AE 866 - Falsity is Contrary to the Divine Truth

AE 866

For the Lord is Divine truth united to Divine good;
and all who are in the Lord,
who are those who acknowledge His Divine Human
and do His commandments,
are in the Divine truth and in the Divine good;
and as thinking falsities is contrary to the Divine truth,
and wishing to persuade to them
is contrary to the Divine good,
such are averse to so doing.

~ I Will Sing Praise to My God ~

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs,
they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them --   
the Lord, who remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever,
you God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

(Psalm 146)

** 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."

AE 865 - "Firstfruits to God"

  AE 865 [5]

. . . "firstfruits to God and to the Lamb"
mean those who will be of the New Church
which is called "the New Jerusalem,"
 who acknowledge the Lord's Divine Human
and live a life of love, that is,
a life according to the Lord's commandments in the Word.
In such and in no others is the spiritual mind opened;
therefore no others are led by the Lord,
or "follow Him whithersoever He goeth."
That "God and the Lamb" means in Revelation
the Lord as to the Divine Itself . . ..

~ Set a Guard ~

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.

(Psalm 141:3)

** 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.

AE 863 - What Proceeds From the Lord; AE 864 - Following the Lord in Freedom

 AC 863

. . . that which proceeds from the Lord is the Lord;
consequently he that receives truth from spiritual love
because it is truth
receives the Lord.

AE 864 [1, 4, 5]

For the Lord draws after Him the person
who from freedom wills to follow;
but He can draw no one
who does not will to follow Him.
For the Lord so operates with a person
that a person may follow Him as if of himself;
thus does the Lord flow into a person's freedom;
and this He does
for the sake of the reception and implantation
of truth and good with a person
and consequent reformation and regeneration.

. . . "to follow the Lord"
means to acknowledge His Divine
and to obey Him . . ..

. . . when a person turns away from evils
he is led by the Lord;
for he does the Lord's commandments,
not from self but from the Lord.

~ The Lord Has Chosen Zion ~

 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 provision;
her poor will I satisfy with food.
I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her saints will ever sing for joy.

(Psalm 132:13-16)

** 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.

AE 859 - The Lord Flows into the Life of Everyone

 AE 859 [2]

For the Lord flows into the life of every one;
and the life of heaven is from love or charity,
that is from good;
and the quality of love or charity is formed by truths.
From this, then, is a person's life;
and therefore no other life receives influx
out of heaven from the Lord,
and thus acknowledges and confesses the Lord in heart,
than the life of faith from charity
or the life of truth from good.

~ Trust In the Lord ~

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds His people
both now and forevermore.

(Psalm 125)

** 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.

AE 852 - "Father", "Son", "Holy Spirit"

 AE 852 [2]

. . . in the Word of the New Testament,
where "Father," "son," and "Holy Spirit,"
are mentioned as three;
and yet by these three names one only is meant;
for "Father" means the Lord as to the Divine Itself
which He had as the soul from the Father;
"the Son" means the Divine Human;
and "the Holy Spirit" the Divine proceeding;
thus the three are one . . ..

~ 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 **

Divine Love  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.

AE 850 - The Presence of the Lord

 AE 850

The presence of the Lord is perpetual
in the whole heaven and in the whole church;
for heaven is not heaven
from what is the angels' own [proprium] in it,
nor is the church a church
from what is men's own [proprium] in it,
but from the Divine of the Lord with them.
For an angel's own [proprium] cannot make heaven,
nor a man's own [proprium] the church,
since the own [proprium],
both of angels and of men, is not good.
Consequently it is the Divine
that goes forth from the Lord,
as received by them,
that makes heaven and the church in particular
with each one,
and thus makes heaven and the church in general
in all in whom heaven and the church exist.
Thence it is evident
that the presence of the Lord is perpetual
with all who are in heaven and in the church;
but it is a presence that is
peaceful, tranquil, preserving, and sustaining,
by which all things in the heavens and on the earth
are held constantly in their order and connection,
or are reduced to that order; so, too, in the hells.

~ The Lord ~

The Lord is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.

(Psalm 118:14)

You are my portion, O Lord;
I have promised to obey Your words.
I have sought Your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to Your promise.
I have considered my ways
and have turned my steps to Your statutes.
I will hasten and not delay to obey Your commands.
Though the wicked bind me with ropes,
I will not forget Your law.
At midnight I rise to give You thanks
for Your righteous laws.
I am a friend to all who fear You,
to all who follow Your precepts.
The earth is filled with Your love, O Lord;
teach me Your decrees.

(Psalm 119:57-64 - Heth)

** 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)

** 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)

AE 848 - And I Saw a Lamb

 AE 848

And I saw,
and behold a Lamb standing on the Mount Zion,
and with Him a hundred forty-four thousand
having the name of His Father
written upon their foreheads.
(Revelation 14:1)

"And I saw,"
signifies a manifestation respecting the future separation
of the good from the evil before the Last Judgment;
"and behold a Lamb standing on the Mount Zion,"
signifies the presence of the Lord
in heaven and in the church
for separating the good from the evil
and for executing judgment;
"and with Him a hundred forty-four thousand,"
signifies according to truths in the whole complex;
"having the name of His Father
written upon their foreheads,"
signifies these according to
the acknowledgment of His Divine, from love.

signifes = means

~ To the Lord Belongs Eternal Praise ~

Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are His deeds,
and His righteousness endures forever.

He has caused His wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear Him;
He remembers His covenant forever.
He has shown His people the power of His works,
giving them the lands of other nations.

The works of His hands are faithful and just;
all His precepts are trustworthy.
They are steadfast for ever and ever,
done in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for His people;
He ordained His covenant forever --
Holy and awesome is His name.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow His precepts have good understanding.
To Him belongs eternal praise.

(Psalm 111)

** In the Beginning **

 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)

AE 846 - The Dangers of Thinking From Natural Light

 AE 846 [3]

. . . the Lord wishes a person
both to know the truths of His church
and also to understand them;
not, however,
from natural light separated from spiritual light;
for natural light separated from spiritual light,
in the things of heaven or in spiritual matters,
is not light but thick darkness.
For a person,
from natural light separated from spiritual light,
views the things of the church from self
and not from the Lord,
and consequently
he can see them only from appearances and fallacies;
and to see them from these is to see falsities for truths,
and evils for goods.
The fire that propagates and enkindles that light
is the love of self
and the consequent pride of self-intelligence.
Man who thinks from that fire and that light
so far as he excels in genius
and thence in the ability to confirm whatever he pleases,
so far he is able to so confirm falsities and evils
as to make them appear to be truths and goods,
and can even set forth falsities and evils
in a resplendent natural light, which is, nevertheless,
a delusive light that has been thus exalted by art.
But to apprehend church matters by this light
is not to understand them,
but rather to not understand them,
since by that light alone a person sees truths as falsities,
and falsities as truths.
This is especially so when any accepted dogma
is assumed to be the truth itself,
with no previous investigation whether it be true or not;
or if investigated
is investigated only through what has been established
by reasonings from the natural person,
and by confirmations from the Word not understood.
When a person views
all the dogmas of his religion in this way
he can assume as a principle whatever he pleases,
and can so impart to it
the light of confirmation
as to make it to appear to be a truth from heaven,
although it is a falsity from hell.

~ His Unfailing Love ~

Give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good;
His love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say this --
those He redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those He gathered from the lands,
from east and west,
from north and south.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for men,
for He satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

. . . for He breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.

Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of His works with songs of joy.

Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people
and praise Him in council of the elders.

Whoever is wise,
let him head these things
and consider the great love of the Lord.

(Psalm 107:1-3, 8, 16, 22, 32, 43)

** 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)

 

AE 840 - Coins and Money

 AE 840 [6]

Jesus said, Now he who has a purse
let him take it,
and likewise a wallet;
but he that has no sword
let him sell his garments and buy one.
(Luke 22:36)

What is meant by these words
is evident from what follows there,
namely, that
"this which was written
must be fulfilled in the Lord"
(Luke 22:3737),
thus that He was to suffer the cross;
and since this must needs distract
the minds of those who were then living,
as well as the minds of the disciples,
and lead them into doubts
respecting the Lord and His kingdom,
and thus into temptations,
and these doubts could be dispelled
only by means of truths,
therefore the Lord says,
"he that has a purse and a wallet let him take them,"
that is, he that possesses truths from the Word,
in which it is foretold
that Christ must suffer such things,
let him take heed not to lose them;
for the purse and the wallet have a similar meaning
as the coins and money in them, namely,
the knowledges of truth and good from the Word.
"But he that hath no sword
let him sell his garments and buy one,"
means let those who have no truths
reject what is their own,
and acquire the truths
with which they may fight against falsities,
"sword" signifying the combat of truth against falsity,
and the destruction of falsity.

** From Darkness, a Great Light **

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.

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, 6-7)

 

** From Darkness, a Great Light **

 Praise the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good;
His love endures forever.
Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord
or fully declare His praise?
Blessed are they who maintain justice,
who constantly do what is right.

(Psalm 106:1-3)

AE 837 - Truth and Faith In a Person

 AE 837 [13]

. . . there is no truth with a person,
still less any faith,
unless he wills it and does it,
for until then
it is not a truth of the life,
but only a truth of the memory,
which is outside of a person
and not within him . . ..

~ Praise the Lord ~

Praise the Lord, you His angels,
you mighty ones who do His bidding,
who obey His word.
Praise the Lord, all His heavenly hosts,
you His servants who do His will.
Praise the Lord,
all His works everywhere in His dominion.

Praise the Lord, O my soul.

Praise the Lord.

(Psalm 104:33-35)

** Call Him Immanuel **

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz,
"Ask the Lord your God for a sign,
whether in the deepest depth or in the highest heights."

But Ahaz said, "I will not ask;
I will not put the Lord to the test."

Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David!
Is it not enough to try the patience of men?
Will you try the patience of my God also?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will be with child
and will give birth to a son,
and will call Him Immanuel.
He will eat curds and honey
when He knows enough
to reject the wrong and choose the right."

(Isaiah 7:10-15)
__________

AC 2184

That "butter" is the celestial of the rational . . ..
As regards butter,
it means 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. 

AE 836 - Thinking From Self

AE 836

To think from oneself
is to see from oneself
whether a thing be true or false,
and thus to choose the one and reject the other.
These are they who are made spiritual by the Lord,
and are thence in the light of heaven,
and from the Lord
they see and are led;
for to think and live from the Lord is freedom;
and to think and live from hell is bondage . . ..

~ Rejoice and Praise ~

Let those who love the Lord hate evil,
for He guards the lives of His faithful ones
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Light is shed upon the righteous
and joy on the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord,
you who are righteous,
and praise His holy name.

(Psalm 97:10-12)

** 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 all marvelled.
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)

AE 832 - Living and Knowing Spiritual Truths

 AE 832 [3]

All love becomes spiritual
by means of truths from the Word
in the measure in which a person
acknowledges them
and sees them in his understanding
and afterwards loves them,
that is, does them from the will.

. . . if you say that spiritual truths cannot be seen,
and that the understanding cannot be so far opened
so long as a person is in the world,
let it be known
that he who loves truth from truth,
that is, because it is truth,
can see spiritual truths;
and those which he does not see in the world,
he sees afterwards in heaven.
For it is the love itself of truth
that receives the light of heaven,
which enlightens the understanding.
Moreover, every one can receive in thought
and can understand truths
more than he himself knows . . ..

** Let the Heavens Rejoice **

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 with world in righteousness
and the peoples in His truth.

(Psalm 96:11-13)

** Mary Visits Elizabeth and Sings **

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)

AE 831 - Spiritual Angels

 AE 831 [1, 4, 5, 6]

For all things in the Word are in themselves spiritual,
and give spiritual life to those who study it
in the measure of its reception in the heart.
Therefore the Lord says:

The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life.
(John 6:63)

. . . . with spiritual angels intellectual sight is spiritual sight.
These angels are perfected in understanding
so far as they are in the love of truth
for the sake of life and its genuine uses;
and in the same measure
truths are implanted in their life
and they become affections of truth.
For as truths derive
all their essence and all their life from good,
so the understanding derives all its essence and life
from the will and its activity;
for the understanding is the receptacle of truth,
and the will the receptacle of good,
and their activity fills and establishes them.

Moreover, all in the spiritual heaven love uses,
and are intent on works,
by which their thoughts are kept as it were at home,
and withheld from idleness,
which is, as it is also called the devil's pillow.
They know that only those who perceive delight in works
can be kept in spiritual love;
such are in their fixed affection . . ..

In the spiritual heaven there are magnificent palaces,
in which all things within shine with precious stones
and decorations in such forms
as cannot be equaled by any painting in the world,
nor expressed in words.
For art there, especially that of architecture,
is in its own art.
From that heaven many arts in the world
derive their laws and harmonies,
from which come their forms of beauty.
. . . The spiritual angels are clothed
in garments of fine linen and silk,
generally in shining garments.
And as the spiritual heavens correspond to the eyes,
there are paradisiacal scenes,
as also in many places rainbow colored appearances
and these also are of ineffable beauty.
They know nothing there
about the sense of the letter of the Word,
but only about its spiritual sense,
for they have the Word in that sense,
which is read by everyone.
In that heaven, justice, integrity, verity, chastity,
and the other praiseworthy virtues of moral life reign.
 These heavens constitute the royalty of the Lord,
while the higher heavens,
where the celestial angels are,
constitute the priesthood of the Lord;
for His royalty is Divine truth,
and His priesthood is Divine good.

~ A Prayer ~

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us --
yes, establish the work of our hands.

(Psalm 90:17)

** 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)

AE 828 - How Celestial Angels Love the Neighbor

AE 828

Love to the Lord, in which love are the angels that are in the third heaven, has been treated of above; it now remains to say something about the love towards the neighbor with those angels. By the "neighbor" they mean uses, which indeed are works; but with those angels uses are all things that are done with them from the Lord, and these have relation especially to the worship of the Lord, to His church, to the implantation of its holy things, especially with little children, with whom they have conjunction, and whom they inspire with innocence and its affections; also to the good of society in general and also in particular. These are the things that chiefly belong to their love, because they belong to the Lord's love. The Lord operates these things with them by means of the love that is implanted in their life, which is such that they perceive in these things the delight of their life. Such things are the neighbor to them, because they do not regard persons, but such things as are with persons; for they have more wisdom than other angels, and it is wisdom to regard others from such things as are with them and which constitute them. For every angel, spirit, and man is his love and his affection, thus his good and his truth therefrom; and as these are what constitute them, and as they are wise, they must needs regard others according to what constitutes them. This to them is the neighbor, or the brother and companion, which are often mentioned in the Word, "brother" meaning to them good, and "companion" truth. Thence it is clear what love towards the neighbor is in the third heaven.

[2] As to the other things that relate to moral, civil, and domestic life, these, too, are works done by them from affection, but they are not such works as they mean by "neighbor," or "brother and companion;" for they derive somewhat from the world, and also from what is useful to themselves and their own. These works are derivations and productions of the uses before mentioned, and are such things as proceed from their thought, therefore they can discourse about them. These works keep the life of their body in such a state that the life of their love can dwell in it and perform its uses. These angels, being such, do not know what is meant by charity, or what is meant by faith; but they have the love of good in place of charity, and the love of truth in place of faith. Moreover, they are continually in the love of good and truth because their life is the affection of good, in which and from which is the perception of truth. When, therefore, charity from which is faith, or faith which is from charity, is mentioned, they do not know what is meant. As the angels of the third heaven are such they appear before the angels of the lower heavens like infants, some like boys, and all of them, as it were simple; moreover, they go naked. They appear like infants and like boys because they are in innocence; and love to the Lord from the Lord is innocence; and this is also why infants and boys signify in the Word innocence and also love to the Lord.

[3] They appear simple because they cannot talk about the holy things of heaven and the church; for with them these things are not in the memory, from which all speech comes, but in the life; and from that in the understanding, not as thought but as the affection of good in its form, which does not descend into speech; and if it were to descend it would not be spoken, but only sounded; and those who cannot speak about such things appear to themselves and others as if simple. A further reason is that they are in humility of heart, knowing that wisdom consists in perceiving that the things in which they are wise are scarcely anything in comparison with the things in which they are not wise. They go naked because "nakedness" means in the spiritual sense innocence, and because "garments" signify truths clothing good, and the truths that clothe are in the memory, and from that in the thought; while with them truths are in the life, that is, are hidden, and manifest themselves only before the perception when others are uttering them, or their ministers are preaching them from the Word. Again, they are perfected by the conversation of those who are in the understanding of truth, and by preachings, and also by books. And they write not by letters, like the other angels, but by curves and inflexions that contain arcana that transcend the understanding of the angels in the lower heavens. Furthermore, they dwell in expanses above the others, and in gardens there in which there are shrubberies and beds of flowers, and thus they are in perpetual representatives of heavenly things; and what is wonderful, not a stone is found there; because "stone" signifies natural truth, while "wood" signifies good; a "tree" perception, and a "flower" implantation. Thus much respecting love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, that is, respecting celestial love. Hereafter spiritual love shall be described, also charity and faith.


 

~ The Lord Will Give What Is Good ~

Show us Your unfailing love, O Lord,
and grant us Your salvation.

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 85:7-13)

** 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)

AE 826 - To Love the Lord Is to Do

 AE 826 [2]

As the preceding articles treat of good works,
I will here go on with the plan
and show what is meant by love to the Lord.
All who are in love to the Lord from the Lord
are in the third or inmost heaven;
and they are such as have truths written in the life,
and not, like the angels of the lower heavens,
in the memory;
and this is why those who are in the third heaven
never talk about truths,
but only listen to others speaking about them,
and reply either that it is so,
or that it is somewhat so,
or that it is not so.
For they see in themselves
whether what they hear is true or not;
and this they see not from any sight in the thought,
as others do,
but from the affection of truth in the understanding.
For with them all truths are written on their affections,
and these derive their essence from celestial love,
which is love to the Lord.
Thus with them truths make one with their affections.
And as these angels are
in love to the Lord from the Lord,
their interior life consists of
mere affections of good and truth from that love.
For this reason they do not speak about truths,
but do truths, that is, good works.
For the affections of good and truth
that are from that love
must needs come forth in act,
and when they come forth they are called uses,
and are what are meant by good works.
Moreover, they perceive in themselves
the quality of the uses or works
from the affection from which they are;
and also the differences between them
from the conjunction of many affections;
thus they do all things with interior wisdom.
And because they do not think about truths
and thence speak about them,
but only do them,
and because this comes from their love to the Lord,
and thence from the affections alone,
of which their life consists,
it is evident that love to the Lord consists
in doing truths from the affection of them,
and that their deeds are good works;
consequently that to love the Lord is to do;
and this is what is meant by the Lord's words in John:

He that has My commandments and does them,
he it is that loves Me.
But he that loves Me not
keeps not My words.
(John 14:21, 24)

And they are meant by these words in Jeremiah:

I will give My law in the midst of them,
and will write it upon their heart.
Neither shall they teach a man his companion
or a man his brother,
Know ye Jehovah, for all shall know Me,
from the least of them to the greatest of them.
(Jeremiah 31:33, 34)

"The law" means all things of the Word,
thus all the truths and goods of heaven;
"in the midst of them" means in their life;
and the "heart" upon which the law shall be written
means the love.
From this it is clear how ample is
the doctrine of love to the Lord,
for it is the doctrine of
all affections which belong to love;
and every affection has truths written upon it
according to the quality of its perfection,
and brings them forth in act with infinite variety;
and these affections do not come into the understanding
in the form of ideas,
but come to the inner sensitive perception
in the form of delights of the will,
wherefore they cannot be described by words.
Those who imbibe the laws of life from the Word
and live according to them,
and who worship the Lord,
become angels of the third heaven.

~ Hear My Prayer ~

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 King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
they are ever praising You.
Selah.

Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
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 84:1-4, 8-12)

** Luke Begins His Gospel **

 Many have undertaken to draw up an account
of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
just as they were handed down to us
by those who from the first
were eyewitnesses and servants of the Word.
Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated
everything from the beginning,
it seemed good also to me
to write an orderly account for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may know the certainty of the things
you have been taught.

(Luke 1:1-4)

 

AE 825 - The Pride of Self-Intelligence and True Good Works

 AE 825 [2, 3]

The pride of self-intelligence
is with all who confirm falsities
even to the destruction of the Divine truth,
in which the angels of heaven are;
for those are in that pride who regard self only,
that is, their reputation,
in their writings and preachings.
For such are in the love of self,
and everyone who is in the love of self
when he writes and preaches is in pride;
and pride derives all things from a person's own [proprium],
consequently it is called the pride of self-intelligence.
The love of self has its seat in the will,
and the pride of self-intelligence in the thought therefrom;
consequently when they think anything from self
they can think nothing but what is false,
for one's own [proprium] which is of the will
and therefore of the love,
is what rules, and this, viewed in itself, is nothing but evil.
It is otherwise with those who are in the love of uses,
and thence in the love of truth for the sake of truth.

Good works are all things
that a person does, writes, preaches, and even speaks,
not from self but from the Lord;
and he acts, writes, preaches, and speaks from the Lord
when he is living according to the laws of his religion.
The laws of our religion
are that one God is to be worshiped;
that adulteries, thefts, murders, false witness,
must be shunned;
thus also frauds, unlawful gains, hatreds, revenge, lies,
blasphemies, and many other things
that are mentioned not alone in the Decalogue
but everywhere else in the Word,
and are called sins against God and also abominations.
When a person shuns these
because they are opposed to the Word,
and so opposed to God,
and because they are from hell,
then a person lives according to the laws of his religion,
and so far as he lives according to his religion
is he led by the Lord;
and so far as he is led by the Lord are his works good;
for he is then led to do goods and to speak truths
for the sake of goods and for the sake of truths,
and not for the sake of self and the world;
uses are his enjoyments, and truths his delights.
Moreover, he is daily taught by the Lord
what he must do and what he must say,
also what he must preach or what he must write;
for when evils are removed
he is continually under the Lord's guidance
and in enlightenment.
Yet he is not led and taught immediately by any dictate,
or by any perceptible inspiration,
but by an influx into his spiritual delight,
from which he has perception
according to the truths of which his understanding consists.
When he acts from this influx,
he appears to be acting as if from himself,
and yet he acknowledges in heart that it is from the Lord.
All angels are in such a state;
and all infants in heaven
are being led by that way to heaven.

~ Help Us ~

Help us, O God our Savior,
for the glory of Your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your Name's sake.

Then we Your people,
the sheep of your pasture,
will praise You forever;
from generation to generation
we will recount Your praise.

(Psalm 79:9, 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)

AE 819 - Reasoning From the Natural Man

AE 819 [3]

It is a reasoning from the natural man
that faith separate from good of life
is also spiritual,
and yet the goods that are of love
are what give life to faith,
and make it spiritual.
For love is the very soul of faith,
and love is doing,
for what a man loves he wills,
and what he wills he does.
And this the Lord teaches in John: --

He that has My commandments and does them,
he it is that loves Me;
but he that loves Me not
keeps not My words.
(John 14:21, 24)

So it is clear that faith without works is not spiritual;
for it is without its soul,
and faith without its soul is a dead faith.

~ Bring Gifts ~

Make vows to the Lord your God
and fulfill them;
let all the neighboring lands
bring gifts to the One to be feared.

(Psalm 76:11)

** 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."

 

AE 817 - Every Kind of Faith

AE 817 [5]

For every kind of faith
must necessarily conjoin itself with some love;
therefore when spiritual love,
which is charity, is separated,
faith then conjoins itself with the love of self
or with the love of the world,
which are the loves that are dominant in the natural man;
and this is why so heinous an adultery results
from faith separated from charity.

~ Endow and Praise! ~

Endow the King with Your justice, O God,
the Royal Son with Your righteousness.
He will judge Your people in righteousness,
Your afflicted ones with justice.
The mountains will bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
He will defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
He will crush the oppressor.

He will endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon,
through all generations.
He will be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
In His days the righteous will flourish;
prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.

He will rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
The desert tribes will bow before Him
and His enemies will like the dust.

Praise be to the Lord God,
the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
Praise be to His glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.

(Psalm 72:1-9, 18-19)

 

** 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."