AC 5881
By commotion is meant a new disposition
and setting in order
of truths in the natural,
concerning which setting in order
be it
known that the order in which
memory-knowledges and truths are
arranged
in man's memory is unknown to man,
but when it pleases the
Lord it is known to angels.
For it is a wonderful order.
They cohere
as in little bundles,
and the little bundles themselves cohere
together,
and this according to the connection of things
which the
man had conceived.
These coherences are more wonderful
than any man
can ever believe.
In the other life they are sometimes presented to
view,
for in the light of heaven which is spiritual
such things can
be exhibited to the sight of the eye,
but not at all in the light of
the world.
. . . while the man is
being regenerated,
and conjunction is being effected
of the good of
the internal man
with the truths of the external,
a commotion takes
place among the truths,
for they then undergo a different
arrangement.
. . . The commotion then
made,
manifests itself by an anxiety
arising from the change of the
former state,
namely, from a privation of the delight
which had been
in that state.
This commotion also manifests itself by anxiety
concerning the past life -
that internal good and the internal itself
had been relegated to the lowest place -
which anxiety is treated of
in what follows.
Monday, April 30, 2018
~ Lie On Your Left Side and Then On Your Right ~
"Now, son of man, take a clay tablet,
put it in front of you
and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.
Then lay siege to it:
Erect siege works against it,
build a ramp up to it,
set up camps against it
and put battering rams around it.
Then take an iron pan,
place it as an iron wall between you and the city
and turn your face toward it.
It will be under siege,
and you shall besiege it.
This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
"Then lie on your left side
and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself.
You are to bear their sin for the number of days
you lie on your side.
I have assigned you the same number of days
as the years of their sin. So for 390 days
you will bear the sin of the house of Israel.
"After you have finished this,
lie down again, this time on your right side,
and bear the sin of the house of Judah.
I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.
Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem
and with bared arm prophesy against her.
I will tie you up with ropes
so that you cannot turn from one side to the other
until you have finished the days of your siege."
(Ezekiel 4:1-8)
put it in front of you
and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.
Then lay siege to it:
Erect siege works against it,
build a ramp up to it,
set up camps against it
and put battering rams around it.
Then take an iron pan,
place it as an iron wall between you and the city
and turn your face toward it.
It will be under siege,
and you shall besiege it.
This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
"Then lie on your left side
and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself.
You are to bear their sin for the number of days
you lie on your side.
I have assigned you the same number of days
as the years of their sin. So for 390 days
you will bear the sin of the house of Israel.
"After you have finished this,
lie down again, this time on your right side,
and bear the sin of the house of Judah.
I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.
Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem
and with bared arm prophesy against her.
I will tie you up with ropes
so that you cannot turn from one side to the other
until you have finished the days of your siege."
(Ezekiel 4:1-8)
Sunday, April 29, 2018
AC 5871 - The Mind Is Gladdened
AC 5871
. . . the mind is gladdened by the morning of the day.
Such is the way in which the conjunction
of the truth which is of faith
and with the good which is of charity.
. . . the mind is gladdened by the morning of the day.
Such is the way in which the conjunction
of the truth which is of faith
and with the good which is of charity.
~ The Lord Calls Ezekiel ~
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.
And you, son of man,
do not be afraid of them or their words.
Do not be afraid,
though briers and thorns are all around you
and you live among scorpions.
Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them,
though they are a rebellious house.
You must speak My words to them,
whether they listen or fail to listen,
for they are rebellious.
But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you.
Do not rebel like that rebellious house;
open your mouth and eat what I give you."
Then I looked,
and I saw a hand stretched out to me.
In it was a scroll,
which He unrolled before me.
On both sides of it were written
words of lament and mourning and woe.
(Ezekiel 2)
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.
And you, son of man,
do not be afraid of them or their words.
Do not be afraid,
though briers and thorns are all around you
and you live among scorpions.
Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them,
though they are a rebellious house.
You must speak My words to them,
whether they listen or fail to listen,
for they are rebellious.
But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you.
Do not rebel like that rebellious house;
open your mouth and eat what I give you."
Then I looked,
and I saw a hand stretched out to me.
In it was a scroll,
which He unrolled before me.
On both sides of it were written
words of lament and mourning and woe.
(Ezekiel 2)
Saturday, April 28, 2018
AC 5827 - Regeneration
AC 5827
With the regeneration of man the case is this.
In the first state when a man is being introduced
through truth into good,
the truth appears manifestly,
because it is in the light of the world,
and not far from the sensuous things of the body.
But it is not so with good,
for this is in the light of heaven,
and remote from the sensuous things of the body,
for it is within in man's spirit.
So it is that the truth which is of faith
appears manifestly, but not good,
although this is continually present,
and flows in, and makes the truths live.
Man could not possibly be regenerated in any other way.
But when this state has been passed through,
then good manifests itself,
and this by love to the neighbor,
and by the affection of truth for the sake of life.
With the regeneration of man the case is this.
In the first state when a man is being introduced
through truth into good,
the truth appears manifestly,
because it is in the light of the world,
and not far from the sensuous things of the body.
But it is not so with good,
for this is in the light of heaven,
and remote from the sensuous things of the body,
for it is within in man's spirit.
So it is that the truth which is of faith
appears manifestly, but not good,
although this is continually present,
and flows in, and makes the truths live.
Man could not possibly be regenerated in any other way.
But when this state has been passed through,
then good manifests itself,
and this by love to the neighbor,
and by the affection of truth for the sake of life.
~ You Reign Forever ~
You, O Lord, reign forever;
Your throne endures
from generation to generation.
(Lamentations 5:19)
Your throne endures
from generation to generation.
(Lamentations 5:19)
Friday, April 27, 2018
AC 5804, 5816 [2] - Good
AC 5804
. . . good is attended with a longing for truths,
because with these it is, as it were, nourished,
it being perfected by them.
AC 5816 [2]
Good is like a little flame which gives light and illumines,
and causes man to see, perceive, and believe truths.
For the affection of truth from good
determines the internal sight from there,
and withdraws the sight from worldly and bodily things,
which induce darkness.
. . . good is attended with a longing for truths,
because with these it is, as it were, nourished,
it being perfected by them.
AC 5816 [2]
Good is like a little flame which gives light and illumines,
and causes man to see, perceive, and believe truths.
For the affection of truth from good
determines the internal sight from there,
and withdraws the sight from worldly and bodily things,
which induce darkness.
~ He Did Evil ~
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old
when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah;
she was from Libna.
He did evil in the eyes of the Lord,
just as Jehoiakim had done.
It was because of the Lord's anger
that all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah,
and in the end He thrust them from His presence.
(Jeremiah 52:1-3)
when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah;
she was from Libna.
He did evil in the eyes of the Lord,
just as Jehoiakim had done.
It was because of the Lord's anger
that all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah,
and in the end He thrust them from His presence.
(Jeremiah 52:1-3)
Thursday, April 26, 2018
AC 5758, 5759 - Claiming Truth and Good; AC 5773 - A Turning About
AC 5758 [2], 5759
. . . to claim truth and good to oneself
is contrary to the universal that reigns in heaven,
as well as contrary to the acknowledgment
that all salvation is of mercy,
that is, that man of himself is in hell,
but is of mercy drawn out from there by the Lord.
Man cannot be in humiliation,
nor consequently can he receive the Lord's mercy
(for this flows in
only in humiliation or into a humble heart),
unless he acknowledges
that there is nothing but evil from himself,
and that all good is from the Lord.
Without this acknowledgment
a man attributes to himself as merit,
and at length as righteousness,
whatever he does;
for to claim to himself the truth and good
which are from the Lord
is to make himself righteous.
This is the source of many evils;
for he then regards self in everything
that he does for the neighbor,
and when he does this
he loves himself above all others,
whom he then despises,
if not in word, yet in heart.
Moreover everyone ought to do
what is true and good as of himself,
yet believing that it is from the Lord;
and when he does so,
then as he grows up and increases
in intelligence and faith
he puts off that fallacy,
and at last acknowledges at heart
that his every effort
of doing good and thinking truth
was and is from the Lord.
AC 5773
. . . a turning about takes place
with those who are being regenerated,
namely, that they are led to good by means of truth,
and afterward from good they are led to truth.
When this turning about takes place,
or when the state is changed
and becomes the inverse of the former one,
there is mourning;
for they are then let into temptation,
whereby what is of their own proprium
is weakened and broken down,
and good is insinuated,
and with good a new will,
and with this a new freedom, thus a new proprium.
This is represented by
Joseph's brethren returning in despair to Joseph,
and offering themselves to him as servants,
and their being kept in that state for some time,
and by Joseph's not manifesting himself
until after the temptation;
for when the temptation is over,
the Lord shines on them with comfort.
. . . to claim truth and good to oneself
is contrary to the universal that reigns in heaven,
as well as contrary to the acknowledgment
that all salvation is of mercy,
that is, that man of himself is in hell,
but is of mercy drawn out from there by the Lord.
Man cannot be in humiliation,
nor consequently can he receive the Lord's mercy
(for this flows in
only in humiliation or into a humble heart),
unless he acknowledges
that there is nothing but evil from himself,
and that all good is from the Lord.
Without this acknowledgment
a man attributes to himself as merit,
and at length as righteousness,
whatever he does;
for to claim to himself the truth and good
which are from the Lord
is to make himself righteous.
This is the source of many evils;
for he then regards self in everything
that he does for the neighbor,
and when he does this
he loves himself above all others,
whom he then despises,
if not in word, yet in heart.
Moreover everyone ought to do
what is true and good as of himself,
yet believing that it is from the Lord;
and when he does so,
then as he grows up and increases
in intelligence and faith
he puts off that fallacy,
and at last acknowledges at heart
that his every effort
of doing good and thinking truth
was and is from the Lord.
AC 5773
. . . a turning about takes place
with those who are being regenerated,
namely, that they are led to good by means of truth,
and afterward from good they are led to truth.
When this turning about takes place,
or when the state is changed
and becomes the inverse of the former one,
there is mourning;
for they are then let into temptation,
whereby what is of their own proprium
is weakened and broken down,
and good is insinuated,
and with good a new will,
and with this a new freedom, thus a new proprium.
This is represented by
Joseph's brethren returning in despair to Joseph,
and offering themselves to him as servants,
and their being kept in that state for some time,
and by Joseph's not manifesting himself
until after the temptation;
for when the temptation is over,
the Lord shines on them with comfort.
~ " Who Is Like Me?" ~
Like a lion coming up from Jordan's thickets
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is like Me and who can challenge Me?
And what shepherd can stand against Me?"
(Jeremiah 50:44)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is like Me and who can challenge Me?
And what shepherd can stand against Me?"
(Jeremiah 50:44)
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
AC 5729 - Temptation and Willing Submission; AC 5746 - Evil; AC 5747, 5749 - Spiritual Theft
AC 5729
The conjunction
of the external man with the internal
is not accomplished
without temptation and willing submission.
AC 5746
. . . evil is nothing else than a turning away from good . . .
AC 5747 [2]; 5749
The truth which is bestowed by the Lord
is first received as if it were not bestowed;
for before regeneration
the man supposes that he procures truth for himself,
and so long as he supposes this
he is in spiritual theft.
To claim good and truth to one's self
and to attribute them to one's self
for righteousness and merit,
is to take away from the Lord that which is His.
The reason why man ought not to claim to himself
anything that is from the Lord,
thus not truth and good,
is that he may be in the truth;
and in so far as he is in the truth,
so far he is in the light
in which the angels are in heaven;
and in so far as he is in this light,
so far he is in intelligence and wisdom;
and in so far as he is in intelligence and wisdom,
so far he is in happiness.
This is the reason why man ought
to acknowledge from faith of the heart
that nothing of truth and good is from himself,
but all from the Lord,
and this because it is so.
The conjunction
of the external man with the internal
is not accomplished
without temptation and willing submission.
AC 5746
. . . evil is nothing else than a turning away from good . . .
AC 5747 [2]; 5749
The truth which is bestowed by the Lord
is first received as if it were not bestowed;
for before regeneration
the man supposes that he procures truth for himself,
and so long as he supposes this
he is in spiritual theft.
To claim good and truth to one's self
and to attribute them to one's self
for righteousness and merit,
is to take away from the Lord that which is His.
The reason why man ought not to claim to himself
anything that is from the Lord,
thus not truth and good,
is that he may be in the truth;
and in so far as he is in the truth,
so far he is in the light
in which the angels are in heaven;
and in so far as he is in this light,
so far he is in intelligence and wisdom;
and in so far as he is in intelligence and wisdom,
so far he is in happiness.
This is the reason why man ought
to acknowledge from faith of the heart
that nothing of truth and good is from himself,
but all from the Lord,
and this because it is so.
~ Should You . . . ? ~
Should you then seek great things for yourself?
Seek them not.
(Jeremiah 45:5)
Seek them not.
(Jeremiah 45:5)
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
AC 5711 - Cause, End, Order
AC 5711
. . . a cause without an end
is a cause in no order,
and where there is no order
nothing is effected.
. . . a cause without an end
is a cause in no order,
and where there is no order
nothing is effected.
~ After Jerusalem Falls ~
While Jeremiah had been confined
in the courtyard of the guard,
the word of the Lord came to him:
"Go and tell Ebed-Melech the Cushite,
'This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
I am about to fulfill My words against this city
through disaster, not prosperity.
At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes.
But I will rescue you on that day,
declares the Lord;
you will not be handed over to those you fear.
I will save you;
you will not fall by the sword
but will escape with your life,
because you trust in Me, declares the Lord.'"
(Jeremiah 39:15-18)
in the courtyard of the guard,
the word of the Lord came to him:
"Go and tell Ebed-Melech the Cushite,
'This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
I am about to fulfill My words against this city
through disaster, not prosperity.
At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes.
But I will rescue you on that day,
declares the Lord;
you will not be handed over to those you fear.
I will save you;
you will not fall by the sword
but will escape with your life,
because you trust in Me, declares the Lord.'"
(Jeremiah 39:15-18)
Monday, April 23, 2018
AC 5703 - The Lord Is Order Itself
AC 5703
The Lord is order itself;
and therefore
where He is present
there is order,
and where there is order
He is present.
The Lord is order itself;
and therefore
where He is present
there is order,
and where there is order
He is present.
~ Zedekiah Made King ~
Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah
by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon;
he reigned in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim.
Neither he nor his attendants
nor the people of the land
paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken
through Jeremiah the prophet.
(Jeremiah 37:1)
by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon;
he reigned in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim.
Neither he nor his attendants
nor the people of the land
paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken
through Jeremiah the prophet.
(Jeremiah 37:1)
Sunday, April 22, 2018
AC 5702 - How Belief and Order Affect One Another
AC 5702
. . . those who are in inverted order,
that is, in evil and the derivative falsity,
become at last so averse
to the good and truth of the church
that when they hear them,
and especially when they hear
the interior things of them,
they so greatly abominate them
that they feel as it were a nausea and vomiting.
. . . The reason of its being so
is that they are in no affection of truth for truth's sake,
still less in the affection of good from good.
Their thinking and speaking anything from the Word
or from their doctrine
is from habit acquired from early childhood,
and from the established form;
thus it is an external without an internal.
. . . those who are in inverted order,
that is, in evil and the derivative falsity,
become at last so averse
to the good and truth of the church
that when they hear them,
and especially when they hear
the interior things of them,
they so greatly abominate them
that they feel as it were a nausea and vomiting.
. . . The reason of its being so
is that they are in no affection of truth for truth's sake,
still less in the affection of good from good.
Their thinking and speaking anything from the Word
or from their doctrine
is from habit acquired from early childhood,
and from the established form;
thus it is an external without an internal.
~ "I Have Loved You" ~
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful.
Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria;
the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit.
There will be a day
when the watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim,
'Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.'"
(Jeremiah 31:3-5)
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful.
Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria;
the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit.
There will be a day
when the watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim,
'Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.'"
(Jeremiah 31:3-5)
Saturday, April 21, 2018
AC 5672 - Light and Enlightenment in Heaven
AC 5672
That "noon" denotes a state of light
is because the times of day,
as morning, noon, and evening,
correspond to the enlightenments in the other life,
and the enlightenments there
are those of intelligence and wisdom,
for in the light of heaven
there is intelligence and wisdom.
There are alternations of enlightenment there,
like morning, noon, and evening on earth.
The states of shade, like those of evening,
do not arise from the sun there,
that is, the Lord, who is always giving light,
but from the angels' proprium (selfhood),
for insofar as they are let into their propriums
they come into a state of shade or evening,
and insofar as they are lifted out
of their own into a heavenly proprium,
they come into a state of light.
From this it is plain
why noon corresponds to a state of light.
That "noon" denotes a state of light
is because the times of day,
as morning, noon, and evening,
correspond to the enlightenments in the other life,
and the enlightenments there
are those of intelligence and wisdom,
for in the light of heaven
there is intelligence and wisdom.
There are alternations of enlightenment there,
like morning, noon, and evening on earth.
The states of shade, like those of evening,
do not arise from the sun there,
that is, the Lord, who is always giving light,
but from the angels' proprium (selfhood),
for insofar as they are let into their propriums
they come into a state of shade or evening,
and insofar as they are lifted out
of their own into a heavenly proprium,
they come into a state of light.
From this it is plain
why noon corresponds to a state of light.
Friday, April 20, 2018
AC 5664 - Prudence and Providence; AC 5664a - Truth Which Is of Faith
AC 5664
. . . that which is of the Divine providence
in not of man's prudence.
AC 5664a
. . . the truth which is of faith
is never procured by any man,
but is insinuated and given by the Lord . . ..
. . . that which is of the Divine providence
in not of man's prudence.
AC 5664a
. . . the truth which is of faith
is never procured by any man,
but is insinuated and given by the Lord . . ..
~ The Word Came to Jeremiah from the Lord ~
The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord
when King Zedekiah sent him Pashhur son of Malkijah
and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah.
They said: "Inquire now of the Lord for us
because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
is attacking us.
Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us
as in times past
so that he will withdraw from us."
But Jeremiah answered them,
"Tell Zedekiah,
'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:
I am about to turn against you
the weapons of war that are in your hands,
which you are using to fight
the king of Babylon and the Babylonians
who are outside the wall besieging you.
And I will gather them inside this city.
I myself will fight against you
with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm
in anger and fury and great wrath.
I will strike down those who live in this city --
both men and animals --
and they will die of a terrible plague.
After that declares the Lord,
I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah,
his officials and the people in this city
who survive the plague, sword and famine,
to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
and to their enemies who seek their lives.
He will put them to the sword;
he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.'"
(Jeremiah 21:1-7)
when King Zedekiah sent him Pashhur son of Malkijah
and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah.
They said: "Inquire now of the Lord for us
because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
is attacking us.
Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us
as in times past
so that he will withdraw from us."
But Jeremiah answered them,
"Tell Zedekiah,
'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:
I am about to turn against you
the weapons of war that are in your hands,
which you are using to fight
the king of Babylon and the Babylonians
who are outside the wall besieging you.
And I will gather them inside this city.
I myself will fight against you
with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm
in anger and fury and great wrath.
I will strike down those who live in this city --
both men and animals --
and they will die of a terrible plague.
After that declares the Lord,
I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah,
his officials and the people in this city
who survive the plague, sword and famine,
to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
and to their enemies who seek their lives.
He will put them to the sword;
he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.'"
(Jeremiah 21:1-7)
Thursday, April 19, 2018
AC 5661 - The Heavenly Proprium
AC 5661 [2-3]
. . . in the other life . . . spirits
who are being initiated into good by means of truths,
and especially into this one --
that all good and truth flow in from the Lord.
When they perceive
that everything they think and will flows into them,
thus that they have no power
to think and to will from themselves,
they resist as much as they can,
believing that if this were so
they would have no life of their own,
and thereby that all delight would perish,
for they vest this in what is their own.
Besides, if they cannot
do good or believe truth of themselves,
they suppose they should let go their hands,
doing and thinking nothing from themselves,
and should wait for influx.
They are permitted to think so,
even to the extent of almost coming to the conclusion
that they do not desire
to receive good and truth from this source,
but from some other
by which there would not be
such a loss of what is their own;
and sometimes it is given them to inquire
where they may find it.
Yet afterward when they find it nowhere,
those who are being regenerated come back,
and in freedom choose to be led by the Lord
in their willing and thinking.
They are then informed
that they will receive a proprium that is heavenly,
such as angels have,
and with this proprium,
also blessedness and happiness to eternity.
As regards the proprium that is heavenly,
this comes forth from the new will
that is given by the Lord,
and differs from the man's proprium
in the fact that they who have it
no longer regard themselves
in each and all things they do,
and in each and all things they learn or teach;
but they then have regard
to the neighbor, the public, the church,
the Lord's kingdom, and thereby to the Lord Himself.
It is the ends of life that are changed.
The ends that look to lower things,
that is, to self and the world, are removed,
and ends that look to higher things
are substituted in their place.
The ends of life are nothing else
than the man's life itself,
for they are his very will and loves,
because what a man loves he wills and has for his end.
He who is gifted with a proprium that is heavenly
is also in quietude and in peace;
for he trusts in the Lord,
and believes that nothing of evil will reach him,
and knows that evil desires will not infest him.
And besides, those who are in the heavenly proprium
are in freedom itself;
for to be led by the Lord is freedom,
because they are led in good, by good, to good.
From this it is evident
that they are in blessedness and happiness,
for there is nothing that disturbs them,
nothing of the love of self,
consequently nothing of enmity, hatred, and revenge;
nor is there anything of the love of the world,
consequently nothing of fraud, of fear, of unrest.
. . . in the other life . . . spirits
who are being initiated into good by means of truths,
and especially into this one --
that all good and truth flow in from the Lord.
When they perceive
that everything they think and will flows into them,
thus that they have no power
to think and to will from themselves,
they resist as much as they can,
believing that if this were so
they would have no life of their own,
and thereby that all delight would perish,
for they vest this in what is their own.
Besides, if they cannot
do good or believe truth of themselves,
they suppose they should let go their hands,
doing and thinking nothing from themselves,
and should wait for influx.
They are permitted to think so,
even to the extent of almost coming to the conclusion
that they do not desire
to receive good and truth from this source,
but from some other
by which there would not be
such a loss of what is their own;
and sometimes it is given them to inquire
where they may find it.
Yet afterward when they find it nowhere,
those who are being regenerated come back,
and in freedom choose to be led by the Lord
in their willing and thinking.
They are then informed
that they will receive a proprium that is heavenly,
such as angels have,
and with this proprium,
also blessedness and happiness to eternity.
As regards the proprium that is heavenly,
this comes forth from the new will
that is given by the Lord,
and differs from the man's proprium
in the fact that they who have it
no longer regard themselves
in each and all things they do,
and in each and all things they learn or teach;
but they then have regard
to the neighbor, the public, the church,
the Lord's kingdom, and thereby to the Lord Himself.
It is the ends of life that are changed.
The ends that look to lower things,
that is, to self and the world, are removed,
and ends that look to higher things
are substituted in their place.
The ends of life are nothing else
than the man's life itself,
for they are his very will and loves,
because what a man loves he wills and has for his end.
He who is gifted with a proprium that is heavenly
is also in quietude and in peace;
for he trusts in the Lord,
and believes that nothing of evil will reach him,
and knows that evil desires will not infest him.
And besides, those who are in the heavenly proprium
are in freedom itself;
for to be led by the Lord is freedom,
because they are led in good, by good, to good.
From this it is evident
that they are in blessedness and happiness,
for there is nothing that disturbs them,
nothing of the love of self,
consequently nothing of enmity, hatred, and revenge;
nor is there anything of the love of the world,
consequently nothing of fraud, of fear, of unrest.
~ Like a Tree Planted by the Water ~
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in Him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the steam.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
(Jeremiah 17:7-8)
whose confidence is in Him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the steam.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
(Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
AC 5651 - Regeneration
AC 5651 [3-4]
Regeneration is nothing else
than that the natural be subjugated,
and the spiritual obtain the dominion;
and the natural is subjugated
when it is reduced to correspondence.
When the natural has been reduced to correspondence,
it does not react any more,
but acts as it is commanded,
and obeys the spiritual,
almost as the acts of the body obey the behest of the will,
and as the speech,
together with the expression of the face,
conforms to the influx of the thought.
From this it is plain that for a man to become spiritual
the natural must needs become as nothing whatever
in respect to willing.
But be it known that it is the old natural
that must become as nothing,
because this has been formed from evils and falsities;
and when it has become as nothing
the person is then gifted with a new natural,
which is called the spiritual natural-spiritual
from the fact that the spiritual is what acts through it,
and manifests itself through it,
as the cause through the effect.
It is known that the cause is everything of the effect.
Hence the new natural in its
thinking, willing, and producing effect,
is nothing else than the representative of the spiritual.
When this comes to pass
the person receives good from the Lord;
and when he receives good
he is gifted with truths;
and when he is gifted with truths
he is perfected in intelligence and wisdom;
and when he is perfected in intelligence and wisdom
he is blessed with happiness to eternity.
~ "Hear the Word of the Lord" ~
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
"Stand at the gate of the Lord's house
and there proclaim this message:
"'Hear the word of the Lord,
all you people of Judah who come through these gates
to worship the Lord.
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
Reform your ways and your actions,
and I will let you live in this place.
Do not trust in deceptive words and say,
"This is the temple of the Lord,
the temple of the Lord,
the temple of the Lord!"
If you really change your ways and your actions
and deal with each other justly,
if you do not oppress the alien,
the fatherless or the widow
and do not shed innocent blood in this place,
and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm,
then I will let you live in this place,
in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
AC 5536 - To Bereave; AC 5551 - The Grave
AC 5536 [2]
That "to bereave"
denotes to deprive the church of its truths,
is because the church is compared to a marriage,
its good to the husband,
and its truth to the wife,
and the truths born of this marriage to sons,
and the goods to daughters, and so on.
When therefore "bereavement,"
or "bereaving" is spoken of,
it signifies that the church is deprived of its truths,
and that thereby it becomes no church.
AC 5551
It appears strange that the "grave"
should denote resuscitation,
but this is because of man's idea concerning it;
for he does not separate the grave from death,
nor even from the dead body in the grave.
Yet the angels in heaven
cannot have such an idea of the grave,
but one entirely different from man's,
namely, an idea of resurrection or resuscitation.
For when man's dead body is committed to the grave
he is resuscitated into the other life;
and therefore the idea angels have about the grave
is not an idea of death,
but of life, consequently of resuscitation.
That "to bereave"
denotes to deprive the church of its truths,
is because the church is compared to a marriage,
its good to the husband,
and its truth to the wife,
and the truths born of this marriage to sons,
and the goods to daughters, and so on.
When therefore "bereavement,"
or "bereaving" is spoken of,
it signifies that the church is deprived of its truths,
and that thereby it becomes no church.
AC 5551
It appears strange that the "grave"
should denote resuscitation,
but this is because of man's idea concerning it;
for he does not separate the grave from death,
nor even from the dead body in the grave.
Yet the angels in heaven
cannot have such an idea of the grave,
but one entirely different from man's,
namely, an idea of resurrection or resuscitation.
For when man's dead body is committed to the grave
he is resuscitated into the other life;
and therefore the idea angels have about the grave
is not an idea of death,
but of life, consequently of resuscitation.
~ Who Among You? ~
Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the word of His servant?
Let him who walks in the dark
and has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
(Isaiah 50:10)
and obeys the word of His servant?
Let him who walks in the dark
and has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
(Isaiah 50:10)
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
AC 5508 - Miracles
AC 5508
. . . miracles do not take place at the present day.
For as with everything else
that is seen and comprehensible,
miracles would compel a person to believe;
and anything that compels takes freedom away.
But the whole
of a person's reformation and regeneration
takes place while he is in freedom;
nothing implanted in him
if he is not in freedom
remains fixed in him.
Things are implanted in freedom
if an affection for goodness and truth
are present in the person.
. . . miracles do not take place at the present day.
For as with everything else
that is seen and comprehensible,
miracles would compel a person to believe;
and anything that compels takes freedom away.
But the whole
of a person's reformation and regeneration
takes place while he is in freedom;
nothing implanted in him
if he is not in freedom
remains fixed in him.
Things are implanted in freedom
if an affection for goodness and truth
are present in the person.
~ I Am the Lord ~
For this is what the Lord says --
He who created the heavens,
He is God;
He who fashioned and made the earth,
He founded it;
He did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited --
He says:
"I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
I have not spoken in secret
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob's descendants,
'Seek Me in vain.'
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.
"Gather together and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.
Declare what is to be,
present it --
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no God apart from Me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none but Me.
"Turn to Me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God,
and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn,
My mouth has uttered in all integrity
a word that will not be revoked:
Before Me every knee will bow;
by Me every tongue will swear.
They will say of Me,
'In the Lord alone
are righteousness and strength.'"
(Isaiah 45:18-24.5)
He who created the heavens,
He is God;
He who fashioned and made the earth,
He founded it;
He did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited --
He says:
"I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
I have not spoken in secret
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob's descendants,
'Seek Me in vain.'
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.
"Gather together and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.
Declare what is to be,
present it --
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no God apart from Me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none but Me.
"Turn to Me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God,
and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn,
My mouth has uttered in all integrity
a word that will not be revoked:
Before Me every knee will bow;
by Me every tongue will swear.
They will say of Me,
'In the Lord alone
are righteousness and strength.'"
(Isaiah 45:18-24.5)
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
AC 5503 - "God's Doing"
AC 5503
. . . the signification of "God's doing,"
as being providence;
for everything that God does
can be expressed by no other word than providence.
The reason of this is
that in everything that God or the Lord does
there is the eternal and the infinite,
and these are in the word "providence."
. . . the signification of "God's doing,"
as being providence;
for everything that God does
can be expressed by no other word than providence.
The reason of this is
that in everything that God or the Lord does
there is the eternal and the infinite,
and these are in the word "providence."
~ The Hand of the Lord Has Done This ~
"The poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the Lord will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia,
the myrtle and the olive.
I will set pines in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,
so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it."
(Isaiah 41:17-20)
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the Lord will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia,
the myrtle and the olive.
I will set pines in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,
so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it."
(Isaiah 41:17-20)
Monday, April 09, 2018
AC 5433 - Which Affection?
AC 5433 [2]
. . . the affection of gain is an earthly affection,
and the affection of truth is a spiritual affection.
One or the other must have dominion,
for no person can serve two masters.
Therefore where the one affection is,
the other is not;
thus where there is the affection truth,
there is not the affection of gain;
and where there is the affection of gain,
there is not the affection of truth.
Man must therefore be
either in earthly affection or in heavenly affection,
for he cannot be at the same time
with the angels of heaven and with the infernals;
because he would then hang between heaven and hell.
But when he is in
the affection of truth for the sake of truth,
that is, for the sake of the Lord's kingdom,
where the Divine truth is,
thus for the sake of the Lord Himself,
he is then among angels,
nor does he then despise gain
so far as it is useful for his life in the world;
but he has as the end,
not gain, but uses therefrom,
which he looks upon
as mediate ends to the final heavenly end;
thus by no means does he set his heart upon gain.
. . . the affection of gain is an earthly affection,
and the affection of truth is a spiritual affection.
One or the other must have dominion,
for no person can serve two masters.
Therefore where the one affection is,
the other is not;
thus where there is the affection truth,
there is not the affection of gain;
and where there is the affection of gain,
there is not the affection of truth.
Man must therefore be
either in earthly affection or in heavenly affection,
for he cannot be at the same time
with the angels of heaven and with the infernals;
because he would then hang between heaven and hell.
But when he is in
the affection of truth for the sake of truth,
that is, for the sake of the Lord's kingdom,
where the Divine truth is,
thus for the sake of the Lord Himself,
he is then among angels,
nor does he then despise gain
so far as it is useful for his life in the world;
but he has as the end,
not gain, but uses therefrom,
which he looks upon
as mediate ends to the final heavenly end;
thus by no means does he set his heart upon gain.
~ Look At and Read the Scroll of the Lord ~
Look in the scroll of the Lord and read:
None of these will be missing,
not one will lack her mate.
For it is His mouth that has given the order,
and His Spirit will gather them together.
He allots their portions;
His hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
and dwell there from generation to generation.
(Isaiah 34:16-17)
None of these will be missing,
not one will lack her mate.
For it is His mouth that has given the order,
and His Spirit will gather them together.
He allots their portions;
His hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
and dwell there from generation to generation.
(Isaiah 34:16-17)
Sunday, April 08, 2018
AC 5428 - The Glory of Heaven Is the Divine
AC 5428
. . . the glory of heaven
so far surpasses all the magnificence of the world
that the latter can scarcely be compared with it,
and yet that this is not the glory of heaven,
but the glory of heaven is the Divine
that shines forth from everything that appears there,
and is the perception of Divine things,
and the consequent wisdom;
but that this glory is possessed only by those in heaven
who regard the magnificence there as nothing
in comparison with wisdom,
and attribute all wisdom to the Lord
and none at all to themselves . . ..
. . . the glory of heaven
so far surpasses all the magnificence of the world
that the latter can scarcely be compared with it,
and yet that this is not the glory of heaven,
but the glory of heaven is the Divine
that shines forth from everything that appears there,
and is the perception of Divine things,
and the consequent wisdom;
but that this glory is possessed only by those in heaven
who regard the magnificence there as nothing
in comparison with wisdom,
and attribute all wisdom to the Lord
and none at all to themselves . . ..
~ The Deaf Will Hear. The Blind Will See ~
In that day
the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.
Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
(Isaiah 29:18-19)
the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.
Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
(Isaiah 29:18-19)
Saturday, April 07, 2018
AC 5398, 5402 - The Sanctuary of the Word
AC 5398 [2-3]
For a person is so evil
that he cannot to eternity
be fully delivered from even one sin,
but can only by the mercy of the Lord
(if he has received it)
be withheld from sin,
and kept in good.
In what manner therefore
a person receives new life and is regenerated,
is contained in the sanctuary of the Word,
that is, in its internal sense,
chiefly to the end that
when the Word is being read by a person
the angels may thereby
be in their happiness of wisdom,
and also be at the same time
in the delight of serving as means.
AC 5402 [2]
Everyone who is within the church
first procures the truths which are of faith
from doctrinal things,
and also must so procure them,
because he has not yet sufficient strength of judgment
to enable him to see them himself from the Word;
but in this case
these truths are to him
nothing but memory-knowledges.
But when he is able to view them
from his own judgment,
if he then does not consult the Word
in order to see from it whether they are true,
they remain in him as memory-knowledges;
while if he does consult the Word
from the affection and end of knowing truths,
he then, when he has found them,
procures for himself
the things of faith from the genuine fountain,
and they are appropriated to him from the Divine.
For a person is so evil
that he cannot to eternity
be fully delivered from even one sin,
but can only by the mercy of the Lord
(if he has received it)
be withheld from sin,
and kept in good.
In what manner therefore
a person receives new life and is regenerated,
is contained in the sanctuary of the Word,
that is, in its internal sense,
chiefly to the end that
when the Word is being read by a person
the angels may thereby
be in their happiness of wisdom,
and also be at the same time
in the delight of serving as means.
AC 5402 [2]
Everyone who is within the church
first procures the truths which are of faith
from doctrinal things,
and also must so procure them,
because he has not yet sufficient strength of judgment
to enable him to see them himself from the Word;
but in this case
these truths are to him
nothing but memory-knowledges.
But when he is able to view them
from his own judgment,
if he then does not consult the Word
in order to see from it whether they are true,
they remain in him as memory-knowledges;
while if he does consult the Word
from the affection and end of knowing truths,
he then, when he has found them,
procures for himself
the things of faith from the genuine fountain,
and they are appropriated to him from the Divine.
~ Sing ~
In that day --
"Sing about a fruitful vineyard:
I, the Lord, watch over it;
I water it continually.
I guard it day and night
so that no one may harm it.
I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting Me!
I would march against them in battle;
I would set them all on fire.
Or else let them come to Me for refuge;
let them make peace with Me,
yes, let them make peace with Me."
(Isaiah 27:2-5)
"Sing about a fruitful vineyard:
I, the Lord, watch over it;
I water it continually.
I guard it day and night
so that no one may harm it.
I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting Me!
I would march against them in battle;
I would set them all on fire.
Or else let them come to Me for refuge;
let them make peace with Me,
yes, let them make peace with Me."
(Isaiah 27:2-5)
Friday, April 06, 2018
AC 5396 - A Soft, Sweet Angelic Sound
AC 5396
There was a large crowd of spirits around me,
which sounded like a disorderly lot going by.
They were all grumbling,
declaring that everything was now being destroyed;
for no unity at all was apparent among those
who constituted that crowd of spirits,
which made them fear destruction.
They also imagined that they faced total destruction,
such as takes place
when the situation is
as it was with them.
But I detected in the midst of them
a soft, sweet angelic sound,
which was a wholly well-ordered one.
Angelic choirs were present in the middle of them,
while the actual crowd of spirits
in all their disorder were on the outside.
That angelic stream of sound lasted for a long time,
and I was told that it served to represent
the way in which the Lord regulates
confused and disordered outward elements
from a peaceful center within them;
He brings order
into the disordered most outlying elements
by withholding each one
from the error peculiar to it.
There was a large crowd of spirits around me,
which sounded like a disorderly lot going by.
They were all grumbling,
declaring that everything was now being destroyed;
for no unity at all was apparent among those
who constituted that crowd of spirits,
which made them fear destruction.
They also imagined that they faced total destruction,
such as takes place
when the situation is
as it was with them.
But I detected in the midst of them
a soft, sweet angelic sound,
which was a wholly well-ordered one.
Angelic choirs were present in the middle of them,
while the actual crowd of spirits
in all their disorder were on the outside.
That angelic stream of sound lasted for a long time,
and I was told that it served to represent
the way in which the Lord regulates
confused and disordered outward elements
from a peaceful center within them;
He brings order
into the disordered most outlying elements
by withholding each one
from the error peculiar to it.
~ They Will Not Look ~
In that day
men will look to their Maker
and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
They will not look to the altars,
the work of their hands,
and they will have no regard
for the Asherah poles
and the incense altars
their fingers have made.
(Isaiah 17:7-8)
and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
They will not look to the altars,
the work of their hands,
and they will have no regard
for the Asherah poles
and the incense altars
their fingers have made.
(Isaiah 17:7-8)
Thursday, April 05, 2018
AC 5360, 5376 - Understanding Desolation
AC 5360
. . . a famine denotes . . . desolation,
is because celestial and spiritual food
are nothing else than good and truth.
These are what angels and spirits are nourished by,
and what they hunger for when hungry,
and thirst for when thirsty;
and therefore also material food
corresponds thereto --
as bread to celestial love,
and wine to spiritual love,
as well as everything that pertains to bread or food,
and to wine or drink.
When therefore there is a lack of such things,
there is a "famine,"
and in the Word
this is called "desolation" and "vastation" -
"desolation" when truths fail,
and "vastation" when goods fail.
This desolation and vastation is treated of
in many passages of the Word . . ..
AC 5376 [7]
. . . desolation is for the sake of the end
that the person may be regenerated,
that is, that after evils and falsities are separated,
truths may be conjoined with goods,
and goods with truths.
. . . a famine denotes . . . desolation,
is because celestial and spiritual food
are nothing else than good and truth.
These are what angels and spirits are nourished by,
and what they hunger for when hungry,
and thirst for when thirsty;
and therefore also material food
corresponds thereto --
as bread to celestial love,
and wine to spiritual love,
as well as everything that pertains to bread or food,
and to wine or drink.
When therefore there is a lack of such things,
there is a "famine,"
and in the Word
this is called "desolation" and "vastation" -
"desolation" when truths fail,
and "vastation" when goods fail.
This desolation and vastation is treated of
in many passages of the Word . . ..
AC 5376 [7]
. . . desolation is for the sake of the end
that the person may be regenerated,
that is, that after evils and falsities are separated,
truths may be conjoined with goods,
and goods with truths.
~ In That Day ~
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand
as a banner for the peoples;
the nations will rally to Him,
and His place of rest will be glorious.
(Isaiah 11:10)
as a banner for the peoples;
the nations will rally to Him,
and His place of rest will be glorious.
(Isaiah 11:10)
Wednesday, April 04, 2018
AC 5356 - What Temptations Do
AC 5356
Temptations remove
the loves of self and of the world, thus evils;
on the removal of which
the affection of good and truth flows in from the Lord.
Temptations also
give quality to the perception of good and truth,
by means of the opposite things
which evil spirits then infuse;
and it is by perceiving opposites that we get relatives,
from which comes all quality;
for no one knows what is good
without also knowing what is not good,
nor what is true
without knowing what is not true.
Temptations also confirm goods and truths,
for the man then fights against evils and falsities,
and by conquering comes into a stronger affirmative.
Moreover, by means of temptations
evils and falsities are subdued,
so that they no longer venture to rise up;
and in this way
evils with falsities are rejected to the sides,
and there hang, but drooping downward;
while goods with truths are in the midst,
and according to the zeal of affection
are lifted upward,
thus to heaven toward the Lord,
by whom they are lifted up.
Temptations remove
the loves of self and of the world, thus evils;
on the removal of which
the affection of good and truth flows in from the Lord.
Temptations also
give quality to the perception of good and truth,
by means of the opposite things
which evil spirits then infuse;
and it is by perceiving opposites that we get relatives,
from which comes all quality;
for no one knows what is good
without also knowing what is not good,
nor what is true
without knowing what is not true.
Temptations also confirm goods and truths,
for the man then fights against evils and falsities,
and by conquering comes into a stronger affirmative.
Moreover, by means of temptations
evils and falsities are subdued,
so that they no longer venture to rise up;
and in this way
evils with falsities are rejected to the sides,
and there hang, but drooping downward;
while goods with truths are in the midst,
and according to the zeal of affection
are lifted upward,
thus to heaven toward the Lord,
by whom they are lifted up.
~ Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz ~
The Lord said to me,
"Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen:
Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
And I will call in Uriah the priest
and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah
as reliable witnesses for me.
Then I went to the prophetess,
and she conceived and gave birth to a son.
And the Lord said to me,
"Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
Before the boy knows how to say
'My father' or 'My mother,'
the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria
will be carried off by the king of Assyria."
(Isaiah 8:1-4)
"Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen:
Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
And I will call in Uriah the priest
and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah
as reliable witnesses for me.
Then I went to the prophetess,
and she conceived and gave birth to a son.
And the Lord said to me,
"Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
Before the boy knows how to say
'My father' or 'My mother,'
the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria
will be carried off by the king of Assyria."
(Isaiah 8:1-4)
Tuesday, April 03, 2018
AC 5335 - Thirty
AC 5335 [2-3]
. . . as man cannot be regenerated,
that is, be admitted to the spiritual combats
through which regeneration is effected,
until he has received remains to the full,
it was ordained that the Levites
should not do any work in the tent of meeting
until they had completed thirty years . . ..
The like is involved in David's being thirty years old
when he began to reign (2 Sam. 5:4).
From all this it is now plain
why the Lord did not manifest Himself
until He was thirty years of age (Luke 3:23);
for He was then in the fullness of remains.
But the remains the Lord had
He Himself procured for Himself,
and they were of the Divine;
and by means of them
He united the Human essence to the Divine essence,
and made the Human essence Divine.
From Him then it is that "thirty years"
signify a full state as to remains,
and that the priests the Levites
entered upon their functions
when they were thirty years old,
and that David, because he was to represent the Lord
as to the royalty,
did not begin to reign until he was thirty;
for every representative is derived from the Lord,
and therefore every representative looks to the Lord.
. . . as man cannot be regenerated,
that is, be admitted to the spiritual combats
through which regeneration is effected,
until he has received remains to the full,
it was ordained that the Levites
should not do any work in the tent of meeting
until they had completed thirty years . . ..
The like is involved in David's being thirty years old
when he began to reign (2 Sam. 5:4).
From all this it is now plain
why the Lord did not manifest Himself
until He was thirty years of age (Luke 3:23);
for He was then in the fullness of remains.
But the remains the Lord had
He Himself procured for Himself,
and they were of the Divine;
and by means of them
He united the Human essence to the Divine essence,
and made the Human essence Divine.
From Him then it is that "thirty years"
signify a full state as to remains,
and that the priests the Levites
entered upon their functions
when they were thirty years old,
and that David, because he was to represent the Lord
as to the royalty,
did not begin to reign until he was thirty;
for every representative is derived from the Lord,
and therefore every representative looks to the Lord.
~ Woe to Those ~
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.
(Isaiah 5:20-21)
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.
(Isaiah 5:20-21)
Monday, April 02, 2018
AC 5331 - The Lord Made His Human Divine; AC 5332 - The Quality of the Lord
AC 5331
. . . the celestial of the spiritual
is the good of truth in which is the Divine,
or which is immediately from the Divine.
This, namely the celestial of the spiritual
in which is the Divine,
belonged to the Lord alone
when He was in the world,
and was the Human
in which the Divine Itself could be,
and which could be put off
when the Lord made all the Human in Himself
Divine.
AC 5332
. . . the quality the Lord had in the world
cannot be comprehended, even by angels . . ..
. . . the celestial of the spiritual
is the good of truth in which is the Divine,
or which is immediately from the Divine.
This, namely the celestial of the spiritual
in which is the Divine,
belonged to the Lord alone
when He was in the world,
and was the Human
in which the Divine Itself could be,
and which could be put off
when the Lord made all the Human in Himself
Divine.
AC 5332
. . . the quality the Lord had in the world
cannot be comprehended, even by angels . . ..
~ What Is Man? ~
O Lord, what is man that you care for him,
the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow.
Part Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
Sent forth lightning and scatter the enemies;
shoot Your arrows and rout them.
Reach down Your hand from on high;
deliver me and rescue me . . .
I will sing a new song to you, O God;
on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to You,
to the One who gives victory to kings,
who delivers His servant David from the deadly sword.
Then our sons in their youth
will be like well-nurtured plants,
and our daughters will be like pillars
carved to adorn a palace.
Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields;
our oxen will draw heavy loads.
There will be no breaching of walls,
no going into captivity,
nor cry of distress in our streets.
Blessed are the people of whom this is true;
blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.
(Psalm 144:3-7, 9-10, 12-15)
Sunday, April 01, 2018
AC 5319 - Shining Linen Garments; AC 5323 - Holy Fear and Humiliation; AC 5329 - The Angels With Us
AC 5319
And clothed him in garments of fine linen.
(Genesis 41:42)
That "garments of fine linen"
are truths from the Divine,
is because a garment made of fine linen
was of purest white and lustrous;
and truth from the Divine is represented
by garments of such whiteness and luster.
The reason is,
that the shining whiteness and luster of heaven
is from the light that is from the Lord,
and this light is the Divine truth . . ..
AC 5323 [1,2]
. . . all inward endeavors that are of the will,
thus of the love or affection,
consequently of the life,
have outward acts or gestures corresponding to them;
which acts or gestures flow from
the very correspondence of outward things
with inward ones.
Holy fear with its consequent humiliation
(and therefore adoration),
has acts or gestures corresponding to itself,
namely, bending the knees, falling down upon the knees,
and also prostrating the body down to the earth.
In this state,
if the adoration is from genuine humiliation,
or if the humiliation is from genuine holy fear,
there is a failing of the spirits,
and hence a giving way of the joints
in the border or intermediate region
where the spiritual is conjoined with the natural,
thus where the knees are . . ..
Hence it is that the bending of the knees
is a sign representative of adoration.
With celestial men this act is spontaneous;
but with spiritual men it is a result of will.
When the kings of old rode in a chariot,
knees were bent because kings represented
the Lord as to Divine truth,
and a "chariot" signified the Word.
The rite of this adoration began
when it was known what it represented;
and at that time the kings did not ascribe
the adoration to themselves,
but to the royalty apart from themselves,
although adjoined to them.
With them the royalty was the law,
which, being from Divine truth,
was to be adored in the king
insofar as he was the custodian of it.
Thus the king ascribed none of the royalty to himself
beyond the custody of the law;
and insofar as he receded from this,
so far he receded from the royalty,
knowing that adoration
on any other ground than the law, that is,
any other adoration than of the law in itself,
would be idolatry.
AC 5329
. . . because there is a correspondence
of all things in the world with those in heaven,
the angels perceive heavenly things
when man perceives worldly ones.
Unless this were the case
no angel from heaven could possibly be with man.
But in order that angels may be with man,
the Word has been given,
in which the angels may perceive a Divine holiness
which they can communicate to the person
with whom they are present.
And clothed him in garments of fine linen.
(Genesis 41:42)
That "garments of fine linen"
are truths from the Divine,
is because a garment made of fine linen
was of purest white and lustrous;
and truth from the Divine is represented
by garments of such whiteness and luster.
The reason is,
that the shining whiteness and luster of heaven
is from the light that is from the Lord,
and this light is the Divine truth . . ..
AC 5323 [1,2]
. . . all inward endeavors that are of the will,
thus of the love or affection,
consequently of the life,
have outward acts or gestures corresponding to them;
which acts or gestures flow from
the very correspondence of outward things
with inward ones.
Holy fear with its consequent humiliation
(and therefore adoration),
has acts or gestures corresponding to itself,
namely, bending the knees, falling down upon the knees,
and also prostrating the body down to the earth.
In this state,
if the adoration is from genuine humiliation,
or if the humiliation is from genuine holy fear,
there is a failing of the spirits,
and hence a giving way of the joints
in the border or intermediate region
where the spiritual is conjoined with the natural,
thus where the knees are . . ..
Hence it is that the bending of the knees
is a sign representative of adoration.
With celestial men this act is spontaneous;
but with spiritual men it is a result of will.
When the kings of old rode in a chariot,
knees were bent because kings represented
the Lord as to Divine truth,
and a "chariot" signified the Word.
The rite of this adoration began
when it was known what it represented;
and at that time the kings did not ascribe
the adoration to themselves,
but to the royalty apart from themselves,
although adjoined to them.
With them the royalty was the law,
which, being from Divine truth,
was to be adored in the king
insofar as he was the custodian of it.
Thus the king ascribed none of the royalty to himself
beyond the custody of the law;
and insofar as he receded from this,
so far he receded from the royalty,
knowing that adoration
on any other ground than the law, that is,
any other adoration than of the law in itself,
would be idolatry.
AC 5329
. . . because there is a correspondence
of all things in the world with those in heaven,
the angels perceive heavenly things
when man perceives worldly ones.
Unless this were the case
no angel from heaven could possibly be with man.
But in order that angels may be with man,
the Word has been given,
in which the angels may perceive a Divine holiness
which they can communicate to the person
with whom they are present.
~ The Lord Has Chosen Zion ~
We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
"Let us go to His dwelling place;
let us worship at His footstool --
arise, O Lord, and come to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your might.
May Your priests be clothed with righteousness;
may Your saints sing for joy."
For the Lord has chosen Zion,
He has desired it for His dwelling:
"This is My resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned,
for I have desired it --
I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor will I satisfy with food.
I will cloth her priests with salvation,
and her saints will ever sing for joy."
(Psalm 132:6-9, 11-16)
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
"Let us go to His dwelling place;
let us worship at His footstool --
arise, O Lord, and come to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your might.
May Your priests be clothed with righteousness;
may Your saints sing for joy."
For the Lord has chosen Zion,
He has desired it for His dwelling:
"This is My resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned,
for I have desired it --
I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor will I satisfy with food.
I will cloth her priests with salvation,
and her saints will ever sing for joy."
(Psalm 132:6-9, 11-16)
** The First Day of the Week **
After the Sabbath,
at 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)
at 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)
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