AC 2632 - From the Lord's First Rational to His Divine, and Our Journey, As Well

AC 2632 [2-3]

That the Lord's first rational was born as with others,
namely, by means of knowledges,
has been stated before,
where Ishmael was treated of,
by whom that rational is represented.
As this was born by means of knowledges,
thus by the external way,
which is that of the senses, and as with others,
it could not but have in itself
many things from the outward world,
for from them are the ideas of the rational procured;
and this the more
because it had its hereditary from the mother.
It was these worldly things and this hereditary
which the Lord successively expelled from His rational,
and this until it was such
as to be able to receive the Divine (n. 2624, 2625).
The Lord's Divine rational was then born,
which is represented by Isaac (n. 2630);
not however by the external way,
which is that of the senses,
as the former rational was;
but by the internal way
from the Divine Itself (n. 2628, 2629).
As this was not done at once,
but successively (n. 1690, 2033),
it was purified, and this continually;
which is meant by
"Abraham's circumcising his son, a son of eight days."
That the Lord made His rational Divine
by successive steps,
and continually purified it,
is evident also in John:

Jesus said, Father, glorify Thy name.
Then came there a voice from heaven:
I have both glorified,
and will glorify again.
(John 12:28)

That to "glorify" is to make Divine,
may be seen above (n. 1603, 1999).

In the Ancient Church nothing else was
represented and meant by circumcision
than that a person should be purified from
the loves of self and of the world,
and this also by successive steps and continually
(see n. 2039, 2046 at the end, 2049, 2056);
especially when he has been born a new person,
that is, when he has been regenerated;
for the Lord then flows in by the internal way,
that is, by the good of conscience,
and successively and continually separates
the things which adhere
both from hereditary and from actual evil.

~ Great Is the Lord ~

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend Your works to another;
they will tell of Your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.
They will tell of the power of Your awesome works,
and I will proclaim Your great deeds.
They will celebrate Your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

(Psalm 145:3-7)

** The Lord, Our Savior **

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."

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 2618 - The Lord and the Heavenly Marriage; AC 2619 - "Saying" and "Speaking"; AC 2625 - The Nature of Angelic Life

AC 2618

As regards the state of union
of the Lord's Divine spiritual in His Divine celestial,
this is the very marriage itself of good and truth,
from which comes the heavenly marriage;
and this marriage is the Lord's kingdom
in the heavens and on earth.
For this reason
the Lord's kingdom is so frequently in the Word
called a "marriage,"
and is compared to a marriage.
The reason (a secret one) is that all conjugial love
(and through this all celestial and spiritual love)
comes from the marriage of Divine good and truth,
and of Divine truth and good, in the Lord.
What further arcana (secrets) are enfolded in these words:
that "Jehovah visited Sarah as He had said,"
and that "Jehovah did unto Sarah as He had spoken,"
cannot be declared,
because they are inexpressible;
for they comprise the very state itself
of the union of the Lord's Divine with His Human.
Appearances of this are presented by the Lord
before the angels
by means of heavenly lights,
and are illustrated by means
of inexpressible representations;
but they cannot be presented before people,
because it would have to be done
by means of such things
as belong to the light of the world,
into which such arcana (secrets) do not fall;
indeed, by a description based on such things
makes them all the more obscure.

AC 2619

With a person the case is this:
it is good from which he perceives,
but it is truth by means of which he thinks.
Good is of love and its affections,
consequently from it is perception;
but truth is of faith,
consequently this is of thought.
The former is meant in the historic parts of the Word
by "saying,"
but the latter by "speaking."
But when "saying" is found alone,
it then sometimes signifies perceiving,
and sometimes thinking;
because "saying" involves both.

AC 2625 [2]

Angelic life is of such a nature
to be the wisest and happiest of all.

~ Search Me ~

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

(Psalm 139:23-24, end
- the whole of this Psalm is a beautiful prayer.)

** 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.

 

AC 2606 - The Word From Heaven

AC 2606

The Word of the Old Testament was formerly called
the "Law and the Prophets."
By the "Law" were meant all the historical books,
which are the five books of Moses,
and those of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings:
by the "Prophets" were meant all the prophetical books,
which are those of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel,
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, Malachi;
and also the Psalms of David.
The historical books of the Word
are also called "Moses;"
so it is occasionally said, "Moses and the Prophets,"
instead of the "Law and the Prophets;"
and the prophetical books are called "Elias" . . ..

AC 2607

As regards the historicals
they are all historically true,
except those in the first chapters of Genesis,
which are made up history, as shown in AC volume 1.
Yet although they are historically true,
they nevertheless have an internal sense;
and in that sense, like the propheticals,
treat solely of the Lord.
They do indeed treat of heaven and the church,
and of what belongs to heaven and the church,
but as these are of the Lord,
through these the historicals look to the Lord,
and therefore are the Word.
The historic events are all representative,
and every word by which they are described
is significative (or meaningful).
That the historic events are representative
is evident from what has been unfolded thus far
concerning Abraham,
and will be further evident from what of
the Lord's Divine mercy is to be explained
concerning Isaac, Jacob, and his twelve sons;
concerning Egypt,
the sojourning of the people in the wilderness,
their entrance into the land of Canaan, etc.

That every word by which these historicals
are described is significative (meaningful),
is also evident from what has been shown for instance
in regard to the names as meaning actual things;
thus "Egypt" means memory-knowledge,
"Asshur" the rational,
"Ephraim" the intellectual,
"Tyre" knowledges,
"Zion" the celestial church,
"Jerusalem" the spiritual church, and so on.
The same has been shown in regard to the words;
as that "king" means truth,
"priest" good,
and that all other words have
their respective internal meaning;
such as "kingdom," "city," "house," "nation," "people,"
"garden," "vineyard," "oliveyard,"
"gold," "silver," "brass," "iron,"
"birds," "beasts,"
"bread," "wine," "oil,"
"morning," "day," "light;"
and this uniformly in both
the historical and the prophetical books,
although they were written by various individuals,
and at different times --
a uniformity that would not be possible
unless the Word had come down from heaven.
From this it may be known
that there is an internal sense in the Word;
as well as from the fact
that the Divine Word cannot treat of mere men,
such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their posterity
(which was the worst of nations);
of their kings, their wives, sons, and daughters;
of harlots, plunderings, and such things,
which, considered in themselves,
are not worthy to be even mentioned in the Word,
unless by them are represented and meant
such things as are in the Lord's kingdom:
it is these things that are worthy of the Word.

** 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 2590 - The Lord's Mercy; AC 2596 - Christian Doctrine

AC 2590 [2]

For in the wide world
all those who have lived in good
are of the Lord's mercy received and saved;
for good is that which receives truth.

AC 2596

. . . beyond every other doctrine in the whole world
the Christian doctrine prescribes love and charity,
but that there are but few persons
who live in accordance with it.

~ A Promise ~

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 121:7-8)

** 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 2588 - Being Affirmative to the Lord Brings Enlightenment

AC 2588 [2, 8]

. . . those who are in the affirmative,
that is, who believe that things are true
because the Lord has said so,
are continually being confirmed,
and their ideas enlightened and strengthened,
by what is of reason and memory-knowledge,
and even by what is of sense;
for a person has light from no other source
than by means of the things of reason and memory,
and such is the way with everyone.

. . . when we do that which is according to order
we are enlightened;
but when we do that which is contrary to order,
we are made blind.
All of which shows of how great concern it is
that truths should be known and believed;
for a person is enlightened by truths,
but is made blind by falsities.
By truths there is opened to the rational
an immense and almost unbounded field;
but by falsities comparatively none at all,
although this does not appear to be so.
It is because the angels are in truths
that they enjoy wisdom so great;
for truth is the very light of heaven.

~ Great Peace ~

Great peace have those who love Thy law,
and nothing can make them stumble.

(Psalm 119:165)

** 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 2580 - 'Abraham Prayed to God'

 AC 2580

'Abraham prayed to God' means a revelation.
This is clear from the meaning of 'praying'
when it has reference to the Lord,
as a revelation being given, dealt with in 2535,
and from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord,
dealt with many times.
In the sense of the letter two are portrayed --
one who prayed,
and another to whom he prayed,
for it is said that 'Abraham prayed to God'.
But in the internal sense there are not two but one,
since it was God or Jehovah within Him --
for He was conceived from Jehovah --
who made the revelation.
Yet in so far as He had
that which belonged to the maternal human,
He was someone other.
It is scarcely possible however
for an explanation of this
to fall into ideas intelligible to people.
It can indeed fall into angelic ideas,
which are presented in the light of heaven,
but it cannot fall so easily into human ideas,
which do not perceive anything
unless they are illuminated
by the things which belong to the light of the world.
Still less can such an explanation
fall into the ideas of people
for whom everything belonging to the light of heaven
is thick darkness, so as to be nothing at all.

** 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" meaning 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 mean strength, and the hands power.

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

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

AC 2574 - Deeper Secrets

AC 2574 [2, 3]

. . . the Lord alone had perception from spiritual truth;
that as the Lord had implanted
rational truth in rational good,
so had He implanted spiritual truth in celestial good,
thus continually the Human in the Divine,
so that there might be in everything a marriage
of the Human with the Divine,
and of the Divine with the Human.
. . . These things are chiefly adapted
to the minds of angels
who are in the understanding of such things,
and for whom is the internal sense of the Word.

This shows how precious to the angels
is that which is contained
in the internal sense of the Word,
although perchance it may appear
as but of little consequence to a person,
who has so obscure an idea about such things
that is scarcely any idea at all.

~ This Is the Day ~

This is t:he day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

(Psalm 119:24)

** Glory to God **

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 2571, 2572 - The Lord's Thought and Goodness

AC 2571 [2]

. . . the Lord adjoined the Human to the Divine
by means of the truths which are of faith
(although at the same time
by means of Divine goods which are of love, in the truths)
according to the order by which a person
also becomes spiritual and celestial;
but not Divine, so as to have life in himself, like the Lord.
But when the Divine marriage of truth and good
and of good and truth in the Lord
had been effected . . .
the Lord's thought then
was concerning the doctrine of love and charity,
and this also according to order;
for when a person has become spiritual and celestial
he then no longer thinks from truth, but from good;
yet not from the Divine good united to the Divine truth,
as did the Lord.
This is the reason why the doctrine of love and charity
is now for the first time mentioned,
although regarded in itself
the doctrine of faith is the same;
and the Lord's perception
and thought in everything of faith
was always from the Divine Love.

AC 2572 [4]

Those who think
that the Lord is in truth separate from good
are much mistaken.
He is not in anything but good,
and from that in truth;
that is, in love and charity,
and from that in faith.

~ The Beginning of Wisdom ~

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

(Psalm 111:10)

** 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 2568 - To Affirm or Deny

AC 2568 [2, 4-6]

[2] As regards humankind
it is one thing to regard the doctrine of faith
from rational things,
and altogether another
to regard rational things from the doctrine of faith.
To regard the doctrine of faith from rational things
is not to believe in the Word,
or in the doctrine derived from there,
until one is persuaded from rational things that it is so;
whereas to regard rational things
from the doctrine of faith
 is first to believe in the Word,
or in the doctrine therefrom,
and then to confirm the same by rational things.
The former is inverted order,
and results in nothing being believed;
whereas the latter is genuine order,
and causes the person to believe the better.

There are therefore two principles;
one of which leads to all folly and insanity,
and the other to all intelligence and wisdom.
The former principle is to deny all things,
or to say in the heart
 that we cannot believe them
until we are convinced by what we can apprehend,
or perceive by the senses;
this is the principle
that leads to all folly and insanity,
and is to be called the negative principle.
The other principle is to affirm
the things which are of doctrine from the Word,
or to think and believe within ourselves
that they are true because the Lord has said them:
this is the principle
that leads to all intelligence and wisdom,
and is to be called the affirmative principle.

The more they who think from the negative principle
consult things rational,
the more they consult memory-knowledges,
and the more they consult things philosophical,
the more do they cast and precipitate themselves
into darkness, until at last they deny all things.
The causes of this are,
that no one can apprehend
higher things from lower ones,
that is, spiritual and celestial things,
still less Divine things,
from lower ones,
because they transcend all understanding,
and moreover everything
is then involved in negatives from that principle.
On the other hand,
those who think from an affirmative principle
can confirm themselves by whatever things rational,
by whatever memory-knowledges,
and whatever things philosophic
they have at command;
for all these are to them things confirmatory,
and give them a fuller idea of the matter.

Moreover there are some who are in doubt
before they deny,
and there are some who are in doubt
before they affirm.
Those who are in doubt before they deny
are those who incline to a life of evil;
and when this life carries them away,
then insofar as they think of the matters in question
they deny them.
But those who are in doubt before they affirm
are those who incline to a life of good;
 and when they suffer themselves
to be bent to this by the Lord,
then insofar as they think about those things
so far they affirm.
As this subject is further treated of
in the verses which follow,
it is permitted of the Lord's Divine mercy
to illustrate them more fully there (see n. 2588).
 

** 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 2556 - The Person Who Is Rational, Regenerate

AC 2556

With a person who is truly rational, that is, regenerate,
everything has been arranged into order
such as exists in heaven;
and this ordered arrangement of everything within him
comes as a result of heaven flowing into him.
From that ordered arrangement within him
a person possesses a power
of thought, deduction, judgement, and reflection,
which is so marvelous that it surpasses
all human knowledge and wisdom,
infinitely surpassing the conclusions
which by analysis
human effort draws from these sources.
The reason these facts
have not been known up to now
is that people have not believed
that all the things which constitute
their affections, perceptions, and thoughts flow in -
evil ones from hell, decent ones from heaven.
Thus these have a connection with the things
that are outside of them;
yet the fact of the matter is that a person,
as regards his spirit,
is joined to those outside of him in such a way
that if he were deprived of that connection
he would not remain alive for a single instant.
This may also be recognized from the consideration
that anything unconnected cannot possibly exist,
and that anything unconnected perishes in an instant.

** Isaiah Prophesies to Ahaz **

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz,
"Ask the Lord your God for a sign,
whether in the deepest depths
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.
But before the Boy knows enough
to reject the wrong and choose the right,
the land of the two kings you dread
will be laid waste."
(Isaiah 7:10-16)

Arcana Coelestia 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.

Arcana Coelestia 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 2551 - Inside the Story of Abraham and Abimelech

AC 2551

The reason of there being thus presented
(through the story of Abraham and Abimelech)
in regular order,
in the internal sense,
how the Lord perceived and thought
concerning the doctrine of faith,
and concerning the rational
as to whether it should be consulted,
is that it is angelic to think of these things
in such a series.
The internal sense of the Word
is especially for the angels;
and therefore is adapted
to their perceptions and thoughts.
They are in their delightful, indeed,
in their blessed and happy states,
when they are thinking about the Lord,
His Divine and His Human,
and how the Human was made Divine;
for they are encompassed with
a celestial and spiritual sphere
which is full of the Lord;
so that it may be said that they are in the Lord.
Consequently,
nothing is more blessed and happy to them
than to think in accordance with the things
that belong to that sphere
and its derivative affection.

At the same time, moreover,
they are instructed and perfected, especially in this:
how the Lord by degrees and of His own power,
as He grew up,
made Divine the human into which He was born;
and thus how,
by means of the knowledges
that He revealed to Himself
He perfected His rational,
dispersed by successive steps its shadows,
and introduced it into Divine light.
These and innumerable other things
are presented before the angels
in a celestial and spiritual manner,
with a thousand and a thousand representatives,
in the light of life,
when the Word is being read.
But these things, which are so precious to the angels,
are to men as of no importance,
because above their comprehension,
and thus in the shade of their understanding;
and on the other hand,
the things that are precious to men,
such as those
which contain within them worldly matters,
are of no importance to the angels,
because below their state
and thus in the shade of their wisdom.
Thus, wonderful to say,
the things that come to shade with man,
and almost into contempt,
with the angels pass into light,
and into their affection,
as is the case with many things
of the internal sense of the Word.
___________

Here, 'man' and 'men' do not mean just male,
but all people, male and female.

** The Lord Looked Down **

Let this be written for a future generation,
that a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
"The Lord looked down from His sanctuary on high,
from heaven He viewed the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners
and release those condemned to death."
So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion
and His praise in Jerusalem
when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble
to worship the Lord.

(Psalm 102:18-22)

~ 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 96:10-13)

 

~ Come ~

Come, let us bow down and worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for He is our God
and we are the people of His pasture,
the flock under His care.

(Psalm 95:6-7)

 

** 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 2538 - Doctrine

AC 2538 [2]

In regard to doctrine the case is this:
Insofar as there is what is human
(that is, what is of sense,
of memory-knowledge, and of the rational)
as the ground of belief,
so far the doctrine is null and void.
But insofar as what is of sense, of memory-knowledge,
and of the rational is removed,
that is, insofar as doctrine is believed
without these things,
so far doctrine lives;
for so far the Divine flows in.
It is that which is proper to the human
that hinders the influx and the reception.
But it is one thing to believe from what is of the rational,
of memory-knowledge, and of sense
(that is, to consult such things in order to believe),
and quite another thing to confirm and corroborate
by means of things rational,
of memory-knowledge, and of sense,
that which is believed.

~ Who Can Compare With the 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.

(Psalm 89:5-8)

** 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 2533 - Teaching; AC 2534 - "Prophet"

AC 2533 [2]

It was said above
that although the doctrine of faith is in itself Divine,
and therefore
above all human and even angelic comprehension,
it has nevertheless been dictated in the Word
according to a person's comprehension,
in a rational manner.
The case herein is the same as it is with a parent
who is teaching his little boys and girls:
when he is teaching,
he sets forth everything in accordance with their genius,
although he himself thinks from
what is more interior or higher;
otherwise it would be teaching without their learning,
or like casting seed upon a rock.
The case is also the same with the angels
who in the other life instruct the simple in heart:
although these angels are
in celestial and spiritual wisdom,
yet they do not hold themselves
above the comprehension of those whom they teach,
but speak in simplicity with them,
yet rising by degrees as these are instructed;
for if they were to speak from angelic wisdom,
the simple would comprehend nothing at all,
and thus would not be led
to the truths and goods of faith.
The case would be the same
if the Lord had not taught in the Word
in accordance with man's comprehension,
in a rational manner.
Nevertheless in its internal sense
the Word is elevated to the angelic understanding;
and yet that sense,
in its highest elevation
in which it is perceived by the angels,
is infinitely below the Divine.
It is here manifest what the Word is in its origin,
and thus in itself;
and that it thus everywhere
involves more things
than the whole heaven is capable of comprehending,
even as to a small part,
although in the letter
it appears so unimportant and so rude.


AC 2534

In the Word we frequently read of a "prophet;"
and in the sense of the letter
"prophet" means those to whom revelation is made,
also abstractedly, revelation itself;
but in the internal sense
a "prophet" means one who teaches,
and also abstractedly doctrine itself;
and as the Lord (as before said) is doctrine itself,
that is, the Word which teaches,
 He is called a "Prophet," as in Moses:

A Prophet from the midst of you,
of your brethren, like unto me,
will Jehovah thy God raise up;
unto Him shall you be obedient.
(Deuteronomy 18:15, 18)

~ A Prayer: Teach Me ~

Teach me Your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in Your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear Your name.
I will praise you, O Lord my God,
with all my heart;
I will glorify Your name forever.
For great is Your love toward me;
You have delivered me
from the depths of the grave.

(Psalm 86:11-13)

 

** Mary Visits Elizabeth and Her Song **

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 2531 - Receiving the Divine and His Word

AC 2531 [2-4]

What is Divine is incomprehensible,
because above all understanding, even the angelic;
but still this Divine, which in itself is incomprehensible,
can flow in through the Lord's Divine Human
into a person's rational;
and when it flows into his rational,
it is there received
according to the truths which are therein;
thus variously, and not with one as with another.
Insofar therefore
as the truths with a person are more genuine,
so far the Divine which flows in
is received more perfectly,
and so far the man's understanding is enlightened.

In the Lord's Word are Truths themselves;
but in its literal sense are truths
which are accommodated to the apprehension of those
who are in external worship;
whereas in its internal sense are truths
accommodated to those who are internal people;
that is, to those who are angelic as to doctrine
and at the same time as to life.
. . . it is plain how important it is
that interior truths be known and received.
These truths may indeed be known,
but by no means received,
except by those who have love to the Lord,
or faith in Him;
for as the Lord is the Divine good,
so He is the Divine truth;
consequently He is doctrine itself,
since whatever is in the doctrine of true faith
looks to the Lord,
and looks also to the heavenly kingdom and the church,
and to all things of the heavenly kingdom and the church.
But all these are His,
and are the intermediate ends
through which the last end, that is, the Lord, is regarded.

That the Lord is doctrine itself as to truth and good,
and thus that it is He who alone is regarded in doctrine,
He teaches John:

Jesus said, I am the way, the Truth, and the Life
(John 14:6, 7);

where the "Way" is doctrine,
the "Truth" all that is of doctrine,
and the "Life" the good itself which is the life of the truth.
And that love to Him or faith in Him is what receives . . ..

~ The Lord Is A Sun and A Shield ~

Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.  Selah

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: 8, 10-12)

 

** 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 to you,
and to show you these glad tidings.
And, behold,
you will be dumb, and not able to speak,
until the day that these things shall be performed,
because you believe not my words,
which shall be fulfilled in their season.

And the people waited for Zacharias,
and marveled 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 has 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 2519 - Doctrinal Things of Faith; AC 2520 - The Lord's Love

AC 2519

. . . the doctrinal things of faith are in their entirety
from the Divine,
which is infinitely above the human rational.
It is from the Divine
that the rational receives its good and its truth. 
The Divine can enter into the rational,
but not the rational into the Divine;
as the soul can enter into the body, and form it,
but not the body into the soul;
or as light can enter into shade,
and modify it variously into colors;
but not shade into light.

AC 2520 [2]

. . . the zeal of affection
or of love toward the whole human race . . .
directed the Lord's thoughts
while He was still in the maternal human . . ..

~ A Short Prayer ~

Restore us, O Lord God Almighty,
make Your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

(Psalm 80:4, 7, 19)

** 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 2523 - The Word and the Lord's Life on Earth; AC 2526 - Good Is . . . Truth Is

AC 2523

In the internal sense of the Word
the Lord's whole life is described,
such as it was to be in the world,
even as to the perceptions and thoughts,
for these were foreseen and provided
because from the Divine;
this being done for the additional reason
that all these things might be set forth at that time
as present to the angels,
who perceive the Word according to the internal sense;
and that so the Lord might be before them,
and at the same time
 how by successive steps
He put off the human,
and put on the Divine.
Unless these things
had been as if present to the angels,
through the Word,
and also through all the rites in the Jewish Church,
the Lord would have been obliged
to come into the world immediately
after the fall of the Most Ancient Church,
which is called Man or Adam;
for there was an immediate prophecy
of the Lord's advent (Gen. 3:15);
and what is more,
the human race of that time
could not otherwise have been saved.

As regards the Lord's life itself,
it was a continual progression
of the Human to the Divine,
even to absolute union (as already frequently stated),
for in order that He might combat with the hells
and overcome them,
He must needs do it from the Human;
for there is no combat with the hells from the Divine.
It therefore pleased Him to put on the human
like another man,
to be an infant like another,
to grow up into knowledges,
which things are represented by
Abraham's sojourning in Egypt (chapter 12),
and now in Gerar;
thus it pleased Him to cultivate the rational
as another man,
 and in this way to disperse its shade,
and bring it into light,
and this from His own power.
That the Lord's progression
from the Human to the Divine
was of this nature,
can be denied by no one if he only considers
that He was a little child,
and learned to talk like one; and so on.
But there was this difference:
that the Divine Itself was in Him,
seeing that He was conceived of Jehovah.

AC 2526

. . . good is good from innocence;
and truth is truth from good;
and when these are in their order,
there is then all ability.
 

** 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 2515 - Thoughts

 AC 2515

Thoughts from perception exist only with the celestial,
that is, with those who are in love to the Lord;
such thought is the most internal that exists with man;
and it exists with the celestial angels in heaven,
for it is perception from the Lord
by which and from which their thought exists;
and to think contrary to perception is impossible.
Thoughts from conscience are lower,
and exist with the spiritual, that is,
with those who are in the good of charity and faith
as to life and as to doctrine.
Moreover with these persons
to think contrary to conscience is impossible;
for this would be to think against the good and truth
which are dictated to them
from the Lord through conscience.

But thoughts from no conscience exist with those
who do not suffer themselves to be inwardly directed
by what is good and true,
but only by what is evil and false;
that is, not by the Lord,
but by themselves.
Such persons believe
that they inwardly think just as do those
who think from conscience and perception,
for the reason that
they do not know what conscience is,
still less perception;
but the difference is as great as is
that between hell and heaven.
They who think without conscience think
from any cupidities (greeds) and fantasies whatever;
thus from hell;
and when it seems otherwise,
it is from external decorum for the sake of reputation.
But they who think from conscience
think from the affections of good and truth;
thus from heaven.
But as regards the Lord's thought,
it transcended all human understanding,
for it was immediately from the Divine.

** Behold He Comes **

Behold I send My angel
who shall prepare the way before Me;
and the Lord whom you 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."

AC 2508 - The Heavenly Marriage; AC 2511 - The Lord's First Consulting the Divine Rational

AC 2508

The heavenly marriage itself exists solely
between the Divine good and the Divine truth.
From this there are conceived in a person
the intellectual, the rational, and the faculty of knowing;
for without conception from the heavenly marriage
a person cannot possibly be imbued with
understanding, with reason, or with knowledge,
and consequently cannot be a person.
In proportion therefore
as he receives from the heavenly marriage,
in the same proportion is he a person.
The heavenly marriage is in the Lord Himself,
thus the Lord is this marriage itself,
for He is the Divine good itself
and at the same time the Divine truth.
Angels and people are in the heavenly marriage
insofar as they are in love to the Lord
and in charity toward the neighbor,
and insofar as they are from these loves in faith . . ..

AC 2511

The things contained in this verse (Genesis 20:2)
involve the Lord's first thought
respecting the doctrine of faith,
as to whether it would be well to consult
the rational or not.
The reason why the first thought was
of such a character is
that the Lord progressed according to all Divine order;
and whatever was of the human
into which He was born,
and which He derived from the mother,
must necessarily be put off
in order that He might put on the Divine;
thus also this human thought, namely,
as to whether the rational was to be consulted
in regard to the doctrinal things of faith.