AE 696d - spiritual fear, natural fear

AE 696d [23]
... spiritual fear is a holy fear that abides within every spiritual love variously according to the quality and the quantity of the love. In such fear is the spiritual man, and he knows that the Lord does not do evil to anyone, much less does He destroy any one as to body and soul in Gehenna, but that He does good to all and desires to raise up every one as to body and soul into heaven to Himself. This is why the the fear of the spiritual man is a holy fear lest by the evil of life and the falsity of doctrine man should turn away, and thus do harm to that Divine love in himself.

But natural fear is a fearfulness, dread, and terror of dangers and punishments, and thus of hell; this fear abides within every corporeal love, also variously according to the quality and quantity of the love. The natural man who has such fear does not know otherwise than that the Lord does evil to the evil, condemns them, casts them into hell, and punishes them, and on this account such persons are in fear and dread of the Lord.

[24]
... "fear" has reference to the spiritual man, and "dread" to the natural man. That the spiritual man may not be in such fear as the natural man is in, it is said "Fear not."

Fear not, O Jacob, My servant,
and be not dismayed, O Israel,
for I will save the from afar;
Jacob shall be tranquil and quiet,
none shall make him afraid.
(Jeremiah 30:9, 10)

AE 696a - all are saved

AE 696a
... in the measure that a man knows the truths of faith
and lives according to them
does he worship the Lord,
for worship is not from man
but from the truths from good that are with man,
since these are from the Lord, and the Lord is in them.


... all are saved who fear God and live in mutual love,
in uprightness of heart and in sincerity from a religious principle,
for all such, by an intuitive faith in God and by a life of charity,
are consociated as to their souls with the angels of heaven,
and are thus conjoined to the Lord and saved.

AE 695c - "the seed of peace"

Now the seed of peace,
the vine shall give its fruit,
and the land shall give its produce,
and the heavens shall give their dew. (Zechariah 8:12)

AE 695c [13]
"The seed of peace" signifies the truth of heaven and the church,
which is from the Lord;
this is called "the seed of peace"
because it defends from the hells and gives security.
"The vine shall give fruit and the land produce"
signifies that the spiritual affection of truth
shall bring forth the good of charity,
and the natural affection of good and truth
shall bring forth the works of charity;
"vine" signifying the church in respect to the spiritual affection of truth,
"land" the church in respect to the natural affection of truth,
"fruit" the good of charity,
and "produce" the works of that good.
"the heavens shall give dew"
signifies that these things are from influx through heaven from the Lord.

AE 695a - "servants of the Lord"

AE 695a
... those are called "servants of the Lord" who are in truths,
because truths are serviceable for
bringing forth, confirming, and preserving good,
and whatever serves good serves the Lord,
since every good is from the Lord.

AE 689 - Divine omnipotence and Divine order

AE 689 [2]
Because it is of the Divine omnipotence to lead one
who wishes to be led according to order
... it is not of the Divine omnipotence to save those
who are not willing to be led according to order,
for to be led according to order is to be led according to the laws of order,
and the laws of order are the precepts of doctrine and life from the Word;
it is therefore of the Divine omnipotence to lead a man who is willing to be led
according to these every moment and continually to eternity.

AE 685 - "to reign"

AE 685 [3]
... "to reign" belongs to the Lord alone, and when it is said of men,
it means to be in truths from good from the Lord,
and to have power therefrom to resist the falsities from evil.

AE 684c - Psalm 132:7-9 which is part of a loved hymn

AE 684c [27-28]
"We will go into His habitations,
we will bow ourselves at His footstool.
Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy rest,
Thou and the ark of Thy strength.
Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let Thy saints shout for joy" (Psalm 132:7-9)

"We will go into His habitations, we will bow ourselves at His footstool'"
signifies that there He is found, for He is the Word;
"His habitations" here mean the things of the spiritual sense of the Word,
and thus the heavens, for these are in the spiritual sense of the Word,
and "His footstool" means the things of the natural sense of the Word,
and therefore the church,
since in the church are Divine truths in their ultimates,
which serve as a footstool for the spiritual things of the Word
and of the heavens, thus for the Lord Himself who dwells there.

"Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy rest, Thou and the ark of Thy strength,"
signifies the union of the Divine itself with the Human in the Lord,
and consequent peace to all in heaven and the church,
"Jehovah's rest" meaning that union,
and "the ark of His strength" heaven and the church;

Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let Thy saints shout for joy,"
signifies worship from love for those who are in celestial good,
and worship from charity for those who are in spiritual good,
"Priests" meaning those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom,
while those who are in His spiritual kingdom are called "saints."

AE 684a - "See that no one lead you astray"

AE 684a [7]
See that no one lead you astray: for many shall come in My name,
says, I am the Christ, and shall lead many astray.
If any one shall say to you, Lo, here is the Christ, or there, believe it not;
for there shall arise fall Christs and false prophets.
(John 24:4,5,23,24; Mark 13:21-23)

This must not be understood as meaning that there will arise those who will call themselves the Christ or Christs, but those who will falsity the Word, and declare that this or that is Divine truth when it is not.

AE 678 - the glory of the Lord

AE 678 [2]
That the glory of the Lord can be seen from this, that the light of heaven, from which is all wisdom, beauty, and magnificence in the heavens, proceeds from the Lord as a sun, and it is the Lord's Divine love that appears to the angels as a sun. From this it is clear that the light of heaven, which in its essence is Divine truth and Divine wisdom, is the Divine love proceeding; and as love desires nothing else than to give that which is its own to another, thus to fill others with blessedness, what will not the Divine love do? Nevertheless, the Lord cannot give His glory to anyone and fill with them with wisdom and blessedness unless he acknowledges and worships the Lord, for it is by this that man conjoins himself to the Lord by love and faith; for in order that acknowledgment and worship may be acknowledgment and worship, it must be from love and faith; and without conjunction by means of these no good can flow in from the Lord, because it is not received. All this makes clear that "to give glory to the God of heaven" means to acknowledge and worship the Lord.

AE 677 - Who is afraid of hell?

AE 677 [2]
When those who are merely natural have the truths of good that resided in their externals taken away, they are not disturbed by the influx of falsities and evils from hell, still less do they turn away; for their proper thought and will, which has been interiorly concealed with them, consists of mere falsities and evils...; and when they are in these they are enraged against truths and goods, and thence are eager to destroy them. This is why the evil, when they are no longer in externals, are not afraid of evils and falsities, or even of hell, for these belong to their love, consequently to the delights of their life. But it is not so with those who are also spiritual; these are disturbed in mind and become afraid when they are infested by evils and falsities, which takes place when they are among the evil, for they fear the loss of their spiritual life, respecting which they are disturbed in mind and are alarmed, and supplicate the Lord for aid, and turn themselves away from the evil.

AE 675b - ten drachmas

AE 675b [10]
Of the woman having ten drachmas, if she lose one,
does she not light a candle and sweep the house
and seek carefully till she find it? (Luke 15:8)

"Ten" here signifies much. This is said of a "woman,"
and that "she would light a candle and sweep the house"
because of the spiritual sense in every particular of the Word.
In that sense a "woman" signifies the church
in respect to the affection of truth,
thus also the affection of truth itself which belongs to the church;
the "drachma" signifies truth;
"to lose the drachma" signifies to lose one of the truths
or the knowledges of truth;
"to light a candle" signifies self-examination from affection;
"to sweep the house" signifies to traverse the whole mind
and to examine every particular where the truth lies hidden.
This is the spiritual sense of these words.

AE 668 - "a great voice"

AE 668 (Rev. 11:12)
And they heard a great voice out of heaven, saying unto them,
signifies the Lord's Divine Providence.
"A voice out of heaven" signifies all that proceeds from the Lord, which in general is called Divine truth, and with us in the world is called the Word; thus in particular every precept and command in the Word is meant; this is called "a voice out of heaven" because it descended and is continually descending from the Lord through heaven with those who read the Word from the spiritual affection of truth.

AE 659f - "joy of heart" and "gladness of mind"

AE 659f [2]
It is said "rejoice and be glad" because of the marriage of good and truth;
for "joy" is predicated of good because it relates to love,
for it belongs especially to the heart and will,
and "gladness" is predicated of truth,
because it relates to the love of truth,
for it belongs especially to the mind and its thought;
therefore we speak of "joy of heart" and "gladness of mind."

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
(Psalm 118:24)

AE 659d - "Thou shalt know that thy tent is peace"

AE 659d [18]
thou shalt know that thy tent is peace... (Job 5:24)
A "tent" signifies in the Word the holiness of worship and the good of love,
because Divine worship in most ancient times was performed in tents;
and because their worship was from the good of celestial love,
a "tent" signifies also that good;
and since there is genuine peace in celestial good therefore it is said,
"Thou shalt know that they tent is peace."

AE 655a - the capital punishment used by the Children of Israel

AE 655a [4]
As it is here said "where our Lord was crucified," (Rev. 11:8) it shall be told what "crucifixion (or hanging upon wood)" signified with the Jews. They had two modes of capital punishment, crucifixion and stoning; and "crucifixion" signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of good in the church, and "stoning" signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of truth in the church. "crucifixion" signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of good in the church, for the reason that "wood," upon which they were hung, signified good, and in the contrary sense evil, both pertaining to the will; and "stoning" signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of truth in the church, for the reason that "the stone," with which they were stoned, signified truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, both pertaining to the understanding; for all things instituted with the Israelitish and Jewish nation were representative, and thence significative.

AE 654l - a greater sin

AE 654l [68]
...for it is a greater sin to corrupt or pervert the goods of the church than its truths.

AE 654k - Egypt - wilderness - Canaan

AE 654k
In a word, a man must first enrich the memory with knowledges,
afterwards by these his understanding must be cultivated,
and finally the will.
The memory belongs to the natural man,
the understanding to the rational,
and the will to the spiritual.
This is the way of man's reformation and regeneration.
This is why the sons of Israel were first led into Egypt,
afterwards into the wilderness to undergo temptations,
and finally into the land of Canaan,
for as has been said,
they were to represent the church from its first rise to the last end.
Their abiding and sojourning in Egypt
represented the instruction of the natural man;
their wanderings forty years in the wilderness
represented the temptations by which the rational man is formed;
and the land of Canaan, into which there were finally brought,
represented the church, which regarded in itself is spiritual.

AE 654i - in Egypt, in Assyria, in Canaan

AE 654i [57]
The man of the church from being spiritual becomes natural
when he separates faith from charity, that is,
believes the Word but does not live according to its commands;
so also when he claims to himself intelligence
and does not attribute it to the Lord;
from this is the conceit whereby man becomes natural.
For man is first natural, afterwards he becomes rational, and lastly spiritual.
When man is natural he is in Egypt,
when he becomes rational, he is in Assyria,
and when he becomes spiritual he is in the land of Canaan,
thus in the church.

AE 654h - truth shall not rule over good

AE 654h [47]
... truth shall not rule over good,
as is done when the natural man rules over the spiritual...

AE 654g - "Woe to them..."

AE 654g [42]
Woe to them that go down into Egypt for help, and stay on horses,
and trust in the chariot because they are many,
and in horsemen because they are mighty,
but they have no respect unto the Holy One of Israel,
neither seek after Jehovah.
For Egypt is man and not God,
and his horses are flesh and not spirit." Isaiah 31:1, 3

This describes the state of those who wish to be wise in the things of heaven and the church from themselves, thus from self-intelligence and not from the Lord; and as such are merely natural, and thus take everything from the fallacies of the senses, and from knowledges wrongly applied, and pervert and falsify the truths and goods of the church, therefore it is said of them, "Woe to them that go down into Egypt for help, and have no respect unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek after Jehovah"...

AE 654c - the journey to becoming rational

AE 654c [18]
When Israel was a child then I loved him, and called My son out of Egypt.
(Hosea 6:1)
"Israel" signifies in the spiritual sense the church, and in the highest sense the Lord, and as He is the all of heaven is also the all of the church. And as the sons of Israel were to represent the church, and it was according to Divine order that they should first be instructed in such things as would be serviceable to the rational and through this to the spiritual, they first sojourned in Egypt, and afterwards were led into the wilderness that they might undergo temptations, and that through these the natural man might be subdued; for man does not become rational until empty and false knowledges are removed, and the natural man is thus purified, which is effected mainly by temptations.

AE 654a - man becomes an angel

AE 654a [4]
With every man of the church the internal must be conjoined to the external,
or the internal-spiritual man to the external-natural man;
and when these are conjoined the spiritual man,
because it is in the light of heaven,
has dominion over the natural man which is in the light of the world,
and rules it as a master rules a servant,
and teaches it as a teacher teaches a pupil.
It is from this conjunction that a man is a man of the church and an angel.

AE 652b - the truths of doctrine

AE 652B [4]
... all good of life is acquired by means of the truths of doctrine,
for it is by them that a man learns how he ought to live.

AE 650e - man is born anew

AE 650e [60]
... a man who is reformed and regenerated
to the extent that the church may be in him,
is reformed and regenerated little and little;
for he is conceived anew, is born, and is educated,
and this is done so far as the evils and their falsities
that are in him from birth and hereditarily are removed,
which is not effected in a moment,
but through a considerable course of life.

AE 650c - the spiritual man can see

AE 650c [19]
... it was granted to spiritual man from creation to see all things of the natural man, and at the same time to perceive its agreement or disagreement with the spiritual, in order that he might rule the natural...

AE 646 - man is elevated by the Lord into the light of heaven

AE 646 [3]
It is to known that, so far as man acknowledges the Lord and lives according to His commandments he is elevated above what is his own (proprium); which elevation is out of the light of the world into the light of heaven. So long as man lives in the world he dos not know that he is raised up above what is his own (proprium), because he does not feel it, and yet there is an elevation or as it were a drawing of man's interior understanding and interior will towards the Lord, and thus a turning of man's face in respect to his spirit towards the Lord. After death this is made clear to a good man, for then there is a constant turning of his face to the Lord, and as it were a drawing towards Him as to a common center.

AE 644d - building our home on sand or rock

AE 644d
...he that receives the words of the Lord, that is, Divine truths, in one part of the mind only, which is that of the thought or understanding, and not at the same time in the other part, which is that of the affection or will, yields in temptations, and falls into grievous falsities, which are the falsities of evil... but he who receives Divine truths in both parts, that is, both in the understanding and in the will, conquers in temptations. The "rock" upon which that house is founded signifies the Lord as to Divine truth, or Divine truth received by the soul and heart, that is, by faith and love, by the understanding and will.

AE 644b - rain, the inflowing of the Divine

AE 644b [5]
That "rain" in the Word does not mean rain,
but the inflowing Divine,
which causes intelligence and wisdom,
and also the good of love and the truth of faith in man,
to grow and become fruitful....

...for as the grass and herb of the field grow
from the waters of the rain and dew,
so do intelligence and wisdom
by the influx of Divine truth from the Lord.

AE 642 - "fire and a flame go forth out of the mouth of God"

AE 642 [2]
...yet nothing of the fire of anger and wrath goes forth form Him, for He is good itself, love itself, and mercy itself, from which nothing of fire, or of anger, or of wrath, can go forth, yet it is so said, because it so appears. It so appears, because when an evil and infernal spirit assails anything Divine with the intent of hurting it, as when he blasphemes the Lord or the Word, or any good and truth of doctrine, or any good spirit or angel whom the Lord protects, that evil spirit immediately deprives himself of the Lord's protection; for every spirit, the evil as well as the good, is under the Lord's protection, and when that is taken away, he falls into evils and falsities of every kind which are from hell, and at the same time he falls into the hands of those that are from hell, who are called punishers, and these punish and torment him according to the evil that he has done or has attempted to do. From this it can be seen that the Lord does no evil to such, but that the evil spirit himself brings evil upon himself, that is, the evil itself which is in him does it.

AE 638c - evil

AE 638c [17]
... the appearance that all evil almost seems to be from God,
because He is omnipotent and does not avert it;
for it is not known that to avert the evil of punishment
would be contrary to order,
for if it were averted evil would increase
until there would be no good remaining.

AE 635 - Rev. 11:3 (first part)

AE 635
And I will give unto my two witnesses,
signifies the good of love and charity and the truth of doctrine and faith,
both from the Lord.

AE 631 - in the evils themselves are the evils of punishment

AE 631
...we should pray to God not to lead us into temptations;
this is said because it appears as if God so leads,
and yet God leads no one into temptations;
again, it is said that God is angry, punishes, casts into hell,
brings evil upon the wicked, and many other like things,
and yet God is never angry, never punishes or casts into hell,
nor does He at all do evil to any one,
but the wrongdoer himself does this to himself by his evils,
for in the evils themselves are the evils of punishment.

AE 629c - the infinity that belongs to the Lord

AE 629c [15]
... the infinity that belongs to the Lord is without measure or quality,
for measure and quality are properties of the finite,
since measure and quality determine what is finite and set limits to it,
but what is without limit is infinite.

AE 629a - "breadth", "length", "height"

AE 629a [4]
As those in heaven who dwell from south to north are in the truths of doctrine, so "breadth" signifies the truth of heaven or the church; and as those who dwell in heaven from east to west are in the good of love, so "length" signifies the good of heaven or of the church; and as those who dwell in the third heaven, who are the most wise, are in things highest, while those who dwell in the first heaven, who are relatively simple, are in things lowest, so "height" signifies wisdom and intelligence in their degrees.

AE 627a - Divine truth descends by degrees

AE 627a [5]
Divine truth in the highest degree is such as is the Divine that proceeds most nearly from the Lord, thus such as is the Divine truth above the heavens; and as it is infinite, it cannot come to the perception of any angel.

But Divine truth of the first degree is that which comes to the perception of the angels of the inmost or third heaven, and is called celestial Divine truth; from this is the wisdom of those angels.

Divine truth of the second degree is that which come to the perception of the angels of the middle or second heaven, and constitutes their wisdom and intelligence, and is called spiritual Divine truth.

Divine truth of the third degree is that which comes to the perception of angels of the lowest or first heaven, and constitutes their intelligence and knowledge, and is called celestial-natural and spiritual-natural Divine truth.

But Divine truth of the fourth degree is that which comes to the perception of the men of the church who are living in the world, and constitutes their intelligence and knowledge; this is called natural Divine truth, and its lowest is called sensual Divine truth.

AE 625 [5] - our spiritual mind

AE 625 [5]
And yet a man who has lived in the world a life of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor comes, after his departure from the world, into indescribable intelligence and wisdom; for his interior mind, which is the very mind of his spirit, is then opened, and then the man, when he becomes an angel, thinks and speaks from that mind, and consequently thinks and speaks such things as he could not utter or comprehend in the world. Such a spiritual mind, which is like the angelic mind, every man has; but because man while in the world speaks, sees, hears, and feels, by means of a material body, that mind lies hidden within the natural mind, or lives above it; and what man thinks in that mind he is wholly ignorant of; for the thought of that mind then flows into the natural mind, and there limits, bounds, and so presents itself as to be seen and perceived. So long as man is in the body in the world, he does not know that he has within him this mind, and in it possesses angelic intelligence and wisdom, because, as has been said, all things that abide there flow into the natural mind, and thus become natural according to correspondences. This has been said to make known what the Word is in the spiritual sense, which sense is wholly abstracted from persons and places, that is, from such things as derive their quality from the material things of the body and the world.

AE 625 - the good of love

AE 625 [2]
...the good of love gives its quality to every truth....

AE 624d - "prophet"

AE 624d [15]
...prophets" mean in the spiritual sense all who are wise from the Lord;
and this whether they teach or do not teach.
..."prophet" also signifies in the highest sense the Lord
in relation to the Word,
and as to doctrine from the Word,
and likewise the Word and doctrine;
and in the contrary sense "prophets" signify the perversions
and falsification of the Word and the falsities of doctrine.

AE 622b - no action, no life

AE 622b [13]
... to the extent that any part of the body does not suffer itself to be put into action by the understanding and the will, it has no life.

AE 619a - every delight of life

AE 619a [6]
Every delight of life that abides to eternity
is a delight of spiritual good and truth,
and from that delight or natural good and truth...

AE 617e - "to eat"

AE 617e [33]
..."to eat" spiritually is simply to fill the mind with its own food, which is to wish to know, understand, and become wise is such things as pertain to eternal life.

AE 617b - "To eat the labor of his hands"

AE 617b [6]
Blessed is every one that fears Jehovah, that walks in his ways.
Thou shalt eat the labor of thy hands; blessed art thou,
and it is good with thee. (Psalm 128:1-2)

"To eat the labor of his hands"
signifies the celestial good that man receives from the Lord
by a life according to Divine truths,
and acquires as it were by his own labor and zeal,
therefore it is said that he shall eat
"Who fears Jehovah and walks in His ways,"
and it is added "Blessed art thou, and it is good with thee."

AE 612 - the Word is the doctrine of Divine Truth

AE 612
... the Lord is the Word,
wherefore when the Word is opened the Lord appears.

AE 610 - "That time shall be no more"

AE 610
That time shall be no more (Rev. 10:6),
signifies that there shall be no longer any understanding of Divine truth, nor any state of the Church therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "time," as being here the state of man in respect to the understanding of the Word, and thus the state of the church....

AE 601a-b - "to roar"

AE 601a [10]
God roars with His voice; He thunders with the voice of His majesty;
nor yet does He overthrow when His voice is heard;
God thunders marvelously with His voice. (Job 37: 4,5)

"To roar" and "to thunder with the voice"
signify the power and effectiveness of Divine truth or the Word.

AE 601b [11]
In the passages that have been cited, "to roar" signifies in a broad sense the ardent affection of protecting heaven and the church, or the angels of heaven and the men of the church which is done by destroying the falsities of evil by means of Divine truth and its power. But in the contrary sense, "to roar" signifies an eager cupidity for ruining and destroying the church, which is done by destroying Divine truth by means of the falsities of evil.

AE 600b - the establishment of a celestial church

AE 600b [15]
In that day will I make the leaders of Judah
like a furnace of fire among wood,
and like a torch of fire in a sheaf,
that they may devour all the peoples round about,
on the right hand and on the left,
that Jerusalem may yet dwell in her own place in Jerusalem.
Zechariah 7:6

This treats of the establishment of a celestial church,
or of a church that will be in the good of love to the Lord;
that church is meant by "the house of Judah."
Her "leaders" mean the good with the truths of that church;
the dispersion of evils and falsities by these is signified by
"they shall be made like a furnace of fire among wood,
and like a torch of fire in a sheaf,"
and by "they shall devour all the peoples round about,
on the right hand and on the left;"
the evils that will be dispersed by that church are signified by
"like a furnace among the wood, and like a torch in a sheaf;"
and the falsities that will also be dispersed are signified by
"all the peoples round about, whom they shall devour or consume;"
that this church will be safe from the infestation of evils and falsities,
and will live in the good of life according to the truths of doctrine,
is signified by
"Jerusalem shall yet dwell in her own place in Jerusalem;"
"to be dwelt in" is predicated of the good of life,
and "Jerusalem" signifies the church in respect to the truths of doctrine.

AE 600a - let not the left hand know what the right hand is doing

AE 600a
But when you do alms,
do not let the left hand know what your right hand is doing,
so that your alms may be in secret. (Matthew 6:3-4)

This signifies that good is to be done from good and for the sake of good,
and not on account of self and the world for the sake of appearance;
"alms" mean every good work;
and "let not the left hand know what that right hand is doing"
signifies that good must be done from good itself,
and not without good, since that would not be good.
The "right hand" signifies good which is a source of truth,
and the "left hand" truth from good...
these act as one in those who are in the good of love and charity,
but not as one in those who have regard to self and the world in the good they do;
therefore the"left hand" means here to know and to act without good.
"That your alms may be in secret"
signifies that it may not be fore the sake of appearance.

AE 594a - "Encompassed with a cloud"

AE 594a (Rev. 10:1)
Encompassed with a cloud, signifies the ultimate of the Word.
This is evident from the signification of "encompassed,"
as being by what is outside of one,
for that which is round about is also without,
for it is more remote in the circumference; so here it means the ultimate.
Also from the signification of "cloud," as being Divine truth in ultimates,
consequently the Word in the sense of the letter.

AE 588 - truths are the light

AE 588
...spiritual life consists in the understanding of truth
and in perception from the will of good;
for truths are in the light of heaven...
and this because the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord
makes all light in the spiritual world,
and that light gives all intelligence and wisdom to angels

AE 587c - self-intelligence

AE 587c
From self-intelligence nothing but falsity comes...

AE 585b - Egypt, Assyria, Israel, and the Lord

AE 585b [13]
Jehovah of Hosts shall bless, saying,
Blessed be Egypt my people,
and Assyria the work of My hands,
and Israel Mine inheritance. Isaiah 19:25

"Egypt" here signifies the natural,
"Assyria" the rational,
and "Israel" the spiritual;
and "Assyria" is called "the work of Jehovah's hands"
because the rational is what is reformed in man,
for it is the rational that receives truths and goods, and from this the natural;
the spiritual is what regenerates, that is, the Lord by spiritual influx;
in a word, the rational is the medium between the spiritual and the natural,
and the spiritual, which regenerates,
flows in through the rational into the natural,
and thus the natural is regenerated.

Bless, O Jehovah, his strength, and accept the work of his hands.
Deuteronomy 33:11

This is said of Levi, who signifies the good of charity,
and in the highest sense the Lord in respect to that good;
reformation by means of it is meant by "the work of his hands."

AE 585a - repentance

AE 585a [3]
To repent is to actually turn oneself away from evils...
repentance which is merely of the thought and of the lips,
and not at the same time of the will and of action therefrom,
is not repentance,
for then the life remains the same afterwards as it was before.

AE 582 - "And with them do they hurt"

AE 582
And with them do they hurt, (Rev. 9:19)
signifies that thus they pervert the truths and goods of the church. This is evident from the signification of "to hurt", as being to pervert the truths and goods of the church by means of crafty reasonings from sensual knowledges or fallacies.

AE 577a - intelligence

AE 577a [3]
... only those who receive influx from heaven are intelligent,
for all intelligence and wisdom flow in out of heaven from the Lord,
it follows that they who are in the falsities of evil have no intelligence;
for in the higher and spiritual mind is closed....

AE 576 - spiritual evil, spiritual good

AE 576 [7]
...all evil is from the love of self,
and all falsity is from the love of the world
which has its origin in the love of self;
for spiritual evil, which is meant by the love of the world,
is in its essence falsity,
as spiritual good is in its essence truth.

AE 572 - opening the understanding

AE 572
...man has spiritual life through his understanding, for he becomes a spiritual man in the measure in which his understanding is opened and permits itself to be enlightened by means of truths. But it is by means of truths from good that the understanding is opened, not by means of truths without good; for man thinks truth so far as he lives in the good of love and charity.

AE 569c - reasonings

AE 569c [23]
Reasonings from the spiritual man are rational, and therefore might better be called conclusions from reason and from truths, because they are from the interior and from the light of heaven;
but reasonings from the natural man respecting spiritual things are not rational, however rational they may be in things moral and civil, which are evident before the eyes, because they are from natural light alone;
but reasonings from the sensual man respecting spiritual things are irrational, because they are from fallacies and thus from ideas that are false; these are the reasonings here treated of and in the Apocalypse.

AE 567 - "offering incense"

AE 567 [3]
...worship from spiritual good,
which is the good of charity towards the neighbor,
also the grateful hearing and acceptance by the Lord....

AE 563 - 3 degrees of life

AE 563 [2]
It is to be known, that there are three degrees of life with every man,
an inmost, a middle, and an ultimate;
and that man becomes more perfect, that is wiser,
as he becomes more interior,
because he thus come so much the more interiorly into the light of heaven.

AE 556b - "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."

AE 556b [9]
"An eye for and eye, and a tooth for a tooth,"
signifies that so far as any one takes away from another the understanding of truth and the sense of truth, so far are they taken away from him, the "eye" signifying the understanding of truth, and "tooth" the sense of truth, for a "tooth" means truth or falsity such as the sensual man has.

AE 556a - teeth, lions, locusts

AE 556a
And their teeth were those of lions, (Rev. 9:8)
signifies that sensual things, which are the ultimates of the intellectual life,
seem to them to have power over all things;
from the signification "teeth," as being the sensual things which are the ultimates of the natural life in respect to the understanding;
and from the signification of "lions," as being the truths of the church in respect to power, but here falsities destroying truths, thus also these in respect to power.
Here falsities are meant, because "locusts" signify the corporeal-sensual who are in the falsities of evil. These seem to themselves to have understanding, and thereby power over all things, because that persuasiveness which has been treated of above has its seat in the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural life; for this sensual, or the sensual man, is in self-confidence, and in the belief that he is wiser than all others, for he is unable to weigh and explore himself because he does not think interiorly,,,

AE 555a - a person is a person

AE 555a [2]
... a person is a person because the church is in him,
and where the church is, there is heaven.

AE 551 - two faculties

AE 551
Moreover, the faculty to perceive good, like the faculty to understand truth, is given to every man, for truth loves good and good loves truth; these, therefore, constantly wish to be conjoined, and they are conjoined like the will and the understanding, or like affection and thought. When they are conjoined, then the understanding thinks truth from the affection of thinking it, and then the understanding also sees the truth and the will perceives it. To perceive truth from the affection of the will is to perceive good, for truth is changed into good when man wills it or is affected by it, that is when he loves it; and for this reason everything that is loved is called good.

AE 544 - "to dwell among scorpions"

AE 544 [3]
"To dwell among scorpions" (Ezekiel 2:6) means among those who have persuaded themselves, and strongly persuade others, of falsities, and who do not admit any truth; therefore they are called "stubborn and thorny," also "hard of face and obdurate in heart." Moreover, in those who are in a strong persuasion of falsity the interiors which belong to the rational mind are closed up, consequently they think and speak from the lowest sensual only, and when this sensual is enkindled by the fire of self-love it is hard and obdurate, and also hardens and makes obdurate the interiors of others who it addresses.

obdurate = obstinate, stubborn, inflexible, pig-headed, adamant, unyielding, unbending, immovable, stiff-necked

AE 543b - the spiritual man

AE 543b [4]
For the spiritual man from infancy is closed, and is opened and formed only by Divine truths received by the understanding and will; and in so far in extent and quality as the spiritual man is opened and formed, the evils of the natural and sensual man are removed, and goods are implanted in place of them. As all evils have their seat in the natural and sensual man it follows that falsities do also, because all falsities are of evil; for when man lusts and wills from evil he thinks and speaks from falsity.

Unless the thought is elevated from sensual things, mans has but little wisdom. (Also in AC 5089.)

AE 540b - freedom

AE 540b [10]
All freedom of thinking and acting is from the spiritual man,
because the spiritual man thinks and wills out of heaven from the Lord,
and to be led of the Lord is freedom.

AE 539a - the Lord appears to everyone

AE 539a [4]
... the Lord appears to every one according to his quality;
to those who are in truths from good He appears as a serene light,
but to those who are in falsities from evil as smoke from fire.

AE 537b - "the blood of Thy covenant"

AE 537b [12]
"The blood of Thy covenant" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Word, which is called a covenant because it the means of conjunction....

AE 532 - "Where two and three are gathered"

AE 532 [10]

Where two and three are gathered together in My name,
there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)

Here two and three are not meant,
but those who are in good and in truths therefrom;
neither does the Lord's "name" mean His name,
but all the good of life and the truth of faith by which He is worshiped.

AE 525 - the good of love & truth of faith

AE 525
... when the good of love and the good of truth of faith are no longer with man,
the appearance to him is that they no longer exist, and that they have perished....

AE 520 - the perception of truth

AE 520
The perception of truth comes from good, not from evil.

AE 518b - trees & gardens, rivers & water

AE 518b
Where trees and gardens are treated of in the Word,
waters and rivers to water them are also mentioned,
for the reason that "trees" signify perceptions and knowledges,
and "waters" and "rivers" truths and understanding therefrom;
for without the understanding of truths
man is like a garden where there is no water,
whose trees wither away.

As the valleys are they planted,
as gardens by the river,
as aloes which Jehovah has planted,
and as cedar-trees beside the waters.
(Numbers 24:6)

AE 514d - the Lord calms

AE 514d [22]
... the Lord calms the tempestuous commotions of the natural man
when the spiritual mind is opened,
and through it the Lord flows into the natural.

AE 514a - "ship", etc.

AE 514a [2]
... "Tyre" signifies the knowledges of truth and good,
therefore her trading is treated of,
and the various wares by which she was enriched.
... "ship" signifies doctrine from the Word,
and that its "planks," "oars," and "mast"
signify the various things of which doctrine consists;
also that those who teach, lead and rule, are meant by
"pilot," "ship-masters," "rowers," and "mariners,"
and the doctrinals themselves by its "wares,"
and the acquisition of spiritual wealth and spiritual riches,
which are the knowledges of truth and good,
through which wisdom is gained, by "trading."

AE 513b - animals, fowl, fishes

AE 513b [9]
Thou made him to rule over the works of Thy hands;
thou hast put all things under his feet, the flock and all herds,
the beasts of the fields, the fowl of heaven, and the fish of the sea,
whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas.
(Psalm 8:6-8)

This is said of the Lord and His dominion.
That He has dominion over angels in the heavens and over men on the earth is known from the Word,
for He says that unto Him "all power in heaven and in earth has been given' (Matthew 28:18);
but that dominion was given to Him over animals, fowl, and fishes,
is not a matter of sufficient importance to be mentioned in the Word,
where each and everything has reference to heaven and the church.
It is therefore evident that "flock and herds, the beasts of the field,
the fowl of heaven, and the fish of the sea,"
mean such things as belong to heaven with angels
and to the church with man,
"the flock and the herds" signifying, in general, things spiritual and natural,
the "flock" things spiritual,
and "herds" things natural that are with man,
or that belong to the spiritual mind and to the natural mind with him.
"The beasts of the fields"
signify things voluntary, which belong to the affections;
"the fowl of heaven"
signify things intellectual, which belong to the thoughts;
and "the fishes of the sea"
signify knowledges which belong to the natural man.

AE 507 - "green grass"

AE 507
All the green grass was burnt up (Rev.8:7)
... the signification of "grass," as being knowledge....
the signification of "green," as being truth and living from truth,
because as green grass serves as food for animals,
so true knowledge serves for spiritual nourishment for man;
for whatever is produced in fields, in gardens, and in plains,
and serves for nourishment for man or beast,
has a correspondence with such things as serve
for the nourishment of the spirit and mind,
and such nourishment is called spiritual nourishment.

AE 504 - "fire"

AE 504b [9]
... the good of love is signified by "fire"....

AE 504c [23]
Because "fire" in the contrary sense, or in respect to the evil, properly signifies the love of self, and "flame" the love of the world, so also "fire" signifies every evil, as enmity, hatred, revenge, and many others, for all evils swarm forth from these two origins (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, no. 75); consequently "fire" signifies also the destruction of man in respect to spiritual life...

AE 504a - "the Ancient of Days"

AE 504a [3]

He came to the Ancient of Days;
His vesture is like white snow,
and the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne is a flame of fire,
His wheels a glowing fire;
a stream of fire issues and goes forth from Him.
(Daniel 7:9,10,13)

"The Ancient of Days" also means the Lord;
here "the Son of man" means the Lord in relation to Divine truth,
and "the Ancient of Days" the Lord in relation to Divine good or Divine love,
and He is called "the Ancient of Days" from that most ancient time
when there was a celestial church, which was in love to the Lord.
That church and the heaven of those who were from it
are meant by "the throne which was like a flame of fire;"
but "the wheels which were like a glowing fire"
signify the doctrine of celestial love;
the Divine love itself proceeding from the Lord is signified by
"the fire issuing and going forth from before Him."

AE 502b - the sound of the trumpet

AE 502b [7]
Because Divine truth coming down from the Lord through the heavens makes the hearts glad and infuses the holiness of worship, and therefore trumpets were sounded on days of gladness and at the feasts...

Blessed is that people who know the trumpet sound;
they shall walk, O Jehovah, in the light of Thy face.
Psalm 89:15

AE 491 - in every part of the Word

AE 491 [2]
... in every part of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth,
that is, where it treats of good it also treats of truth,
and spiritual good in its essence is truth...

AE 489a - "to stand before God"

AE 489a [3] - Revelation 8:2

... "to stand before God" meaning to be conjoined to Him; and when they are conjoined to Him more interiorly and closely, those in who there is no spiritual good are separated; for it is spiritual good only that conjoins, and not any external or natural good that does not derive its essence, and its existence, from spiritual good.

[4]
Spiritual good is formed with man by the Lord by means of truths and a life according to them....

AE 484 - "And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes."

AE 484 - Revelation 7:17

And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes,
signifies a state of blessedness from the the affection of truth,
after falsities have been removed by temptations.

... the spiritual affection of truth is from good, and good constitutes it.
This is the source of all blessedness with angels,
because Divine truth proceeding from the Lord constitutes heaven
in general and in particular,
therefore those who are in Divine truths are in the life of heaven,
consequently in eternal blessedness.

AE 483a - "living waters"

AE 483a
"Living waters" are often mentioned in the Word,
and by them are meant truths that come from the Lord and are received.
These are living, because the Lord is Life itself....

AE 478 - serving the Lord

AE 478 [3]
Affection or love constitutes the life of every one; consequently those who are in the affection of truth constantly serve the Lord, even when they are in their vocation, business, and employments, for the affection that is within reigns continually and serves. Moreover this is the service the Lord desires, but not being constantly in temples and in worship. To be in temples in worship there, and not in truths, is not serving the Lord, but serving the Lord is to be in truths, and to act sincerely and justly in everything; for then the principles of truth, sincerity, and justice, that are with man, serve the Lord.

AE 471 - "to answer"

AE 471 [2]
...the expression "to answer" frequently occurs in the Word,
and it signifies, in reference to the Lord,
influx, inspiration, perception, and information, likewise mercy and aid....

AE 465 - John 17:10

AE 465
Father, all Mine are Thine, and all Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
(John 17:10)
... it was a custom with the ancients to say, "Blessed be God," and "Blessing be to God," likewise, "Glory and wisdom be to God," by which they did not mean that to Him be blessing, glory, and wisdom, since it is from Him that all blessing, glory, and wisdom come; but they mean that these are from Him with all men. They spoke in this way that the things they had received they might ascribe to God only, and nothing to themselves, and because, speaking this, they spoke from the Divine, and not from themselves.

AE 455c - confess the Lord

AE 455c [22]

Jesus said, These signs shall follow them that believe;
in My name they shall cast out demons,
and they shall speak with new tongues. (Mark 16:17)

"To cast out demons"
signifies to remove and reject the falsities of evil;
and "to speak with new tongues"
signifies to confess the Lord
and the truths of the church from Him.

AE 453a - "Which no one could number"

AE 453a
Which no one could number (Rev. 7:9)
signifies that the Lord alone knows of what quality and how much of good and truth there is in them.
This is evident from the signification of "number",
as meaning what is the quality of a thing,
so "to number"
means to know the quality of a thing....
It also signifies that the Lord alone knows this,
as is meant by "which no one could number;"
for no man and no angel knows the quality of good and truth with another in every series and connection....
All of this no one sees but the Lord alone....

AE 452 - no one is damned who lives a good life according to his religion

AE 452
It is to be known that no one, either within the church where the Word is or outside of that church, is damned who lives a good life according to his religion, for it is not the fault of such that they are ignorant of genuine truths. Moreover, as the good of life holds deep within it the affection of knowing truths, when such come into the other life they easily receive truths and drink them in. It is altogether different with those who have lived an evil life and made light of religion.

AE 449a - the Lord was born in Bethlehem

AE 449a [3]
...the Lord was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1,5,6) because He was born a king, and truth conjoined to good was with Him from birth.
...in the Lord alone the natural had a desire for good and a longing for truth; for the ruling affection in man, which is his soul, is from the father; and with the Lord the affection or soul from the Father was the Divine Itself, which is the Divine good of the Divine love.

AE 449a - the spiritual-celestial

AE 449a
The spiritual-celestial is truth conjoined to good;
for truth regarded in itself is spiritual,
and good is celestial...

AE 448c - "with Your mighty arm"

AE 448c [10]

With Your mighty arm You have redeemed Your people.
Psalm 77:15

...signifies to save them by omnipotence, for those who had been such were saved by the Lord through His coming into the world, and could not have been saved otherwise.

AE 445 - reward

AE 445
... so far as man looks to self in what he does, he does not look to heaven.

AE 444b - beautiful pearls

AE 444b [10]
The spiritual affection of truth consists in loving the truth itself, and esteeming it above every good of the world, because through it man has eternal life, and the only means by which eternal life is implanted in man are truths, consequently the Word, for through the Word the Lord teaches truths. The spiritual affection of truth, which is to love truths above every good of the world, is thus described by the Lord in Matthew 13:45,46:

The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking beautiful pearls; who, when he had found one pearl of great price, going away, sold all that he had and bought it.

"pearl" signifying truth.

[12]
... truth in act, which is the good of life or the good of charity.

AE 444a - love & charity

AE 444a [3]
Love and charity are the spiritual affection of good and truth; since affection is predicated of love in its continuity, for affection is the continuation of love. This, too, is what the priesthood and its ministry signify in the Word, for this affection is the essential of the church, for where it is there the church is, and where it is not there the church is not; for the affection of good and truth is the very spiritual life of man, and when man is affected by good and truth he is in good and truth in respect to his life, and his thought itself is nothing but affection in a different form, for whatever a man thinks he derives from affection; no one can think without affection.

AE 439 - spiritual temptations lead to regeneration

AE 439

... temptations occur for the sake of regeneration....

...since every temptation is a combat between the spiritual man and the natural; for the spiritual man loves and wills the things that are of heaven, while the natural man loves and wills the things that are of the world, since it is in the world, consequently the desires of the two are opposite, which gives rise to collision and combat, and this is called temptation.

[2] ...the state after temptation, which state is full of joy from affection, that the spiritual and the natural, and good and truth, have been conjoined, for these are conjoined by temptations....

AE 438 - three universal essentials & the 12 tribes

AE 438
Heaven and the church are constituted, in general, of three universal essentials, namely,
love to the Lord,
charity towards the neighbor,
and the obedience of faith;
love to the Lord
is signified by the first three tribes, Judah, Reuben, and Gad;
charity towards the neighbor
is signified by these three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh;
while the obedience of faith
is signified by the three tribes next names, Simeon, Levi, and Issachar;
the conjunction of all of these with the Lord
is signified by the last three tribes, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
This, in brief, is the signification of all these tribes named in this order,
for their signification is determined by the order in which they are named
(as has been said and shown above, n. 431c, 435a, 436).

AE 434a - the light of heaven

AE 434a [6]
It should be known that all light in which truth is seen is from the light of heaven which is from the Lord; the light of heaven is from the Divine good of the Lord's Divine love; the light of heaven is Divine good in form.

AE 433d - Judah & Israel

AE 433d [24]

Judah became His sanctuary, and Israel His domain.
(Psalms 114:2)

"Sanctuary" signifies in the highest sense the Lord Himself,
and in a relative sense the worship of Him from the good of love;
"Israel" signifies the truth of the church from that good:
and because truths from good, that is good by means of truths,
have all power, therefore it is said "Israel became His domain."

AE 433b - loving to do good

AE 433b [7]
...those who are in the good of life are thereby in love to the Lord;
for those who love to do good love the Lord;
for the Lord is in such good, since it is from Him.