So God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them.

God blessed them and said to them,
"Be fruitful and increase in number;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Rule over the fish of the sea
and the birds of the air
and over every living creature
that moves on the ground."

Then God said,
"I give you every seed-bearing plant
on the face of the whole earth
and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.
And to all the beasts of the earth
and all the birds of the air
and all the creatures that move on the ground --
everything that has the breath of life in it --
I give every green plant for food."
And it was so.

God saw all that He had made,
and it was very good.
And there was evening,
and there was morning --
the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed
in all their vast array.

By the seventh day
God had finished the work He had been doing;
so on the seventh day
He rested from all His work.
And God blessed the seventh day
and made it holy,
because on it He rested
from all the work of creating
that He had done.

(Genesis 1:27-31; 2:1-3)
 

** Behold, I Am Coming Soon!" **

"Behold I am coming soon!
My reward is with Me,
and I will give to everyone
according to what he has done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.

"Blessed are those who wash their robes,
that the may have the right to the tree of life
and may go through the gates into the city.

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel
to give you this testimony for the churches.
I am the Root and Offspring of David,
and the bright Morning Star."

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!"
and let him who hears say, "Come!"
whoever is thirsty, let him come;
and whoever wishes,
let him take the free gift of the water of life.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people.
Amen.

(Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 21)

AC 2405 - "Morning"

AC 2405 [7]

As in the proper sense
the "morning" signifies the Lord,
His advent, and thus the approach of His kingdom,
it is evident what it signifies besides, namely,
the rise of a new church
(for this is the Lord's kingdom on earth),
and this both in general and in particular,
and even in the least particular;
in general, when any church on the globe
is being raised up anew;
in particular, when a man is being regenerated,
and being made new
(for then the Lord's kingdom is arising in him,
and he is becoming a church);
and in the least particular,
whenever the good of love and faith is working in him;
for in this consists the advent of the Lord.

By the Sea of Tiberias

Afterward Jesus appeared again to His disciples,
by the Sea of Tiberias.
It happened this way:
Simon Peter,
Thomas (called Didymus),
Nathanael from Gana in Galilee,
the sons of Zebedee,
and two other disciples were together.
"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them,
and they said, "We'll go with you."
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning,
Jesus stood on the shore,
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

He called out to them,
"Friends, haven't you any fish?"

"No," they answered.

He said, "Throw your net
on the right side of the boat
and you will find some."
When they did,
they were unable to haul the net in
because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter,
"It is the Lord!"
As soon as Simon Peter heard him say,
"It is the Lord,"
he wrapped his outer garment around him
(for he had taken it off)
and jumped into the water.
The other disciples followed in the boat,
towing the net full of fish,
for they were not far from shore,
about two hundred cubits.
When they landed,
the saw a fire of burning coals there
with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them,
"Bring some of the fish you have just caught."

Simon Peter climbed aboard
and dragged the net ashore.
It was full of large fish, 153,
but even with so many
the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them,
"Come and have breakfast."
None of the disciples dared ask Him,
"Who are you?"
They knew it was the Lord.
Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them,
and did the same with the fish.

(John 21:1-13)

** The New Jerusalem **

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away,
and there was no longer any sea.
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride
beautifully dressed for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Now the dwelling of God is with men,
and He will live with them.
They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more 
death or mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things has passed away.

He who was seated on the throne said,
"I am making everything new!"
Then He said, "Write this down,
for these words are trustworthy and true."

He said to me:
"It is done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the Beginning and the End.
To him who is thirsty
I will give to drink without cost
from the spring of the water of life.
He who overcomes will inherit all this,
and I will be His God and He will be My son.
But the cowardly, the unbelieving,
the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral,
those who practice magic arts,
the idolaters and all liars --
their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death."

One of the seven angels
who had the seven bowls
full of the seven last plagues
came and said to me,
"Come, I will show you the bride,
the wife of the Lamb."
And he carried me away in the Spirit
to a mountain great and height,
and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God.
It shone with the glory of God,
and its brilliance
was like that of a very precious jewel,
like a jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a great, high wall with twelve gates,
and with twelve angels at the gates.
On the gates were written
the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
There were three gates on the east,
three on the north,
three on the south
and three on the west.
The wall of the city had twelve foundations,
and on them were the names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who talked with me
had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city,
its gates and its walls.
The city was laid out like a square,
as long as it was wide.
He measured the city with the rod
and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length,
as as wide and high as it is long.
He measured its wall
and it was 144 cubits thick,
by man's measurement,
which the angel was using.
The wall was made of jasper,
and the city of pure gold,
as pure as glass.
The foundations of the city walls
were decorated with every kind of precious stone.
The first foundation was jasper,
the second sapphire,
the third chalcedony,
the fourth emerald,
the fifth sardonyx,
the sixth carnelian,
the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth beryl,
the ninth topaz,
the tenth chrysoprase,
the eleventh jacinth,
and the twelfth amethyst.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls,
each gate made of a single pearl.
The great street of the city was of pure gold,
like transparent glass.

I did not see a temple in the city,
because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb
are its temple.
The city does not need
the sun or the moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gives it light,
and the Lamb is its lamp.
The nations will walk by its light,
and the kings of the earth
will bring their splendor into it.
On no day will its gates ever be shut,
for there will be no night there.
The glory and honor of the nations
will be brought into it.
Nothing impure will ever enter it,
nor will anyone
who does what is shameful or deceitful,
but only those whose names
are written in the Lamb's book of life.

(Revelation 21)

AC 2383 - Blindness

AC 2323 [3]

With those who are within the church
and know what truth is,
"blindness" is falsity;
but with those who do not know that the truth is
(as is the case with those
who are outside the church),
"blindness" is ignorance of the the truth,
and these are blameless.

"I Am the True Vine"

"I am the true vine,
and My Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch in Me
that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit
He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
You are already clean
because of the word I have spoken to you.
Remain in Me,
and I will remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself;
it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit
unless you remain in Me.

This is to My Father's glory,
that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be My disciples."

(John 15:1-4, 8)

** Judgment **

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven,
having the key to the Abyss
and holding in his hand a great chain.
He seized the dragon,
that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan,
and bound him for a thousand years.
He threw him into the Abyss,
and locked and sealed it over him,
to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore
until the thousand years were ended.
After that, he must be set free for a short time.

I saw thrones on which were seated those
who had been given authority to judge.
And I saw the souls of those
who had been beheaded
because of their testimony for Jesus
and because of the word of God.
They had not worshiped the beast or his image
and had not received his mark
on their foreheads or their hands.
They came to life
and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
(The rest of the dead did not come to life
until the thousand years were ended.)
This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy are those
who have part in the first resurrection.
The second death has no power over them,
but they will be priests of God and of Christ
and will reign with him for a thousand years.

When the thousand years are over,
Satan will be released from his prison
and will go out to deceive
the nations in the four corners of the earth --
Gog and Magog --
to gather them for battle.
In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
They marched across the breadth of the earth
and surrounded the camp of God's people,
the city He loves.
But fire came down from heaven
and devoured them.
And the devil, who deceived them,
was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,
where the beast and the false prophet
had been thrown.
They will be tormented day and night
for ever and ever.

Then I saw a great white throne
and Him who was seated on it.
Earth and sky fled from His presence,
and there was no place for them.
And I saw the dead, great and small,
standing before the throne,
and books were opened.
Another book was opened,
which was the book of life.
the dead were judged
according to what they had done
as recorded in the books.
The sea gave up the dead that were in it,
and death and Hades
gave up the dead that were in them,
and each person was judged
according to what he had done.
Then death and Hades were thrown
into the lake of fire.
The lake of fire is the second death.
If anyone's name was not found
written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire.

(Revelation 20)

AC 2379, 2380 - Being in Heaven; Thinking Whether One Is Good

AC 2379

And brought Lot into the house to them.
(Genesis 19:10)

That this signifies that the Lord protects those
who are in the good of charity,
is evident from the representation of Lot
as being those who are in the good of charity;
and from the signification of
"bringing into the house to them," as being to protect.
To be "brought into the house"
denotes to be brought into good;
and they who are brought into good
are brought into heaven;
and they who are brought into heaven
are brought to the Lord;
consequently they are protected from all infestation
as to their souls.
That the man who is in good is as to his soul 
in society with angels,
and while living in the body is nevertheless in heaven
(although at the time he is not aware of this,
and is not able to perceive angelic joy
in consequence of being in corporeal things
and in a state of preparation).

AC 2380 [2, 4-5]

While a man remains in corporeal things,
he is in such a general
and obscure idea and perception
that he scarcely knows
whether he is in the good of charity or not;
and this for the additional reason
that he does not know what charity is,
and what the neighbor is.
But be it known who the persons in question are.
All those are in the good of charity
who have conscience
(that is, who are unwilling to depart in any degree
from what is just and fair, and good and true,
and this for the very sake of
what is just and fair, and good and true,
for this principle is from conscience),
and who from having conscience
think well of the neighbor and desire his welfare,
even should he be an enemy;
and this without any repayment to themselves.
These are those who are in the good of charity,
whether they be without the church
or within the church.
If within the church,
they adore the Lord,
and willingly hear and do
the things that He has taught. 

Be it known however
that some persons think they are not in good
when they are,
and some that they are in good
when they are not.
The reason why some think
they are not in good when they are,
is that when they reflect
upon the good in themselves,
it is at once insinuated by the angels
in whose society they are,
that they are not in good,
lest they should attribute the good to themselves,
and lest their thought should be turned
to their own merit,
and thereby
to the setting up of themselves above others.
Without this guardianship
they would fall into temptations.

As regards some supposing themselves
to be in good when they are not,
the cause of this is
that when they reflect upon it,
it is immediately insinuated
by the evil genii and spirits
in whose companionship they are,
that they are in good
(for the evil believe delight to be good),
and it is suggested that whatever good
they have done to others
for the sake of the love of self and of the world
is good that is to be repaid to them
even in the other life;
thus that they have merit above others,
whom they despise in comparison with themselves,
and indeed esteem them as of no account.
And, wonderful to say,
if they were to think differently
they would fall into temptations,
in which they would yield.

Love and Peace

"A new command I give you:
Love one another.
As I have loved you,
so you must love one another.
By this all men will know
that you are my disciples,
if you love one another."

"Peace I leave with you;
My peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid."

(John 13:34-35; 14:27)

** A Roar in Heaven **

After this

I heard what sounded like the roar

of a great multitude in heaven shouting:

"Hallelujah!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

for true and just are His judgments.

He has condemned the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.

He has avenged on her 

the blood of His servants."

And again they shouted:

"Hallelujah!

The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."

The twenty-four elders 

and the four living creatures

fell down and worshiped God,

who was seated on the throne.

And they cried:

"Amen, Hallelujah!"

Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

"Praise our God, all you His servants,

you who fear Him, both small and great!"

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,

like the roar of rushing waters

and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

"Hallelujah!

For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come,

and His bride has made herself ready.

Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

Then the angel said to me, "Write:

'Blessed are those who are invited

to the wedding supper of the Lamb!"

And he added,

"These are the true words of God."

At this I fell at his feet to worship him,

But he said to me,

"Do not do it!

I am a fellow servant with you

and with your brothers

who hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Worship God!

For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

Revelation 19:1-10)

AC 2371 - Doing Good

AC 2371 [5]

Those who strive to do good of themselves,

because the Lord has so commanded,

are they who at length receive this good;

and who, being afterwards instructed,

acknowledge with faith that all good is from the Lord;

and they are then so averse to self-merit

that when they merely think of it they grow sad,

and perceive their blessedness and happiness

to be proportionately diminished.

Jesus Writes On the Ground

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

At dawn He appeared again in the temple courts,

where all the people gathered around Him,

and He sat down to teach them.

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees

brought in a woman caught in adultery.

They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus,

"Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.

Now what do You say?"

They were using this question as a trap,

in order to have a basis for accusing Him.

But Jesus bent down

and started to write on the ground with His finger.

When they kept on questioning Him,

He straightened up and said to them,

"If any one of you is without sin,

let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard

began to go away one at a time,

the older ones first,

until only Jesus was left,

with the woman still standing there.

Jesus straightened up and asked her,

"Women, where are they

Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," she said.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared.

"Go now and leave your life of sin."

(John 8:1-11)

** The Fall of Babylon **

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven.

He had great authority,

and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.

With a mighty voice he shouted:

"Fallen!  Fallen is Babylon the Great!

She has become a home for demons

and a haunt for every evil spirit,

a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

For all the nations have drunk

the maddening wine of her adulteries.

The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,

and the merchants of the earth grew rich

from her excessive luxuries."

Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

"Come out of her, my people,

so that you will not share in her sins,

so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

for her sins are piled up to heaven,

and God has remembered her crimes.

Give back to her as she has given;

pay her back double for what she has done.

Mix her a double portion from her own cup.

Give her as much torture and grief

as the glory and luxury she gave herself.

In her heart she boasts,

'I sit as queen; I am not a widow,

and I will never morn.'

Therefore in one day 

her plagues will overtake her:

death, mourning and famine.

She will be consumed by fire,

for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

"When the kings of the earth

who committed adultery with her

and shared her luxury 

see the smoke of her burning,

they will and mourn over her.

Terrified at her torment,

they will stand far off and cry:

"'Woe!  Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power!

In one hour your doom has come!'

"The merchants of the earth

will weep and mourn over her

because no one buys their cargoes any more --

cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls;

fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth;

every sort of citron wood,

and articles of every kind made of 

ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble;

cargoes of cinnamon and spice,

of incense, myrrh and frankincense,

of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat;

cattle and sheep; horses and carriages;

and bodies and souls of men.

"They will say,

'The fruit you longed for is gone from you.

All your riches and splendor have vanished,

never to be recovered.'

The merchants who sold these things

and gained their wealth from her

will stand far off,

terrified at her torment.

They will weep and mourn and cry out:

"'Woe!  Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen,

purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold,

precious stones and pearls!

In one hour

such great wealth has been brought to ruin!'

"Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship,

the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea,

will stand far off.

When they see the smoke of her burning,

they will exclaim,

'Was there ever a city like this great city?'

They will throw dust on their heads,

and with weeping and mourning cry out:

"Woe! Woe, O great city,

where all who had ships on the sea

became rich through her wealth!

In one hour she has been brought to ruin!

Rejoice over her, O heaven!

Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets!

God has judged her for the way she treated you.'"

Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder

the size of a large millstone

and threw it into the sea, and said:

"With such violence the great city of Babylon

will be thrown down,

never to be found again.

The music of harpists and musicians,

flute players and trumpeters,

will never be heard in you again.

No workman of any trade

will ever be found in you again.

The sound of a millstone

will never be heard in you again.

The light of a lamp

will never shine in you again.

The voice of a bridegroom and bride

will never be heard in you again.

Your merchants were the world's great men.

By your magic spell all nations were led astray.

In her was found

the blood of prophets and of the saints,

and of all who have been killed on the earth.

(Revelation 18)