AC 10820 - All Those In the Church

AC 10820

All those who are of the church,
and are in light from heaven,
see the Divine in the Lord,
and this in His Human.
But those who are not in light from heaven
see nothing but the Human in the Lord,
when yet the Human and the Divine in Him
are so united that they are one,
as the Lord taught in another passage in John:

Father, all things that are Mine are Thine,
and all things that are Thine are Mine.
(John 17:10). 

~ The Lord is Gracious and Compassionate ~

The Lord Is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all;
He has compassion on all He has made.
All You have made will praise You, O Lord;
Your saints will extol You.
They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom
and speak of Your might,
so that all men may know of Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and Your dominion endures through all generations.

(Psalm 145:8-13)

** The Lord, Our Savior **

BE 57

...without the coming of the Lord into the world,
no mortal could have been saved,
and they are saved who believe in Him,
and live well.

AC 14

In the following work,
by the name Lord
is meant the Savior of the world,
Jesus Christ, and Him only;
and He is called "the Lord"
without the addition of other names.
Throughout the universal heaven
He it is who is acknowledged and adored as Lord,
because He has all sovereign power
in the heavens and on earth.
He also commanded His disciples
to so call Him, saying,

"You call Me Lord, and you say well, for I am."
(John 13:13)

And after His resurrection
His disciples called Him "the Lord."

AC 10795, 10796, 10798 - Priests Must

AC 10795

Priests must not claim for themselves
any power over the souls of men,
because they do not know in what state
are a person's interiors;
and still less must they claim for themselves
the power of opening and closing heaven,
because this power belongs to the Lord alone.

AC 10796

Priests must have dignity and honor
on account of the holy things which they engage in;
but those of them who are wise
give the honor to the Lord,
from whom come all holy things;
and not to themselves.
But those of them who are not wise
attribute the honor to themselves.
These take it away from the Lord.
Those who attribute honor to themselves
on account of the holy things which they engage in,
set honor and profit above the salvation of souls,
which they ought to have regard for.
But those who give the honor to the Lord
and not to themselves,
set the salvation of souls above honor and profit.

AC 10798

Priests must teach the people,
and lead them to the good of life by means of truths.
But they must not compel anyone,
because no one can be compelled to believe
contrary to what he thinks in his heart to be true.
He who believes differently from the priest,
and makes no disturbance,
must be left in peace;
but he who makes a disturbance
must be separated;
for this also belongs to the order
for the sake of which is the priesthood.

** In Bethlehem **

AC 4594 [2-3]

The reason why the Lord was born there
and not elsewhere,
is that He alone was born a spiritual celestial man,
but all others natural,
with the capacity or ability to become
either celestial or spiritual
by regeneration from the Lord.

The reason why the Lord
was born a spiritual celestial man
was that He might make His Human Divine,
and this according to order
from the lowest degree to the highest,
and might thus dispose into order
all things in the heavens and in the hells.
For the spiritual celestial is intermediate between
the natural or external man
and the rational or internal man.

For from the most ancient time
"Ephrath" signified the spiritual of the celestial,
and therefore afterwards
"Bethlehem" had the same signification.

~ A Prayer ~

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evil doers;
let me not eat of their delicacies.

Show me the way I should go,
for to You I lift up my soul.
Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord,
for I hide myself in You.
Teach me to do Your will,
for You are my God;
may Your good spirit lead me on level ground.

(Psalm 141:3-4; 143:8.5-10)

AC 10765 - Living and Acknowledging One God

AC 10765

Those who are outside the Church,
and yet acknowledge one God,
and live according to their religion
in a kind of charity toward the neighbor,
are in communion with those who are of the Church,
because no one is condemned
who believes in God, and lives well.
From this it is evident
that the Lord's Church is everywhere in the whole world,
although specifically
it is where the Lord is acknowledged,
and where the Word is.
 

~ Praise the Lord ~

Praise the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord
who minister by night
in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the Lord.

May the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.

(Psalm 134)
 

** The Lord's Soul Was Jehovah **

AC 2025 [4, 5]

The reason why the Lord so often
attributes to the Father that which is His own
(is because) Jehovah was in Him,
and consequently in everything that was His.

From good, which is Jehovah's,
He united the Divine Essence
to the Human Essence;
and from truth
He united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence;
thus He did all things
both in general and in particular from Himself;
in fact His Human was left to itself,
in order that He might fight of Himself
against all the hells, and overcome them;
and as He had life in Himself that was His own
- as already said -
He overcame them by His own power
and by His own forces,
as is also clearly stated in the Prophets,
in the passages that have been cited.
Consequently, as He acquired all things for Himself
by His own forces,
He became righteousness,
emancipated the world of spirits
from infernal genii and spirits,
and thereby delivered
the human race from destruction -
for the human race is ruled by means of spirits
- and so redeemed it.
For this reason He is so often called
in the Word of the Old Testament
the Deliverer and the Redeemer, and the Savior,
which is the meaning of His name Jesus.

AC 10730, 10731 - A Sabbath of Sabbath, and the Keeping of the Sabbath

AC 10730 [1-2]

And on the seventh day there shall be to you holiness,
a Sabbath of Sabbath to Jehovah.
(Exodus 35:2)

. . . when the Lord was in the world,
He first made His Human Divine truth;
but when He went out from the world,
He made His Human Divine good
through a union with the Divine Itself that was in Him.
In the supreme sense this is represented by the Sabbath,
and therefore it is called
"a Sabbath of Sabbath to Jehovah."
The Lord does the like
with the man whom He is regenerating.
He first imbues him with truths,
and afterward by means of the truths
He conjoins him with good, thus with Himself.
This is represented by the Sabbath
in the relative sense;
for the regeneration of man is an image
of the glorification of the Lord;
that is, as the Lord glorified His Human,
so He regenerates man. 

By the "Sabbath" in its proper sense
is signified rest and peace,
because when the Lord
united His Human to the Divine Itself
He had peace,
for the combats then ceased,
and all things in the heavens and in the hells
had been reduced into order.
And accordingly there was peace not for Him only;
but also for the angels in the heavens,
and for men on earth,
there were peace and salvation. 

AC 10731
Everyone doing work therein shall die.
(Exodus 35:2)

That this signifies spiritual death
for those who are led by themselves and their own loves,
and not by the Lord,
is evident from the signification of
"doing works on the Sabbath day,"
as being to be led by self and one's own loves,
and not by the Lord.

~ Trust in the Lord ~

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
O Lord, hear my voice.
Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness;
therefore You are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in His word I put my hope.

(Psalm 130:1-5)

** The Good the Lord Acquired in the World **

AC 4065

. . . the Lord . . . never took anything
of good and truth from another,
but only from Himself.
Other good that was related to His maternal human
had indeed served Him as a means . . .
but by that mediate good He procured for Himself
those things whereby He made
His natural Divine by His own power.
It is one thing to acquire something from a means,
and another to acquire it by a means.
The Lord acquired good by a means,
because He was born a man,
and derived from the mother an hereditary
which was to be expelled;
but He did not acquire good from a means,
because He was conceived of Jehovah,
from whom He had the Divine;
and He therefore gave Himself
all the goods and truths which He made Divine.
For the Divine Itself has need of none,
not even of that mediate good;
except that He willed
that all things should be done according to order.

AC 10687-10691 - What Makes the Word Holy and Shining

AC 10687

. . . the Word has been written wholly by correspondences,
and consequently is of such a nature
as to conjoin heaven with a person.
For heaven is in the internal sense of the Word;
and the external sense corresponds to the internal sense;
and therefore when the Word is being read by a person,
the angels who are with him perceive it
in the spiritual sense, which is the internal sense;
and the result is an influx of what is holy from the angels,
which effects the conjunction.
It was for this end that a Word of this nature was given.

AC 10691

Be it known that by the shining forth
of the interiors of the Word in the external
is meant the internal sense in the external;
for the internal sense continually shows itself
and shines in the external,
but is noticed by those only who are in internal things;
and it is not perceived by those
who are in that external in which is an internal,
as are those who are called men of the external church;
nevertheless, unknown to them,
it is present, and affects them.
. . . The reason why the internal sense shines,
is that Divine truth is there,
such as there is in the heavens,
and the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord
appears to the angels as light,
and moreover, is the light of heaven.

~ My Help Comes From the Lord ~

I lift up my eyes to the hills --
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip --
He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you --
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm --
He will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

(Psalm 121)
 

** Why the Lord Come Into the World **

DL 3
It will also be stated here, in a few words,
what is treated of in general and in particular
concerning the Lord
in all the Prophets of the Old Testament,
from Isaiah even to Malachi: 


1. The Lord would come into the world
in the fullness of time;
that is, when He was no longer known by the Jews,
and consequently when nothing of the Church remained;
and unless He should then
come into the world and reveal Himself,
mankind would perish in eternal death;
as He Himself says in John, 


If you believe not that I am,
you shall die in your sins.
(John 8:24)


2. The Lord would come into the world
to accomplish a last judgment,
and thereby subjugate the then dominant hells.
This was effected by combats,
that is, by temptations
admitted into His Human from the mother,
and by continual victories then;
and unless the hells should be so subjugated,
no person could possibly be saved. 


3. The Lord would come into the world
to glorify His Human, that is,
to unite it to the Divine
which was in Him from conception. 


4. The Lord would come into the world
to establish a new Church,
which should acknowledge Him
as Redeemer and Savior
and by love and faith towards Him
be redeemed and saved. 


5. He would then also arrange heaven in order,
so that it might make one with the Church. 

6. The passion of the cross
would be the last combat or temptation,
by which He would fully conquer the hells
and fully glorify His Human. 

AC 10675 - The Formation of the Understanding

AC 10675 [1, 2, 3-4]

. . . insofar as evils and the falsities of evil are removed,
so far the truths which are from good are multiplied,
because nothing else than evils and the falsities of evil
obstructs the influx of truths from the Lord
and their multiplication with man;
and therefore insofar as evils and falsities are removed,
so far truths succeed in their place.

This is the case with man's understanding,
whether it consists of the truths which are from good,
or of the falsities which are from evil.
It cannot consist of both together,
for they are opposites.
And it is the understanding of man which receives truths,
and is formed by means of truths;
for whatever is in his understanding bears relation to truth.
From this it is evident
that insofar as the falsities from evil are removed,
so far truths from good may be multiplied.

It is said that it is man's understanding
which receives truths and is formed by means of truths,
because in the proper sense
nothing can be called understanding
but that which is from the truths which are from good.
That which is from the falsities which are from evil
is not understanding;
because intelligence and wisdom
cannot possibly be predicated of falsities from evil,
seeing that falsities from evil
completely destroy intelligence and wisdom,
and bring in insanity and foolishness in their stead;
and therefore man's understanding is never opened
except when the man perceives and loves truths;
and the perception and love of truth are from good.
Consequently it is truths from good
that are the source of the understanding.

He who believes
that any person is possessed of an understanding
who is able to reason in a skillful manner
against the truths of the church,
is very much mistaken;
for such a person sees nothing within himself,
but only outside of himself.
To see within one's self is from heaven;
to see outside of one's self is from the world.
And he who sees only from the world
sees from a deceptive light,
which light becomes mere thick darkness
when light from heaven flows in upon it.

~ Teach Me ~

Teach me, O Lord, to follow Your decrees;
then I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding,
and I will keep Your law
and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of Your commands,
for there I find delight.
Turn my heart toward Your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to Your Word.
Fulfill Your promise to Your servant,
so that You may be feared.
Take away the disgrace I dread,
for Your laws are good.
How I long for Your precepts!
Preserve my life in Your righteousness.

(Psalm 119:33-40)

** The Government Shall Be Upon His Shoulder **

HH 216

As government from good,
which is the kind of government
that exists in the Lord's celestial kingdom,
is called righteousness;
and government from truth,
which is the kind of government
that exists in the Lord's spiritual kingdom,
is called judgment,
so the terms "righteousness and judgment"
are used in the Word
when heaven and the church are treated of,
"righteousness" signifying celestial good,
and "judgment" spiritual good,
which good, as has been said above,
is in its essence truth,
as in the following passages:

Of peace there shall be no end
upon the throne of David and upon His kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it in judgment
and in righteousness
from henceforth and even to eternity.
(Isaiah 9:7)

AC 4934
... the arms signify strength, and the hands power.

AC 4937
By the "shoulder,"
in the Word is also signified all power...

Unto us a Child is born,
and the Government shall be upon His shoulder.
(Isaiah 9:6)

AC 10659 - The Lord Came Into the World

AC 10659 [3]

. . . to those who are in enlightenment
the Lord grants that they shall understand what they believe;
and when they are reading the Word,
those are enlightened and understand it,
who acknowledge the Lord
and love to live according to His commandments;
but not those who say that they believe,
and do not live;
for the Lord flows into the life of man
and from this into his faith,
but not into faith separate from life.
Consequently, those who are enlightened
by the Lord through the Word
understand that the Lord came into the world
in order to subjugate the hells,
and reduce into order
all things there and in the heavens;
and that this could not possibly be done
except by means of the Human;
for from this He could fight against the hells;
but not from the Divine without the Human;
and also that He might glorify His Human
in order that He might thereby forever keep
all things in the order 
into which He had reduced them.
From this comes the salvation of man,
for the hells are round every man,
because everyone is born into evils of every kind,
and where evils are, there are the hells;
and unless these were cast back
by the Divine power of the Lord,
no one could ever have been saved.

~ The Lord Is ~

The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
the Lord protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need,
He saved me.

Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.

How can I repay the Lord
for all His goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all His people.

(Psalm 116:5-7, 12-14)

** The Birth of the Lord **

And it came to pass in those days,
that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus
that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made
when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed,
every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee,
out of the city of Nazareth,
into Judea, unto the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem;
(because he was of the house and lineage of David.)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife,
being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there,
the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son,
and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes,
and laid Him in a manger;
because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not:
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you;
You shall find the Babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men."

And it came to pass,
as the angels were gone away from them into heaven,
the shepherds said one to another,
Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,
and see this thing which is come to pass,
which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found
Mary, and Joseph,
and the Babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it,
they made known abroad the saying
which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things
which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things,
and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God for all the things
that they had heard and seen,
as it was told unto them.

(Luke 2:1-20)

AC 10643, 10644 - Where the Ancients Held Their Worship

AC 10643, 10644

The ancients held their worship chiefly
upon mountains, upon hills, and in groves,
and there they set up pillars.
That they held worship upon mountains
was because mountains signified
the heaven where celestial love reigns,
which is love to the Lord;
that they held it upon hills
was because hills signified
the heaven where spiritual love reigns,
which is love toward the neighbor;
and that they held it in groves
was because groves signified
heavenly wisdom and intelligence.
All these things are from correspondences.
The pillars that were set up there signified Divine truth;
for the pillars were stones,
and a stone signifies truth.
Therefore in respect to Divine truth
the Lord is called in the Word "the Stone of Israel."
From this then it is that "pillars"
signified the worship of the Lord from truths.

That "groves" signify teachings
is because "trees" signify
the perceptions and knowledges of good and truth;
perceptions, with those
who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom;
and knowledges with those
who are in His spiritual kingdom;
and each species of tree signifies
a species of perception and knowledge.
From this it is that "paradises" and "gardens"
signify heavenly intelligence and wisdom;
and "forests," the memory-knowledge of the natural man.
From all this it can be seen
how it is that "groves" signify doctrine,
and how it is that the ancients held holy worship in groves. 

 

~ Not to Us ~

Not to us, O Lord, not to us
but to Your name be the glory
because of Your love and faithfulness.

(Psalm 115:1)

** The Word Became Flesh **

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.

Through Him all things were made;
without Him nothing was made that has been made.
In Him was life,
and that life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness,
but the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God;
his name was John.
He came as a witness to testify concerning that Light,
so that through him all men might believe.
He himself was not the Light;
he came only as a witness to the Light.
The True Light that gives light to every man
was coming into the world.

He was in the world,
and though the world was made through Him,
the world did not recognize Him.
He came to that which was His own,
but His own did not receive Him.
Yet to all who received Him,
to those who believed in His name,
He gave the right to become children of God --
children born not of natural descent,
nor of human decision or a husband's will,
but born of God.

The Word became flesh
and made His dwelling among us.
We have seen His glory,
the glory of the One and Only,
who came from the Father,
full of grace and truth.

(John 1:1-14)

AC 10634 - Divine Order Creates; AC 10638, 10640 - Reading the Word & Enlightenment; AC 10639 - "Molten Gods"

AC 10634 [2]

. . . everything which is from the Divine begins from Himself,
and advances according to order down to the ultimate end,
thus through the heavens down to the world,
and there rests as in its ultimate,
because the ultimate of Divine order
is in the nature of the world.
That which is such is said to be "created."

AC 10638 [2]

It is said that if Moses' people observe
that which Jehovah commands,
He will drive out these nations from their faces,
by which is signified
that if they do the primary precepts
which are of the eternal truth,
evils and falsities will be removed.
These precepts are the things which follow
in the internal sense,
the chief of which are
that they should not acknowledge
any other god than the Lord;
and that from Him is all good and truth;
and also that salvation and eternal life are from Him.
With those who believe these things,
and love it to be so,
all evil and falsity are removed
while they are reading the Word,
because the Lord then enlightens them and leads them.
And then they do not think from themselves,
nor are they affected by the Word from themselves,
but from the Lord;
consequently no evil and falsity of evil enter,
because the Lord removes these.
These are they who understand the Word,
and are affected by the truths from it,
and also love to live according to them.

AC 10640 [2]

The man who wishes to be enlightened by the Lord
must take especial care not to appropriate to himself
any teaching that supports what is evil.
A man appropriates it to himself
when he confirms it with himself,
for he thereby makes it of his faith,
and still more so if he lives according to it.
When this is done,
the evil remains inscribed on his soul and on his heart.
And when this has been done,
he cannot possibly be afterward
enlightened by the Word from the Lord,
for his whole mind is in the faith
and in the love of his principle,
and whatever is contrary to it,
he either does not see,
or else rejects, or falsifies.

AC 10639

"Thou shalt not make for thee molten gods,"
(Exodus 39:17)

signifies the worship of self and not of the Lord.

~ Your Doing, O Lord ~

Help me, O Lord my God;
save me in accordance with Your love.
Let them know that it is Your hand,
that You, O Lord, have done it.
They may curse,
but You will bless;
when they attack
they will be put to shame,
but Your servant will rejoice.

With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
in the great throng I will praise Him.
For He stands at the right hand of the needy one,
to save his live from those who condemn him.

(Psalm 109:26-28, 30-31)

** An Angel Appears to Joseph **

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:
His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph,
but before they came together,
she was found to be with Child through the Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man
and did not want to expose her to public disgrace,
he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this,
an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
and said, "Joseph son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,
because what is conceived in her
is from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son,
and you are to give Him the name Jesus,
because He will save His people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
"The virgin will be with Child
and will give birth to a Son,
and they will call him "Immanuel" - 
which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up,
he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took Mary home as his wife.
But he had no union with her
until she gave birth to a son.
And he gave Him the name Jesus.

(Matthew 1:18-25)

AC 10614 - The Thoughts of Angels and Men When Reading the Word; AC 10618 - Anger

AC 10614 [2, 3]

In the Word there is an external sense,
there is an internal sense,
and there is an inmost sense.
The Word in the external sense
is such as it appears in the letter;
this sense is natural,
because it has been accommodated to
the apprehension of men, for men think naturally.
But the Word in the internal sense is spiritual,
because it has been accommodated to
the understanding of the angels
in the Lord's spiritual kingdom,
for these angels think spiritually.
And the Word in the inmost sense is celestial,
because it has been accommodated to
the perception of the angels
in the Lord's celestial kingdom,
for the angels in this kingdom think super-spiritually.
The Word being of this nature,
it follows that one thing is in another
in the like order;
the inmost in the internal,
and the internal in the external.
From this there is a connection of all things,
and an influx according to the connection,
and a consequent subsistence
of one thing from another.

When therefore a man is of such a character
that he perceives within himself
a holiness in the externals
of the Word, of the church, and of worship,
he has an external in which is an internal,
for this holiness is from the internal,
because it is from heaven.
This is the external which Moses here represents.
But when a man is of such a character
that he does not perceive
any internal holiness in the external
of the Word, of the church, and of worship,
he then has an external separate from the internal.
In this external was the Israelitish nation.

AC 10618 [2]

As regards anger,
be it known further that evil becomes angry,
and good never,
for the reason that to be angry is to will evil to another,
which good cannot do,
for good consists in willing the good of another.
All evil has within it
enmity, hatred, revenge, and cruelty;
in these and from these evil has its delight.
Moreover, evil hates good,
because good is opposed to its delights.
Consequently when evil cannot injure good,
which it is always in the endeavor to do,
it is first indignant,
and afterward is angry.
Whether you say evil, or an evil man, it is the same,
for evil is in man as in its subject.
And as such is the nature of evil against good,
such it is against the Divine,
for all good is the Divine with man,
because it is from the Divine.
From this it is that an evil man
is always angry against the Divine,
although outwardly he speaks differently before men.

~ Blessed Are They ~

Blessed are they who maintain justice,
who constantly do what is right.

(Psalm 106:3)

** For to Us a Child Is Born **

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom
for those who were in distress.
In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali,
but in the future He will honor Galilee of the Gentiles,
by the way of the sea, along the Jordan --

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before You
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a Child is born,
to us a Son is given,
and the government will be on His shoulders.
And He will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

(Isaiah 9:1-7)

AC 10603 - Must Be From the Word; AC 10608 - Mount Horeb, Mount Sinai

AC 10603

. . . all the truth that is of faith
and the good that is of love,
which make the church and also worship,
must be from the Word . . ..

AC 10608

. . .  the signification of "the mountain,"
here Mount Horeb,
as being heaven in the whole complex,
thus also Divine truth;
for whether you say heaven, or Divine truth,
it is the same,
because the angels, of whom heaven consists,
are receptions of Divine truth.
The whole extension of that mountain was called "Horeb,"
and the more elevated mountain in the midst of it
was called "Mount Sinai."
Consequently by "Horeb" is signified heaven,
or what is the same, Divine truth, in the whole complex;
its internal by "Mount Sinai,"
and its external by the mountainous part round about. 

 

~ The Lord Works Righteousness and Justice ~

The Lord works righteousness and justice
for all the oppressed.

He made known His ways to Moses,
His deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger,
abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will He harbor His anger forever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His love for those who fear Him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him;
for He knows how we are formed,
He remembers that we are dust.

As for man,
his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord's love is with those who fear Him,
and His righteousness with their children's children --
with those who keep His covenant
and remember to obey His precepts.

(Psalm 103: 6-18)
 

** The Sign of Immanuel **

Moreover the Lord spoke again unto Ahaz, saying,
ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God;
ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

But Ahaz said, I will not ask,
neither will I tempt the Lord.
And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David;
Is it a small thing for you to weary men,
but will ye weary my God also?

Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call His name Immanuel.
Butter and honey shall He eat,
that he may know to refuse the evil,
and choose the good.

For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil,
and choose the good,
the land that thou abhorrest
shall be forsaken of both her kings.
(Isaiah 7:10-16)

AC 2184

That "butter" is the celestial of the rational . . ..
As regards butter,
it signifies in the Word what is celestial,
and this from its fatness.

AC 5620

That "honey" denotes delight is because it is sweet,
and everything sweet in the natural world
corresponds to what is delightful and pleasant
in the spiritual world. 

 

AC 10591, 10593 - Man Has Been So Created

AC 10591, 10593

Man has been so created
that he cannot die in respect to his Internal,
because he is able to believe in God
and also to love God,
and thus to be conjoined with God in faith and love;
and to be conjoined with God is to live forever.

The external which man carries about in the world
has been accommodated to uses in the world.
This external is what is laid aside when the man dies;
but the external which has been accommodated
to uses in the other life does not die.
This latter external together with the internal
is called a "spirit;"
a good spirit and an angel
if the man had been good in the world;
and an evil spirit if he had been evil.

~ Shout For Joy Before the Lord, the King ~

Shout for joy to the Lord,
all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn --
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

Let the sea resound,
and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord,
for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

(Psalm 98:4-9)
 

** The Birth of John the Baptist **

Now Elisabeth's full time came
that she should be delivered;
and she brought forth a son.
And her neighbors and her cousins heard
how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her;
and they rejoiced with her.

And it came to pass,
that on the eighth day
they came to circumcise the child;
and they called him Zacharias,
after the name of his father.
And his mother answered and said,
Not so; but he shall be called John.

And they said unto her,
There is none of thy kindred
that is called by this name.
And they made signs to his father,
how he would have him called.

And he asked for a writing table,
and wrote, saying,
His name is John.
And they marvelled all.
And his mouth was opened immediately,
and his tongue loosed, and he spake,
and praised God.

And fear came on all that dwelt round about them:
and all these sayings were noised abroad
throughout all the hill country of Judea.
And all they that heard them
laid them up in their hearts, saying,
What manner of child shall this be!
And the hand of the Lord was with him.

And his father Zacharias
was filled with the Holy Ghost,
and prophesied, saying,
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
for He hath visited and redeemed His people,

And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David;
As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets,
which have been since the world began:

That we should be saved from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
and to remember His holy covenant.

The oath which He swore to our father Abraham,
That He would grant unto us,
that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies
might serve Him without fear.

In holiness and righteousness before Him,
all the days of our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called
the prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord
to prepare His ways.

To give knowledge of salvation unto His people
by the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God;
whereby the dayspring from on high has visited us,
To give light to them
that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit,
and was in the deserts
till the day of his showing unto Israel.

(Luke 1:57-80)

AC 10577 - Showing Grace, Showing Mercy; AC 10579 - "The Face of Jehovah"

AC 10577 [2]
 
That "to show grace"
denotes to endow with spiritual truth and good,
and "to show mercy"
to endow with celestial truth and good
is because "grace" is predicated of faith,
and "mercy" of love;
and the good of faith is spiritual good,
and the good of love is celestial good.

Therefore will Jehovah wait
to show grace unto you,
and therefore will He exalt Himself
to have mercy upon you.
(Isaiah 30:18)

AC 10579 [7, 8-9]

It was said above that by "the faces of Jehovah"
are signified the interior Divine things of the Word,
of the church, and of worship.
The reason is that the interior Divine things
of the Word, of the church, and of worship
are the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord,
thus are the Lord in heaven.
This is signified by the "face of Jehovah,"
where it is mentioned in the Word, as in these passages:

See that ye despise not one of these little ones;
for I say unto you,
that their angels in the heavens
do always see the face of My Father
who is in the heavens.
(Matthew 18:10)

The throne of God and of the Lamb
shall be in the holy Jerusalem;
and His servants shall minister to Him.
And they shall see His faces.
(Revelation 22:3, 4)

Jehovah shall make His faces to shine upon thee,
and shall have pity on thee;
Jehovah shall lift up His faces upon thee,
and shall give thee peace.
(Numbers 6:25, 26)

Everyone can comprehend what is here meant
by "the faces of Jehovah," namely, the Divine,
and whatever belongs to the Divine,
thus mercy, peace, and all good;
but in the universal sense the Divine truth,
because all good is in the Divine truth.
Both with man and with angel
the Divine good is in the Divine truth,
and without the latter there is not the former;
for truth is the recipient of good,
thus also of mercy and peace.
From this then it follows
that where Divine good is not in Divine truth,
there the face of Jehovah is not;
and it also follows
that where there is evil in falsity,
the Divine does not appear.
This is meant by Jehovah
"hiding and turning away His faces"
in the following passages:

Your sins have hidden the faces of Jehovah from you.
(Isaiah 59:2)

For their wickedness I have hid My faces from this city.
(Jeremiah 33:5)

Jehovah will hide His faces from them,
according as they have rendered in their works evil.
(Micah 3:4)

But be it known that Jehovah, that is, the Lord,
never turns away His faces from man;
but that the man who is in evil
turns away his face from the Lord.
And as the Divine is then behind him,
it appears as if this hides or turns itself away.
Moreover, it is an actual fact
that all infernal spirits turn their backs to the Lord as a sun,
whereas the angels always turn their faces to Him.
It is the same with a man,
in respect to his spirit,
during his life in the world.

 

~ Sing and Rejoice! ~

Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise His name;
proclaim His salvation day after day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord
and most worthy of praise;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him;
strength and glory are in His sanctuary.

Let the heavens rejoice,
let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound,
and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant,
and everything in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
they will sing before the Lord,
for He comes,
He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in His truth.

(Psalm 96:1-6, 11-13)

** Mary Visits Elizabeth **

And Mary arose in those days,
and went into the hill country with haste,
into a city of Judah;
And entered into the house of Zacharias,
and saluted Elisabeth.

  And it came to pass, that,
when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary,
the babe leaped in her womb;
and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit:
And she spake out with a loud voice, and said,
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And why am I so favored,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation
sounded in mine ears,
the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

And blessed is she that believed:
for there shall be a performance of those things
which were told her from the Lord. 

MARY'S SONG


And Mary said,
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior,
for He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
for, behold, from henceforth
all generations shall call me blessed.
For He that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is His name.
And His mercy is on them that fear Him
from generation to generation. 

He hath shewed strength with His arm;
He hath scattered the proud
in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats,
and exalted them of low degree. 

He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He hath sent empty away.
He hath helped His servant Israel,
in remembrance of His mercy;
as He spake to our fathers,
to Abraham, and to His seed for ever.

And Mary abode with her about three months,
and returned to her own house. 


(Luke 1:39-56)

AC 10568 - The Land of Canaan; AC 10570 - 'On the Face of the Ground'; AC 10574 - 'Jehovah's Glory'

AC 10568

The reason why being led into the land of Canaan
means the establishment of the Church
is that by the land of Canaan in the Word
those in heaven understand nothing at all
other than the Church.
They perceive everything in the Word on a spiritual level;
consequently when any land is mentioned
they think of the kinds of things constituting the Church
that exist in that land or among the nation inhabiting it.
Angels in heaven cannot keep their mind focused
on the idea of a land
because that idea is a material one,
nor on the idea of any nation
since this idea too is material;
therefore a spiritual idea
is what immediately presents itself to them,
an idea that has something to do with the Church.
In general a spiritual idea has to do with the Lord,
His kingdom, heaven, the Church,
love to the Lord and faith in Him,
and countless aspects of faith and love,
thus of the Church.
And if you are willing to believe it,
it is impossible for any material idea to enter heaven;
it is cast off at the gateway of heaven.
This is how it is with every single thing in the Word.
So it is then that being led into the land of Canaan
means the establishment of the Church,
and not being led in,
implied in the present verse,
its not being established. 

AC 10570 [4]

By the words 'on the face of the ground'
wherever the Church exists should be understood;
for 'the ground' has the same meaning as 'the earth',
namely the Church.
But 'the ground' means the Church
for the same reason as 'the field' does,
that is, because it receives various kinds of seeds,
which then grow into plants and bear fruit,
by which the truths 
and forms of the good of faith and love
are meant.
For the human being is a recipient of these
just as the ground is of seeds.
The earth is called a Church however
on account of the people inhabiting it,
with whom the Church exists.
But since the ground implies
that which extends spatially
just as the earth or the land does,
translators use the word 'earth' instead of 'ground'.
Here they say 'on the face of the earth'
instead of 'on the face of the ground',
as they do in other places.
And yet in the original language
the term that denotes the ground
is derived from an entirely different root from the one
that the term denoting the earth springs from. 

AC 10574 [4-5]

The reason why 'Jehovah's glory'
means the inner substance
of the Word, the Church, and worship
is that Divine Truth emanating from the Lord,
as it exists in heaven,
constitutes Jehovah's glory;
for Divine Truth emanating from the Lord
is seen there as light.
The Lord's appearance within that light
is what is meant in the truest sense by 'Jehovah's glory';
and by the Lord's appearance
one should understand all the things there
which come from the Lord,
which are countless
and are referred to by
the general terms 'celestial' and 'spiritual'.
The reason why the inner substance
of the Word, the Church, and worship
is meant by 'Jehovah's glory' is that it dwells in that light.
The outward form however
dwells in the light of the world,
which is why that outward form
is meant in the Word by 'the cloud'.
From this it is evident
that the internal sense of the Word is 'the glory'. 

From all this it may now become clear
what is meant in the following places
by 'the glory of Jehovah' and by His 'light', as in Isaiah, 
 
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of Jehovah has risen upon you.
Behold, darkness is covering the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples.
But Jehovah will arise upon You,
and His glory will be seen over You.
Nations will walk to Your light,
and kings to the brightness of Your rising.
Your sun will no longer go down
and Your moon will not be withdrawn,
for Jehovah will be to You an everlasting light.
(Isaiah 60:1-3,20)

This refers to the Lord's Coming.
'Light' here means the Divine Truth emanating from the Lord,
and 'His glory' and 'the brightness of His rising'
mean everything visible in that light
which has regard to the Lord,
and to faith in Him and love to Him.
'The darkness' and 'the thick darkness'
which are 'covering the earth and the peoples'
mean the dimness of faith and love,
for these words are used
of the Church to be established among the gentiles.
From this it follows
that the light and glory which will arise and be seen,
and to which nations and kings will walk,
means Divine Truths regarding the Lord,
and regarding faith in Him and love to Him,
which are derived from Him.  

~ The Heavens Praise Your Wonders, O Lord ~

The heavens praise Your wonders, O Lord,
Your faithfulness too,
in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies above
can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
In the council of the holy ones
God is greatly feared;
He is more awesome than all who surround Him.
O Lord God Almighty, who is like You?
You are mighty, O Lord,
and Your faithfulness surrounds You.

Righteousness and justice
are the foundation of Your throne;
love and faithfulness go before You.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You,
who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.
They rejoice in Your name all day long;
they exult in Your righteousness.
For You are their glory and strength,
and by Your favor You exalt over him.
Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.

(Psalm 89:5-8, 14-18)
 

** An Angel Appears to Mary **

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel
was sent from God unto a city of Galilee,
named Nazareth,
to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David;
and the virgin's name was Mary.

  And the angel came in unto her, and said,
Hail, thou that art highly favored,
the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him,
she was troubled at his saying,
and cast in her mind
what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her,
Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb,
and bring forth a son,
and shalt call His name JESUS.

He shall be great,
and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give unto Him
the throne of His father David:
And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever;
and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

Then said Mary unto the angel,
How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her,
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,
and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:
therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee
shall be called the Son of God.

And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth,
she has also conceived a son in her old age:
and this is the sixth month with her,
who was called barren.
For with God nothing shall be impossible.

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord;
be it unto me according to thy word.
And the angel departed from her. 


(Luke 1:26-38)

AC 10559 -The Land of Canaan

AC 10559 [3]

. . . to be brought by Jehovah into the land of Canaan
denotes to become the church.
The reason of this is
that the church had been in the land of Canaan
from the most ancient times,
and that the Word could not have been written elsewhere,
thus except with the nation which possessed that land;
and where the Word is,
there is the church.
That the Word could not have been written anywhere else
was because all the places
that were in the whole of that land,
and that were round about it,
such as the mountains, the valleys,
the rivers, the forests, and all the rest,
had become representative of celestial and spiritual things;
and it was necessary that the sense of the letter of the Word,
in both the historical and the prophetical parts,
should consist of such things,
because the interior things of the Word,
which are celestial and spiritual,
must close in such things,
and as it were stand on them
like a house upon its foundation;
for unless the Word in respect to the sense of the letter,
which is its ultimate,
stood upon such things,
it would be like a house without a foundation.
That this is so is evident from the Word,
in that mention is so often made of the places of that land,
all of which, having become representative,
signify the things of heaven and of the church.

~ Blessed Is the Man Who Trusts in the Lord ~

How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young --
a place near Your altar, O Lord Almighty,
my Kings, and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
they are ever praising You.
Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah
Look upon our shield, O God;
look with favor on Your anointed one.

Better is one day in Your courts
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does He withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

O Lord Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in You.

(Psalm 84)

** An Angel Appears to Zacharias **

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea,
a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia:
and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elisabeth.
And they were both righteous before God,
walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
And they had no child, 
because that Elisabeth was barren,
and they both were now well stricken in years.
And it came to pass,
that while he executed the priest's office
before God in the order of his course,
According to the custom of the priest's office,
his lot was to burn incense
when he went into the temple of the Lord.
And the whole multitude of the people
were praying without at the time of incense.
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord
standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled,
and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said unto him,
Fear not, Zacharias:
for thy prayer is heard;
and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son,
and thou shalt call his name John.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness;
and many shall rejoice at his birth.
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,
and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink;
and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost,
even from his mother's womb.
And many of the children of Israel
shall he turn to the Lord their God.
And he shall go before Him
in the spirit and power of Elias,
to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just;
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

And Zacharias said unto the angel,
Whereby shall I know this?
for I am an old man,
and my wife well stricken in years.

And the angel answering said unto him,
I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God;
and am sent to speak unto thee,
and to shew thee these glad tidings.
And, behold,
thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak,
until the day that these things shall be performed,
because thou believest not my words,
which shall be fulfilled in their season.

And the people waited for Zacharias,
and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
And when he came out,
he could not speak unto them:
and they perceived
that he had seen a vision in the temple:
for he beckoned unto them,
and remained speechless.

And it came to pass, that, as soon
as the days of his ministration were accomplished,
he departed to his own house.
And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived,
and hid herself five months, saying,
Thus hath the Lord dealt with me
in the days wherein he looked on me,
to take away my reproach among men.

(Luke 1:5-25)

AC 10551 - Enlightenment

AC 10551 [2, 5]

Those who
when reading the Word
are in enlightenment,
see it from within,
for their internal is open,
and when the internal is open
it is in the light of heaven.
This light flows in and enlightens,
although the man is unaware of it.
The reason why he is unaware of it,
is that this light flows into the knowledges
that are in the man's memory,
and these knowledges are in natural light.
And as the man thinks from these knowledges
as from himself,
he cannot perceive the influx,
nevertheless from various indications
he is able to know that he has been in enlightenment.
But yet everyone is deceived
who believes himself to be in enlightenment,
unless he loves to know truth for the sake of truth
and for the sake of the good of life,
thus unless he loves Divine truth for the sake of life,
because to live according to Divine truths from the Word
is to love the Lord,
and all enlightenment comes from the Lord
when He is loved. 

It shall also be briefly stated how the influx
from which comes enlightenment is effected.
Equally with men,
the angels also perceive the Word when it is read;
but the angels perceive it spiritually,
and men perceive it naturally.
The man whose internal is open
also perceives the Word spiritually;
but while he lives in the world
he is unaware of this,
because his spiritual thought flows into
the natural thought in the external man,
and there presents itself to view.
Nevertheless it is this interior thought which enlightens,
and by means of which
the influx from the Lord is effected.

~ He Promises Peace to His People ~

I will listen to what God the Lord will say;
He promises peace to His people, His saints --
but let them not return to folly.
Surely His salvation is near those who fear Him,
that His glory may dwell in our land.

Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
the Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
Righteousness goes before Him
and prepares the way for His steps.

(Psalm 85:8-13)

** The Genealogy in Matthew **

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.
 
Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob;
and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
and Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar;
and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
and Aram begat Aminadab;
and Aminadab begat Naasson;
and Naasson begat Salmon;
and Salmon begat Booz of Rachab;
and Booz begat Obed of Ruth;
and Obed begat Jesse;
and Jesse begat David the king.

And David the king begat Solomon
of her that had been the wife of Urias;
and Solomon begat Roboam;
and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa,
and Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram;
and Joram begat Ozias; and Ozias begat Joatham;
and Joatham begat Achaz;
and Achaz begat Ezekias;
and Ezekias begat Manasses;
and Manasses begat Amon;
and Amon begat Josias;
and Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren,
about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

And after they were brought to Babylon,
Jechonias begat Salathiel;
and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
and Zorobabel begat Abiud;
and Abiud begat Eliakim;
and Eliakim begat Azor;
and Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim;
and Achim begat Eliud; and Eliud begat Eleazar;
and Eleazar begat Matthan;
and Matthan begat Jacob;
and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.


So all the generations
from Abraham to David are fourteen generations;
and from David until the carrying away into Babylon
are fourteen generations;
and from the carrying away into Babylon
unto Christ are fourteen generations. 
(Matthew 1:1-17)

AC 10528, 10539 - Angels

AC 10528

And I will send an angel before thee.
(Exodus 33:2)

That this signifies the Divine of the Lord
from which is the church and its worship,
is evident from the signification of "an angel,"
as being in the supreme sense
the Lord as to the Divine Human,
and in the relative sense
the Divine of the Lord in heaven with the angels,
as also in the church with men;
and from the signification of "sending before thee,"
as being to prepare.
From this it follows that "an angel"
also signifies the Divine of the Lord
with the men who receive it;
for men who are in
the good of love and in the truths of faith
in the Lord from the Lord,
after death become angels;
and those who do so are angels inwardly
even while they live in the world.

AC 10539

. . . in the other life, where all, both angels and spirits,
appear clothed in garments,
and each one according to his truths.
They who are in genuine Divine truths
appear clothed in white shining garments,
and others in other garments.
Spirits do not know from where their garments come,
but are clothed with them without knowing this.
Moreover, their garments vary
according to the changes of their state
in respect to truths.
In a word, it is their understanding
which is presented to view
and represented by their garments,
for each person's understanding
is formed by means of truths,
and becomes such as are the truths
from which it is formed.
With the angels of heaven
their understanding is in their internal,
and consequently they have white shining garments.
The shining is from Divine good,
and the whiteness is from the light of heaven,
which is Divine truth.

~ Help Us, O God Our Savior ~

Help us, O God our Savior,
for the glory of Your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins.

(Psalm 79:9)

** An Oracle of Balaam **

And he took up his parable, and said,
Balaam the son of Beor has said,
and the man whose eyes are open has said:
He has said, which heard the words of God,
and knew the knowledge of the most High,
which saw the vision of the Almighty,
falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
I shall see Him, but not now:
I shall behold Him, but not nigh:
there shall come a Star out of Jacob,
and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
and shall smite the corners of Moab,
and destroy all the children of Sheth.
And Edom shall be a possession,
Seir also shall be a possession for His enemies;
and Israel shall do valiantly.
Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion,
and shall destroy Him that remains of the city.
(Numbers 24:15-19)
AC 3322 [3]
…treats of the coming of the Lord into the world,
whose Human Essence is called a "star out of Jacob,"
and a "scepter out of Israel".
AC 4240 [2]

Everyone can see that in these passages
"Seir" signifies something of the Lord,
for it is said that Jehovah "arose from Seir," … .
To "arise," and to "go forth out of Seir"
denote that He made even His natural Divine,
in order that from this also there might be light,
that is, intelligence and wisdom;
and that in this way He might become Jehovah,
not only as to His Human Rational,
but also as to His Human Natural;
and therefore it is said, "Jehovah arose from Seir,"
and "Jehovah went forth out of Seir."

AC 10519-10522 - The Holy Supper

AC 10519-10522

The Holy Supper was instituted by the Lord
in order that by means of it
there may be a conjunction of the church with heaven,
thus with the Lord.
It is therefore the most holy thing of the church.

But in what manner
conjunction is effected by means of it,
is not apprehended by those
who do not know anything
of the internal or spiritual sense of the Word;
for they do not think beyond its external sense,
which is the sense of the letter.
From the internal or spiritual sense of the Word
it is known what is signified
by the "body" and the "blood,"
and what by the "bread" and the "wine,"
and also what by "eating."

In this sense the Lord's "body" or "flesh"
denotes the good of love,
in like manner the "bread;"
and the Lord's "blood" denotes the good of faith,
in like manner the "wine;" and "eating"
denotes appropriation and conjunction.
The angels who are with a man
when he comes to the sacrament of the Supper
perceive these things no otherwise;
for they apprehend all things spiritually.
From this it is
that there then flows in from the angels to the man,
thus through heaven from the Lord,
a holy feeling of love and of faith.
From this comes the conjunction.

From all this it is evident
that when a man takes the bread, which is the body,
he is conjoined with the Lord
through the good of love to Him from Him;
and when he takes the wine, which is the blood,
he is conjoined with the Lord
through the good of faith to Him from Him.
But be it known
that conjunction with the Lord
through the sacrament of the Supper
is effected solely with those
who are in the good of love and of faith
to the Lord from the Lord.
The Holy Supper is the seal of this conjunction.

~ We Give Thanks to You, O God ~

We give thanks to You, O God,
we give thanks, for Your Name is near;
men tell of Your wonderful deeds.

You say, "I choose the appointed time;
it is I who judge uprightly.
When the earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm
Selah
To the arrogant I say, "Boast no more,"
and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horns.
Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak with outstretched neck.

As for me, I will declare this forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

(Psalm 75:1-5, 9-10)
 

** Behold He Comes **

Behold I send My angel
who shall prepare the way before Me;
and the Lord whom ye seek
shall suddenly come to His temple,
even the Angel of the covenant whom you desire;
behold He comes
but who may abide the day of His coming?
Then shall the meat-offering
of Judah and of Jerusalem
be pleasant unto Jehovah,
as in the days of old,
and as in former years.
(Malachi 3:1-4)

AC 3881 [8]

. . . where the subject treated of
is clearly the Lord's advent.
It is known that the meat-offering
of Judah and Jerusalem was not then pleasant;
but that worship from love was pleasant,
which is the "meat-offering of Judah;"
and worship from faith derived from love,
which is the "meat-offering of Jerusalem."