SS 62, 63, 64, 67 - The Lord, Angels and People When the Word Is Being Read

SS 62

The reason why there is conjunction with the Lord
by means of the Word
is that the Word treats solely of Him,
and the Lord is consequently its all in all
and is called the Word . . ..

SS 63

The reason why there is
association with the angels of heaven
by means of the sense of the letter
is that the spiritual sense and celestial sense are in it,
and the angels are in these senses,
the angels of the spiritual kingdom
being in the Word's spiritual sense,
and those of the celestial kingdom
in its celestial sense.
These senses are evolved
from the Word's natural sense
which is the sense of the letter
while a true person is in it.
The evolution is instantaneous;
consequently so is the association.

SS 64

While reading the Word in its sense of the letter
it has been given me to perceive
that communication was effected with the heavens,
now with this society of them, now with that,
and that what I understood
according to the natural sense,
the spiritual angels understood
according to the spiritual sense,
and the celestial angels
according to the celestial sense,
and this in an instant.

SS 67

We may now illustrate by an example
how from the natural sense
in which is the Word with people,
the spiritual angels draw forth their own sense,
and the celestial angels theirs.
Take as an example
five commandments of the Decalogue:

Honor thy father and thy mother.
By "father and mother" a person understands
his father and mother on earth,
and all who stand in their place,
and by to "honor" he understands
to hold in honor and obey them.
But a spiritual angel understands
the Lord by "father,"
and the church by "mother,"
and by to "honor" he understands to love.
And a celestial angel understands
the Lord's Divine love by "father,"
and His Divine wisdom by "mother,"
and by to "honor" to do what is good from Him.

Thou shalt not steal.
By to "steal" a person understands
to steal, defraud, or under any pretext take
from his neighbor his goods.
A spiritual angel understands to deprive others
of their truths of faith and goods of charity
by means of falsities and evils.
And a celestial angel understands
to attribute to himself what is the Lord's,
and to claim for himself His righteousness and merit.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.
By "committing adultery" a person understands
to commit adultery and fornication,
to do obscene things, speak lascivious words,
and harbor filthy thoughts.
A spiritual angel understands
to adulterate the goods of the Word,
and falsify its truths.
And a celestial angel understands
to deny the Lord's Divinity
and to profane the Word.

Thou shalt not kill.
By "killing," a person understands also
bearing hatred,
and desiring revenge even to the death.
A spiritual angel understands to act as a devil
and destroy people's souls.
And a celestial angel understands
to bear hatred against the Lord,
and against what is His.

Thou shalt not bear false witness.
By "bearing false witness"
a person understands also to lie and defame.
A spiritual angel understands to say and persuade
that what is false is true and what is evil good,
and the reverse.
And a celestial angel understands
to blaspheme the Lord and the Word.

From these examples it may be seen
how the spiritual and celestial of the Word
are evolved and drawn out
from the natural sense in which they are.
Wonderful to say,
the angels draw out their senses
without knowing what the person is thinking about,
and yet the thoughts of the angels and of the people
make a one by means of correspondences,
like end, cause, and effect.
Moreover ends actually are in the celestial kingdom,
causes in the spiritual kingdom,
and effects in the natural kingdom.
This conjunction by means of correspondences
is such from creation.
This then is the source of a person's association
with angels by means of the Word.