HH 266 - angels have supereminent wisdom

HH 266
What the wisdom of the angels is
can be inferred from the fact that they are in the light of heaven,
and the light of heaven
in its essence is Divine truth or Divine wisdom . . ..
The angels are also in heavenly heat,
which in its essence is Divine good or Divine love,
and from that they have an affection and longing to become wise.
That the angels are in wisdom,
even to the extent that they may be called wisdoms,
follows from the fact that their thoughts and affections
all flow in accordance with the heavenly form,
and this form is the form of Divine wisdom;
also that their interiors,
which are recipients of wisdom,
are arranged in that form.

[2] That the angels have supereminent wisdom
is shown also by the fact that their speech is the speech of wisdom,
for it flows directly and spontaneously from thought,
and their thought from their affection,
thus their speech is thought from affection in outward form . . ..
That the angels have such wisdom
is in accord with the fact that all things
that they behold with their eyes and perceive by their senses
agree with their wisdom,
since they are correspondences of it,
and thus the objects perceived
are representative forms of the things that constitute their wisdom.

super·emi·nent (so̵̅o̅′pər em′ə nənt), adj.
eminent beyond others in rank, dignity, etc.;
supremely remarkable, distinguished, etc.
(from Websters)

HH 263 - written thoughts in heaven

HH 263
I have also seen writings from heaven made up of mere numbers
set down in order and in a series,
just as in writings made up of letters and words;
and I have been taught that this writing is from the inmost heaven . . ..
For all numbers correspond, and have a meaning,
the same as words do, in accordance with the correspondence;
yet with the difference
that in numbers generals are involved,
and in words particulars;
and as one general involves innumerable particulars,
so more arcana are involved in numerical writing than in literal writing.

"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them.

Matthew 15:1-20 - The Clean and Unclean

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law
came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
They don't wash their hands before they eat!"

Jesus replied,
"And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
For God said, 'Honor your father and mother'
and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'
But you say that if a man says to his father or mother,
'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me
is a gift devoted to God,'
he is not to 'honor his father' with it.
Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

" 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand.
What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,'
but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "

Then the disciples came to him and asked,
"Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?"

He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted
will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides.
If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."

"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them.
"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth
goes into the stomach and then out of the body?
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart,
and these make a man 'unclean.'
For out of the heart come evil thoughts,
murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
These are what make a man 'unclean';
but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' "

HH 238 - the speech of angels

HH 238
As the speech of angels corresponds to their affection,
and their affection belongs to their love,
and as the love of heaven is love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor,
it is evident how choice and delightful their talk must be,
. . . for it [is] love speaking.

HH 221-2 - worship of the Divine in heaven

HH 221-2
Divine worship in the heavens
is not unlike in externals Divine worship on the earth,
but in internals it is different.

. . . they have also church edifices, in which there is preaching.
Such things exist in heaven,
because the angels are being perfected continually in wisdom and love.
For they possess, as people do, understanding and will;
and both their understanding and their will
are capable of being continually perfected,
the understanding by means of truths of intelligence,
and the will by means of the goods of love.

. . . essential Divine worship in the heavens does not consist
in going to church and hearing preaching,
but in a life of love, charity, and faith, in accordance with doctrine . . ..

HH 223-226 has some interesting information about how churches are structured in the celestial and spiritual heavens, inward & outward holiness, and the preachers there. These numbers are quoted in today's comments.

HH 214, 215, 219 - government in the celestial heavens, spiritual heavens, and homes of the spiritual heavens

HH 214
Government in the Lord's celestial kingdom is called righteousness
because all in that kingdom are in the good of love to the Lord from the Lord,
and whatever is from that good is called righteous.
Government there belongs to the Lord alone.
He leads them and teaches them in the affairs of life.
The truths that are called truths of judgment are written on their hearts;
everyone knows them, perceives them, and sees them;
and in consequence matters of judgment there never come into question,
but only matters of righteousness, which belong to the life.
About these matters the less wise consult the more wise,
and these consult the Lord and receive answers.
Their heaven, that is, their inmost joy, is to live rightly from the Lord.

HH 215
In the Lord's spiritual kingdom the government is called judgment;
because those in that kingdom are in spiritual good,
which is the good of charity towards the neighbor,
and that good in its essence is truth;
and truth pertains to judgment,
as good pertains to righteousness.
These, too, are led by the Lord, but mediately;
and in consequence they have governors,
few or many according to the need of the society in which they are.
They also have laws according to which they live together.
The governors administer all things in accordance with the laws,
which they understand because they are wise,
and in doubtful matters they are enlightened by the Lord.

HH 219
Also in each house there is a like government in a lesser form.
In every house there is a master and there are servants;
the master loves the servants and the servants love the master,
consequently they serve each other from love.
The master teaches how they ought to live, and tells what is to be done;
the servants obey and perform their duties.
To perform use is the delight of everyone's life.
This shows that the Lord's kingdom is a kingdom of uses.

HH 197 - length, breadth, height

HH 197 [2]
In this world,
that is called long or broad which is long or broad in relation to space,
and the same is true of height.
But in heaven,
where there is no thought from space,
length means a state of good,
breadth a state of truth,
and height the distinction between them in accordance with degrees.
Such is the meaning of these three dimensions,
because length in heaven is from east to west,
and those that dwell there are in good of love;
while breadth in heaven is from south to north,
and those that dwell there are in truth from good;
while height in heaven applies to both of these in respect to degrees.

In like manner the New Jerusalem is described. . .

The city lies foursquare,
and the length thereof is as great as the breadth;
and he measured the city with the reed,
twelve thousand furlongs;
the length, the breadth,
and the height are equal.
(Revelation 21:16)

Because "the New Jerusalem" here signifies a new church
these measures signify the things of the church,
"length" its good of love,
"breadth" truth from that good,
"height" good and truth in respect to degrees,
"twelve thousand furlongs" all good and truth in the complex.
Otherwise,
how could there be said to be a height of twelve thousand furlongs,
the same as the length and the breadth?
That "breadth" in the Word signifies truth is evident from David:

Jehovah, Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy,
Thou hast made my feet to stand in a broad place.
(Psalm 31:8)

Out of straitness I called upon Jah;
He answers me in a broad place.
(Psalm 118:5).

So in all other cases.

HH 186 - love, wisdom, intelligence

HH 186
. . . love belongs to good,
wisdom to good and truth together,
and intelligence to truth from good.

HH 167 - to eternity vs. from eternity

HH 167
I was once thinking about eternity,
and was able, with the idea of time,
to perceive what to eternity means, namely, without end,
but not what from eternity means,
thus not what God did from eternity before creation.
When anxiety on this account arose in my mind
I was raised up into the sphere of heaven,
and thus into the perception that angels have in respect to eternity;
and it was then made clear to me
that eternity must be thought of,
not from time but from state;
and then the meaning of from eternity can be seen.

HH 143-145 - the angels have the Lord constantly before their faces & these wonders

AC 143-145
As the Lord is constantly before the faces of the angels,
so it is said in the world of those who believe in the Lord and love Him
that they have God before their eyes and their face,
and that they look to God, and see God.

This turning to the Lord is among the wonderful things in heaven.
There may be many together in one place,
some turning the face and body one way and some another,
and yet all see the Lord before them (in the east),
and have everyone has the south at his right, the north at his left,
and the west behind him.
Another wonderful thing is that,
although the angels look only to the east
they have also a look towards the other three quarters;
but the look to these is from their interior sight,
which pertains to their thought.
And it is yet another wonderful thing
that in heaven no one is ever permitted
to stand behind another and look at the back of his head,
for this would disturb the influx of good and truth from the Lord.

The Lord is seen by the angels,
and the angels are seen by the Lord
in another way.
Angels see the Lord through their eyes;
but the Lord sees the angels in the forehead,
and this for the reason that the forehead corresponds to love,
and it is through love that the Lord flows into their will,
while it is through the understanding, to which the eyes correspond,
that He causes Himself to be seen.

HH 139 & 140 - The Lord as the Sun of Heaven - Esse, Existere, Procedere

HH 139 & 140
It must be understood
that the Divine good and the Divine truth
that are from the Lord as a sun in the heavens
are not in the Lord,
but are from the Lord.
In the Lord there is only Divine love,
which is the Being [Esse]
from which the Divine good and the Divine truth spring.
Outgo [existere] from being [esse] is meant by going forth [procedere].
This, too, can be made clear by comparison with the world's sun.
The heat and light that are in the world are not in the sun,
but are from the sun.
In the sun there is fire only,
and it is from this that heat and light spring and go forth.

Since the Lord as a sun is Divine love,
and Divine love is Divine good itself,
the Divine that goes forth from the Lord,
which is His Divine in heaven,
is called, for the sake of distinction, Divine truth,
although it is in fact Divine good united to Divine truth.
This Divine truth is what is called the Holy that goes forth from Him.

HH 118 123 - seeing the Lord

HH 118
. . . every person sees the Lord
in accordance with the quality of his reception of the Lord,
thus He is seen in one way by those that receive Him with the good of love,
and in another by those that receive Him with the good of faith.
Those that receive Him with the good of love see Him as a sun,
fiery and flaming, in accordance with their reception of Him;
these are in His celestial kingdom;
while those that receive Him with the good of faith see Him as a moon,
white and brilliant in accordance with their reception of Him,
and these are in His spiritual kingdom.
This is so because good of love corresponds to fire;
therefore in the spiritual sense fire is love;
and the good of faith corresponds to light,
and in the spiritual sense light is faith.

HH 123
As it is from the Divine love that is in and from Him
that the Lord appears in heaven like a sun,
so all in the heavens are turned constantly to Him. . ..
But those that are in hell
turn themselves to an opposite darkness and dense darkness,
that is, they turn backwards, away from the Lord;
and for the reason that all in the hells are in love of self and the world,
thus antagonistic to the Lord.

HH 108, 112-113 - order, correspondences, uses

HH 108
. . . all things in the world spring from the Divine,
and are clothed with such things in nature
as enable them to exist there and perform use,
and thus to correspond . . ..

HH 112
. . . all things that exist in accordance with order are forms of uses,
or effects formed from use for use,
and this is why the things in nature are correspondences.
But in the case of man,
so far as he is in accordance with Divine order, that is,
so far as he is in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor,
are his acts uses in form, and correspondences,
and through these he is conjoined to heaven.
To love the Lord and the neighbor
means in general to perform uses.

HH 113
. . . all things that are in accord with Divine order
correspond to heaven . . .

HH 87, 89, 90-91 - What are correspondences? Can we see them in our faces?

HH 87
What correspondence is is not known at the present day,
for several reasons, the chief of which is
that man has withdrawn himself from heaven
by the love of self and love of the world. . . .
This was not so with the ancient people.
To them the knowledge of correspondences was the chief of knowledges.
By means of it they acquired intelligence and wisdom;
and by means of it
those who were of the church had communication with heaven;
for the knowledge of correspondences is angelic knowledge.
The most ancient people, who were celestial men,
thought from correspondence itself, as the angels do.
And therefore they talked with angels,
and the Lord frequently appeared to them, and they were taught by Him.
But at this day that knowledge has been so completely lost
that no one knows what correspondence is.

HH 89
First, what correspondence is.
The whole natural world corresponds to the spiritual world,
and not merely the natural world in general,
but also every particular of it;
and as a consequence everything in the natural world
that springs from the spiritual world is called a correspondent.
It must be understood that the natural world
springs from and has permanent existence from the spiritual world,
precisely like an effect from its effecting cause.

HH 90
Since man is both a heaven and a world in least form . . .
there is in him both a spiritual and a natural world.
The interior things that belong to his mind,
and that have relation to understanding and will,
constitute his spiritual world;
while the exterior things that belong to his body,
and that have relation to its senses and activities,
constitute his natural world.
Consequently, everything in his natural world
(that is, in his body and its senses and activities),
that has its existence from his spiritual world
(that is, from his mind and its understanding and will)
is called a correspondent.

HH 91
From the human face it can be seen what correspondence is.
In a face that has not been taught to dissemble,
all the affections of the mind present themselves to view
in a natural form, as in their type.
This is why the face is called the index of the mind;
that is, it is man's spiritual world presented in his natural world.
So, too, what pertains to the understanding is presented in speech,
and what pertains to the will is presented in the movements of the body.
So whatever effects are produced in the body,
whether in the face, in speech, or in bodily movements,
are called correspondences.

HH 76 - bodily eyes, spiritual eyes

HH 76
. . . it must be remembered that a person cannot see
angels with his bodily eyes,
but only with the eyes of the spirit within him,
because his spirit is in the spiritual world,
and all things of the body are in the natural world.
Like sees like from being like. . . .
Nevertheless these things can be seen by a person
when he has been withdrawn from the sight of the body,
and the sight of his spirit has been opened;
and this can be effected instantly
whenever it is the pleasure of the Lord
that a person should see these things;
and in that case, a person does not know
but what he is seeing them with his bodily eyes.
Thus were angels seen by Abraham, Lot, Manoah, and the prophets;
and thus, too, the Lord was seen by the disciples after the resurrection;
and in the same way angels have been seen by me.
Because the prophets saw in this way they were called "seers,"
and were said "to have their eyes opened" (1 Sam. 9:8; Num. 24:3);
and enabling them to see thus was called "opening their eyes,"
as with Elisha's servant, of whom we read:

Elisha prayed and said,
Jehovah, I pray Thee open his eyes that he may see;
and Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man and he saw,
and behold the mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
(2 Kings 6:17)

HH 64 - performing use

HH 64
To perform use is to will well to others for the sake of the common good;
but to will well to others not for the sake of the common good
but for the sake of self
is not to perform use.
These latter are such as love themselves supremely,
while the former are such as love the Lord supremely.
Thence it is that those who are in heaven act as a one;
and this they do from the Lord, not from themselves,
for they look to Him as the Only One, the source of all things,
and they regard His kingdom as the general,
the good of which is to be sought.
This is what is meant by the Lord's words:

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all things shall be added unto you.
(Matthew 6:33)

HH 54-56 - Where is heaven?

HH 54
It can in no sense be said that heaven is outside of any one;
it is within him.
For it is in accordance with the heaven that is within him
that each angel receives the heaven that is outside of him.

HH 55
As everyone receives the heaven that is outside of him
in accordance with the quality of the heaven that is within him,
so in like manner does everyone receive the Lord,
since it is the Divine of the Lord that makes heaven.

HH 56
Again, heaven is where the Lord is acknowledged, believed in, and loved.

HH 30 - heaven, from the necessity of order, is threefold - and so are we

HH 30
The interiors of a person,
which belong to his mind and disposition,
are also in like order.
He has an inmost, a middle, and an outmost part;
for when man was created
all things of Divine order were brought together in him,
so that he became Divine order in form,
and consequently a heaven in miniature.
For this reason also a person,
as regards his interiors,
has communication with the heavens
and comes after death among the angels,
either among those of the inmost, or of the middle, or of the outmost heaven,
in accordance with his reception of Divine good and truth from the Lord
during his life in the world.

(If we live to be celestial angels as our goal, we miss the point.
The celestial angels probably don't give a hoot about being celestial.
They care solely about serving the Lord.)

HH 16 - Willing is loving to do.

HH 16
. . . to love the Lord and to love the neighbor
is to love what is good and true,
and to do this from the will,
. . . that one demonstrates love
by willing and doing what another wishes,
and it is this that brings reciprocal love and conjunction,
and not loving another without doing what he wishes,
which in itself is not loving;
also that people should know
that the good that goes forth from the Lord is a likeness of Him,
since He is in it;
and that those who make good and truth to belong to their life
by willing them and doing them
become likenesses of the Lord and are conjoined to Him.
Willing is loving to do.
That this is so the Lord teaches in the Word, saying,

He that has My commandments and does them, he it is that loves Me;
and I will love him and will make My abode with him.
(John 14:21, 23)

And again:

If you do My commandments, you will abide in My love.
(John 15:10)

HH 2 - the Lord our God is One Lord

THE GOD OF HEAVEN IS THE LORD
HH 2
First of all it must be known who the God of heaven is,
since upon that all the other things depend.
Throughout all heaven
no other than the Lord alone is acknowledged as the God of heaven.
There it is said, as He Himself taught,

That He is one with the Father;
that the Father is in Him, and He in the Father;
that he who sees Him sees the Father;
and that everything that is holy goes forth from Him.
(John 10:30, 35; 14:9-11; 16:13-15)

I have often talked with angels on this subject,
and they have invariably declared
that in heaven they are unable to divide the Divine into three,
because they know and perceive
that the Divine is One and this One is in the Lord.
They also said that those of the church
who come from this world having an idea of three Divine beings
cannot be admitted into heaven,
since their thought wanders from one Divine being to another;
and it is not allowable there to think three and say one.
Because in heaven everyone speaks from his thought . . ..
Consequently, those in this world who have divided the Divine into three,
and have adopted a different idea of each,
and have not made that idea one and centered it in the Lord,
cannot be received into heaven,
because in heaven there is a sharing of all thoughts,
and therefore if any one came thinking three and saying one,
he would be at once found out and rejected.

AC 10826 & 10828 - the Human of the Lord & Its glorification

AC 10825
Those who make the Human of the Lord like the human of any other man,
do not think about His conception from the Divine Itself,
nor about His resurrection with the whole body,
nor about Him as seen when He was transfigured,
in that His face shone as the sun.
Neither do they know and apprehend that the body of everyone
is a likeness or effigy of his soul,
nor that the Lord is omnipresent even in respect to the Human,
for from this is the belief in His omnipresence in the Holy Supper.
Omnipresence is Divine.

"And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Amen.
(Matthew 28:20)

AC 10828
The Lord came into the world in order to save the human race,
which otherwise would have perished in eternal death;
and He saved it by this:
that He subjugated the hells
which were infesting every person that came into the world
and that went out of the world;
and at the same time by this:
that He glorified His Human,
for in this way He can hold the hells in subjection to eternity.
The subjugation of the hells and the simultaneous glorification of His Human,
were effected by means of temptations admitted into His Human,
and by continual victories then.
His passion on the cross was the last temptation and the full victory.

AC 10797 -honor of employment

AC 10797
No honor of any employment is in the person;
but it is adjoined to him
according to the dignity of the thing which he administers,
and that which is adjoined is separate from the person,
and also is separated from him together with the employment.
The honor that is in the person
is the honor of the wisdom and fear of the Lord [that he displays].

AC10785 - wandering monks

AC 10785
When the angelic spirits who were from that earth came into view,
they accosted us, asking who we were, and what we desired.
We said that we were travelers, and that we had been conveyed thither,
and that they need not be afraid of us.
For they were afraid that we were of those who disturb them about God,
about faith, and about other like things . . ..
They were asked by what those persons disturb them.
They replied, "By the idea of Three,
and by the idea of a Divinity in God without any Humanity,
when yet they know and perceive that God is one, and that He is a Man.
It was then perceived that those who disturbed them,
and whom they fled from, were from our earth.
This was perceived also from the fact
that those in the other life who wander about in this way
from an eagerness and delight in traveling
which they contracted in the world, are from our earth;
for on other earths there are no such travelings about.
It was afterward found that their visitors were monks
who had traveled about on our globe from a zeal for converting the Gentiles;
and therefore we said that they do well to avoid them,
because their intention is not to teach,
but to get rich, and to rule;
and that they first take pains to captivate the minds of others,
and then they subject them to themselves as slaves.

AC 10775 & 10781- Divine Providence

AC 10775
Those who think about the Divine Providence from worldly things,
conclude from these that it is only universal,
and that the singulars belong to man.
But these persons are not acquainted with the arcana of heaven,
for they form their conclusions solely
from the loves of self and of the world and their pleasures;
and therefore when they see the evil exalted to honors,
and gaining wealth rather than the good;
and also that the evil succeed in accordance with their skill,
they say in their hearts that it would not be so
if the Divine Providence were in each and all things.
But these persons do not consider
that the Divine Providence does not look
to that which is fleeting and transitory,
and which comes to an end together with the life of man in the world;
but that it looks to that which remains to eternity, thus which has no end.
That which has no end is;
but that which has an end, relatively is not.

AC 10781
Be it known that there is providence and there is foresight.
Good is that which is provided by the Lord,
but evil is that which is foreseen by the Lord.
The one must be with the other,
for that which comes from man is nothing but evil;
but that which comes from the Lord is nothing but good.

AC 10738 - body & soul

AC 10738 [4-6]
The body is the instrumental
by which the will, which is the principal, acts;
and in acting the instrumental
and the principal are together a one.
And so it is with the soul and the body.
The angels in heaven have such an idea about the soul and the body;
and from this they know
that the Lord made His Human Divine from the Divine in Himself,
which was His soul from the Father.
Moreover, the faith everywhere received in the Christian world
does not dissent from this, for it teaches,
"As the body and soul are one man,
so also in the Lord, God and Man are one Christ."

As such was the union, or such the one, in the Lord,
He therefore rose again not only as to the soul;
but, differently from any man, as to the body which He glorified in the world.
He also instructed the disciples about this, saying,
"Feel Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have."

From this it is
that the church acknowledges
the omnipresence of His Human in the Sacrament of the Supper,
which could not be acknowledged unless His Human also was Divine.
These things were well understood by these spirits;
for such things fall into the understanding of angelic spirits;
and they said that the Lord alone has power in the heavens,
and that the heavens are His.
To this it was given to reply that the church also knows this
from the mouth of the Lord Himself
before He ascended into heaven,
for He then said,
"All power has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."

AC 10729 - action and reaction

AC 10729 [2]
For there is action and reaction in all things that are conjoined.
The agent is good,
and the reagent is truth.
But truth never reacts from itself; but from good,
consequently insofar as truth receives good, so far it reacts;
and insofar as it reacts, so far it is conjoined with good.
From this it also follows that before a person is being conjoined with the Lord,
the Lord impels him to Himself by means of truths;
and insofar as the person suffers himself to be brought to Him,
so far he is conjoined.
For truths Divine are of such a nature that they can be fitted to good,
because truths come forth from good.
From this the person now has perception, which in itself is a reacting.
To suffer one's self to be impelled [agi],
or brought to good by means of truths,
is to live according to them.
These things have been said
in order that it may in some measure be known how the case is
in regard to the first state of the person who is being regenerated,
which is signified by the "six days of labor."


The whole of this number is in today's comments.

AC 10718 - those who have heaven in them

AC 10718
Those who have heaven in them desire the good of all,
and feel delight in benefiting others,
not for the sake of themselves and the world,
but for the sake of the good,
and for the sake of the truth,
which is so to be done.

AC 10691 - "the skin of his faces shone"

AC 10691
That Moses knew not that the skin of his faces shone
when he spoke with Him.
(Exodus 34:30)
That this signifies the internal of the Word shining forth in its external
without the external perceiving it,
is evident from the representation of Moses,
as being that external of the Word in which is the internal . . ..

The reason why the internal sense shines,
is that Divine truth is there,
such as there is in the heavens,
and the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord
appears to the angels as light,
and moreover, is the light of heaven.

AC 10640 - looking to false principles vs. AC 10642 - looking to the Lord and AC 10645 - worship of the Lord in faith and love

AC 10640 [2]
. . . there must be no adherence
to any religious persuasion whatever that has evil in it.

As this is one of the primary things by means of which
the person of the church is enlightened when he reads the Word,
and as this is the subject treated of in what now follows,
it shall be told how the case herein is.
The person who wishes to be enlightened by the Lord
must take especial care not to appropriate to himself
any teaching that supports what is evil.
A person appropriates it to himself
when he confirms it with himself,
for he thereby makes it of his faith,
and still more so if he lives according to it.
When this is done,
the evil remains inscribed on his soul and on his heart.
And when this has been done,
he cannot possibly be afterward enlightened by the Word from the Lord,
for his whole mind is in the faith and in the love of his principle,
and whatever is contrary to it,
he either does not see, or else rejects, or falsifies.

AC 10642 [3]
But on the other hand,
when the Lord is worshiped,
who is the God of heaven and earth,
then the angels from heaven who are with the person
do not claim to themselves anything of worship,
because they attribute all truth of faith and good of love to the Lord,
and nothing to themselves;
consequently there is opened through them a way even to the Lord Himself,
who conjoins them with Himself in faith and love.
From all this it can be seen how important it is to worship the Lord Himself,
who has all power in the heavens and on earth,
as He Himself says in Matthew 28:18.

Then Jesus came to them and said,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

AC 10645 [2]
[2] But something must here be said
in regard to the worship of the Lord from faith and from love.
Many suppose that they worship the Lord by faith
when they believe the things of the doctrine of the church,
and that they worship the Lord by love when they love Him.
Yet the Lord is not worshiped by merely believing,
and by merely loving,
but by living according to His commandments,
because these persons alone believe in the Lord and love Him.
The others say that they believe in Him, and yet they do not believe;
and they say that they love Him, and yet they do not love Him.
The reason why those alone believe in the Lord and love Him
who live according to His commandments is
that the Lord is not in the understanding of truth
without the willing of it;
but is in the understanding of truth
together with the willing of it.
For truth does not enter into a person and become his,
until the person wills it and from willing does it,
because the will is the person himself,
whereas the understanding
is only so far the person as it partakes of the will.

(This whole number is quoted in today's comments.)

AC 10633 & AC 10638 - a "wonderful thing"

AC 10633
For the Word is wonderful in this respect,
that it is Divine as to every jot,
for every word corresponds to some spiritual thing
which may be said to be stored up within it,
because the spiritual of the Word is made manifest with the angels,
when the Word is read by a person.
The case herein is this.
Each and all things in the natural world have a correspondence
with those which are in the spiritual world,
and this down to every word.
And the Word has been so written
that its words in their series involve series of spiritual things,
which do not appear to a person
unless he is acquainted with correspondences.
In this way what is Divine lies hidden in the Word.
From this the Word is spiritual, as also it is called.
This therefore is what is here meant by a "wonderful thing,"
because the subject treated of
is the Word which was to be written among that people.

AC 10638 [2]
It is said that if Moses' people observe that which Jehovah commands,
He will drive out these nations from their faces,
by which is signified that if they do the primary precepts
which are of the eternal truth,
evils and falsities will be removed.
These precepts are the things which follow in the internal sense,
the chief of which are
that they should not acknowledge any other god than the Lord;
and that from Him is all good and truth;
and also that salvation and eternal life are from Him.
With those who believe these things,
and love it to be so,
all evil and falsity are removed while they are reading the Word,
because the Lord then enlightens them and leads them.
And then they do not think from themselves,
nor are they affected by the Word from themselves,
but from the Lord;
consequently no evil and falsity of evil enter,
because the Lord removes these.
These are they who understand the Word,
and are affected by the truths from it,
and also love to live according to them.

AC 10618 & 10623

AC 10618 [2]
As regards anger,
be it known further that evil becomes angry,
and good never,
for the reason that to be angry is to will evil to another,
which good cannot do,
for good consists in willing the good of another.

AC 10623
Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons and upon the sons' sons.
(Exodus 34:7)
[2] He who is not acquainted with the internal sense of the Word
might easily believe that Jehovah visits the iniquity of the fathers
upon the sons and upon the sons' sons,
consequently that the sons are to suffer punishment for the evils of their fathers;
but that this is not the meaning is very evident from the Divine law
that the fathers are not to die for their sons,
nor the sons for their fathers,
but every man for his own evil (Deut. 24:16).
>From this it is evident that these words are to be understood otherwise
than according to the letter.

The angels, who also perceive the Word when it is being read by a man,
here understand nothing else by "fathers" and by "sons";
because in heaven, where the angels are,
it is not known, as it is with men, what a father is, and what a son is,
for there no one acknowledges anyone for his father,
nor anyone for his son,
because no one is born there as in the world;
and therefore when mention is made in the Word of "father" and "son,"
the angels perceive these expressions as relating to spiritual births,
which are those of good and truth, or of evil and falsity;
and therefore by "fathers" they perceive goods or evils,
and by "sons" truths or falsities,
because good is the father of truth, and evil is the father of falsity.

AC 10614 & 10627 - The Word has an external sense, and internal sense, and an inmost sense

AC 10614 [2]
The Word in the external sense is such as it appears in the letter;
this sense is natural,
because it has been accommodated
to the apprehension of men, for men think naturally.
But the Word in the internal sense is spiritual,
because it has been accommodated
to the understanding of the angels in the Lord's spiritual kingdom,
for these angels think spiritually.
And the Word in the inmost sense is celestial,
because it has been accommodated
to the perception of the angels in the Lord's celestial kingdom,
for the angels in this kingdom think super-spiritually.
The Word being of this nature,
it follows that one thing is in another in the like order;
the inmost in the internal, and the internal in the external.
From this there is a connection of all things,
and an influx according to the connection,
and a consequent subsistence of one thing from another.
From all this it is evident
that the interior things are in order in what is external;
in a like manner as what is prior is, successively, in what is posterior,
or as the end is in the cause, and the cause in the effect;
or as with man will is in thought, and thought in speech.

AC 10627
That by "let the Lord go in the midst of us,"
is signified that the Divine may be within the external,
is because by Moses is represented that external of the Word,
of the church, and of worship, which receives the internal;
and in the external of these there must be an internal,
which is Divine.
And there is a Divine internal in the external,
when each and all things have an internal sense,
which is for the angels of all the heavens.
To effect this, the external sense,
which is the sense of the letter,
must consist of pure correspondences;
and it consists of pure correspondences when all the words,
and all the connections of the words,
signify in the internal sense things spiritual and celestial.
These are the internal Divine things in the external.

AC 10603 - the second set of the "tables of stone"

AC 10603
Hew thee two tables of stones like the former ones.
(Exodus 34:1)
That this signifies the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship,
such as it was on account of that nation,
is evident from the signification of the "tables of stones,"
as being the external of the Word.
The external of the Word is the sense of its letter.
That it also denotes the external of the church and of worship
is because the church is from the Word, and also worship;
for all the truth that is of faith and the good that is of love,
which make the church and also worship,
must be from the Word;
consequently as there are in the Word an external and an internal,
there are also an external and an internal in the church, and in worship.
And from the signification of "hewing" them, when done by Moses,
as being to make the external such on account of that nation;
and from the signification of "like the former ones,"
as being in imitation,
for the former ones were made by Jehovah,
but these by Moses.

[3] That this subject may appear in clearer light,
it may here be explained in what manner the external sense,
or sense of the letter,
was changed for the sake of that nation.
On account of that nation, altars, burnt-offerings, sacrifices,
meat-offerings and drink-offerings were commanded,
and therefore in both the historic and the prophetic Word
these things are mentioned as the most holy things of worship;
when yet they were allowed
merely because they were first instituted by Eber,
and had been quite unknown in the ancient representative church.

[4] It was on account of that nation also
that there was Divine worship in Jerusalem alone,
and that for this reason that city was esteemed holy,
and was also called holy in both the historic and the prophetic Word.
The reason was that that nation was at heart idolatrous,
and therefore
unless they had all come together unto that city at each feast,
everyone in his own place
would have worshiped some god of the Gentiles,
or else a graven and molten image.

On account of that nation also it was forbidden
to have holy worship upon mountains and in groves,
as had the ancients;
which was done to prevent them from placing idols there,
and worshiping the trees themselves.

[5] On account of that nation also a plurality of wives was permitted,
a thing quite unknown in ancient times;
and likewise the putting away of their wives for various causes.
Consequently laws were enacted
relating to such marriages and divorces,
which otherwise would not have entered into the external of the Word.

Wherefore this external is spoken of by the Lord as given by Moses;
and as having been granted because of the hardness of their hearts.

AC 10582 - to become altogether external, or merely sensuous

AC 10582 [4]
To become sensuous is not to understand and believe anything
but what the external sense asserts.

AC 10578 - the faces of Jehovah

AC 10587 [2-3]
. . . those can see them who are in love to the Lord,
and also those who are in charity toward the neighbor;
for love to the Lord
and charity toward the neighbor
open the internal man,
and when this is open,
the person, in respect to his interiors,
is in heaven among the angels where the Lord is.

He who believes that he loves the Lord,
and does not live according to His commandments,
is very much mistaken,
for to live according to the Lord's commandments is to love Him.
These commandments are truths which are from the Lord,
thus in which the Lord is;
and therefore insofar as they are loved,
that is, insofar as men live according to them from love,
so far the Lord is loved.

AC 10570 - What causes worship to be internal?

AC 10570 [2]
. . . it is the Divine truths revealed in the Word
which cause worship to be internal,
provided that people know them and live according to them.
For if a person could worship God in a holy manner without them,
there would be no need of any doctrine of the church,
nor of any preaching.

AC 10555 - What is truth without good and good without truth?

AC 10555
. . . truth without good is like a body without life;
and good without truth is like life without a body.

AC 10548 - to inquire of the Lord

AC 10548 [2]
. . . to inquire of the Lord is to consult the Word;
for in the Word the Lord is present,
seeing that the Word is the Divine truth which is from Him,
and that He is with the angels in His Divine truth,
and also with the men of the church who receive Him.

In today's comments is AC 10551 about influx and enlightenment.

AC 10528 - "And I will send an angel before thee."

AC 10528
And I will send an angel before thee.
(Exodus 33:2)

. . . "an angel" also signifies the Divine of the Lord
with the people who receive it;
for people who are in the good of love
and in the truths of faith
in the Lord from the Lord,
after death become angels;
and those who do so are angels inwardly
even while they live in the world.

AC 10500 - simply put, internal things . . .

AC 10500 [3]

. . . belong to love and faith in the Lord
and to eternal life thereby.


AC 10505 [3]
. . . those who are in the life of truth and good,
. . . do the Divine commandments from love and faith.
For a life according to these commandments
opens the internal man and forms him,
and what is written therein
is written by the Lord,
and remains to eternity.

AC 10495 - blessing and conjunction

AC 10495
. . . "blessing" denotes conjunction with the Lord.
. . . and that through the Word
there is conjunction of the Lord with a person,
and of heaven with the world, see n. 10452.

AC 10490 - the meanings of relationships & temptations

AC 10490 [4-5]
He who does not know that by "brethren," "companions," "neighbors,"
and many other names of relationship
are signified the goods and truths of the church and of heaven;
and their opposites, which are evils and falsities;
cannot know what is involved in many other passages in the Word
where these names occur, as in the following:

Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth;
I am not come to send peace, but a sword.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father,
and the daughter against her mother,
and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and a man's foes shall be those of his own household.
Whosoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me;
and whosoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
and whosoever does not take up his cross and follow after Me,
is not worthy of Me.
(Matthew 10:34-38)

spiritual combats are here treated of,
which are temptations to be undergone by those who are to be regenerated,
thus the contentions arising in a person between the evils and falsities
which are with him from hell,
and the goods and truths which are with him from the Lord.
Because these combats are here described, it is said,
"whosoever doth not take up his cross,
and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me;"
by the "cross" being meant the state of a person when in temptations.
He who does not know that such things are signified
by "man" and "father," by "daughter" and "mother,"
by "daughter-in-law" and "mother- in-law,"
must believe that the Lord came into the world
in order to take away peace in homes and families, and introduce dissension;
and yet He came to give peace and to take away dissensions,
according to His own words in John 14:27, and elsewhere.

Peace I leave with you,
My peace I will give to you;
not as the world give do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.

That the dissension of the internal and the external person
is described in this passage (Matthew 10:34-38),
is evident from the signification in the internal sense of
"man" and "father," of "daughter" and "mother,"
and of "daughter-in-law" and "mother-in-law,"
in which sense "man" [homo] denotes the good which is from the Lord;
"father" denotes the evil which is from man's own;
"daughter" denotes the affection of good and truth;
"mother" denotes the affection of evil and falsity;
"daughter-in-law" denotes the truth of the church adjoined to its good;
and "mother-in-law" denotes falsity adjoined to its evil.
And because the combat between goods and evils,
and between falsities and truths, with a person is described,
it is also said that "a man's foes shall be those of his own household,"
for by "those of his own household" is signified
the things that appertain to man, thus which are his own;
and "foes" in a spiritual sense denote the evils and falsities
which assault goods and truths.

AC 10481 - only the Lord has the power

AC 10481
Deliver me from mine enemies O my God;
set me on high from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity.
Lo, they lie in wait for my soul.
(Psalm 59:1-3).

In these and many other passages,
by "enemies" and "those who rise up against"
are signified evils and falsities which are from hell.
They are called "those who rise up against,"
because evils and falsities rise up against goods and truths;
but not the reverse.

[2] That those who are in external things separate from what is internal
have no power to resist the evils and falsities which are from hell,
is because all power to resist these is from the Divine.
Wherefore they who have been separated from what is internal,
who also have been separated from what is Divine,
have no power;
consequently they are borne along by evils and falsities
wherever hell carries them, like a flock and a straw by the wind....

AC 10452 - the use of the Word

AC 10452 [2-4]
. . . the heavens subsist by means of Divine truth,
and that without it there would be no heavens,
and that the human race subsists by means of heaven;
for unless heaven flowed in with a person,
the person would not be able to think at all,
thus not to will anything rationally.
In order therefore that heaven may subsist,
and the human race by conjunction with it,
the Word has been provided by the Lord,
wherein is Divine truth for angels and for mankind,
the Word in its spiritual and celestial sense
being of such a nature as to contain within it
angelic wisdom itself in so surpassing a degree
that it is scarcely possible
for a person to form any conception of its excellence,
although in the letter it appears very simple and unpolished.

From this it is evident that heaven is in its wisdom from the Word
when it is being read by a person,
and then at the same time the person is in conjunction with heaven.
To this end has such a Word been given to mankind.

From this it follows that if this medium of conjunction were not in the world,
conjunction with heaven would perish,
and with this conjunction
all good of the will and all truth of the understanding in a person,
and with these that very humanity which consociates man with man;
consequently evil and falsity would be in full possession,
whereby one society would perish after another.
For it would be as
when a person walks in thick darkness and stumbles wherever he goes;
and it would be as when the head is in a delirium,
in consequence of which
the body is carried madly and insanely even to its destruction;
and it would be as when the heart fails,
causing the organs and members to cease to perform their uses,
until the whole body dies.

Such would be the state of person unless heaven were conjoined with him,
and heaven would not be conjoined with him
unless there were the Word;
or unless Divine truth were communicated immediately through angels,
as in ancient times.
When heaven is mentioned, the Divine also is meant,
for the Divine of the Lord makes heaven;
so that to be conjoined with heaven is to be conjoined with the Lord;
and to be disjoined from heaven is to be disjoined from the Lord;
and to be disjoined from the Lord is to perish;
for the whole disposal of things for good,
which is called Providence,
is from this source;
and were such disposal removed,
all things would rush into evil, and so into devastation.
From all this it can be seen what is the use of the Word;
but few will believe that the Word is of such a nature and of so great a use.

AC 10445 - I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens. (Exodus 32:13)

AC 10445
I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens.
(Exodus 32:13)
That this signifies goods and truths,
and the knowledges of these,
is evident from the signification of "seed,"
when said of heaven and the church,
as being the good and truth therein;
and from the signification of "stars,"
as being the knowledges of good and truth.

AC 10431 - Does the Lord get angry?

AC 10431
In many passages of the Word
it is said of Jehovah that He burns with anger and is wroth,
and also that He consumes and destroys.
But it is so said
because it so appears to the person
who turns himself away from the Lord,
as is the case when he does evil;
and as then he is not heard, and is even punished,
he believes that the Lord is in anger against him;
although the Lord is never angry, and never consumes,
for He is mercy itself and good itself.
From this it is evident what is the nature of the Word as to the letter,
namely, that it is according to the appearance with a person.

AC 10409 - Divine blessings

AC 10409 [3]
. . . the goods, the satisfactions, and the happiness
that are given and provided for a person by the Divine
are eternal and have no end;
and consequently these are true blessings.

What is temporary bears no ratio to what is eternal;
as what is finite in time bears no ratio to the infinite of time.
What endures to eternity, this is;
but what has an end, this relatively is not.
That which is, the Divine provides;
but not that which is not,
except insofar as it conduces to that which is;
for Jehovah, which is the Divine Itself, is,
and that which is from Him also is.

AC 10406 - "graven images" - "molten images" - "golden calf"

AC 10406
. . . "forming with a graving tool,"
when said concerning an idol,
as being to prepare false doctrine from one's own intelligence,
which is effected by the application of the sense of the letter of the Word
in favor of the loves of self and of the world;
for when these loves reign,
the man is not in any enlightenment from heaven,
but takes all things from his own intelligence,
and confirms them from the sense of the letter of the Word,
which he falsifies by a wrong application and a perverted interpretation,
and afterward favors such things because they are from himself.

[2] In the Word throughout
mention is made of "graven images" and "molten images."
They who apprehend the Word merely according to the letter
suppose that idols only are meant by these images.
Nevertheless idols are not meant, but false doctrinal things of the church,
such as are formed by man himself under the guidance of some love of his.
The forming of these falsities to cohere, and to appear as if they were truths,
is signified by a "graven image."
The joining of them together to favor external loves,
so that evils may appear as goods,
is signified by a "molten image."
As both are meant by the "golden calf,"
therefore it is here said that Aaron "formed it with a graving tool,"
by which is meant the forming of falsities
so as to appear as if they were truths;
and by its being said that he "made the gold a molten calf."
And afterward that he
"cast it into the fire, and it came forth a calf" (verse 24),
means the joining together to favor external loves
so that evils may appear as goods.
Such moreover is the case with all doctrine that is made from man,
and not from the Lord;
and it is made from man
when he has as his end his own glory or his own profit;
but it is from the Lord
when the good of the neighbor and the good of the Lord's kingdom
are regarded as the end.

AC 10400 - the internal man, the internal sense of the Word, and the angels in heaven

AC 10400 [3-4]
. . . the internal sense itself,
which in some measure lies open to everyone
(even if he does not know what the internal sense is)
who is in what is external from what is internal,
that is, whose internal man is open.
For heaven (which is in the internal sense of the Word)
flows in with such a man when he reads the Word, enlightens him,
and gives him perception, and thus teaches him.
Nay, if you will believe it,
with man the internal man is of itself in the internal sense of the Word,
because it is a heaven in the least form,
and consequently when it is open it is with the angels in heaven,
and is therefore also in like perception with them.

But of the nature of these ideas man is not aware
so long as he lives in the body;
but he comes into them spontaneously when he comes into the other life,
because they are implanted in him,
and by means of them he is forthwith in fellowship with the angels.
From this it is evident that the man whose internal is open,
is in the internal sense of the Word,
although he is not aware of it.
From this he has enlightenment when he reads the Word,
but according to the light
that he can have by means of the knowledges which he has.

AC 10376 - the finger of God

AC 10376.
Tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
That this signifies Divine truth therein from the Lord Himself,
is evident from the signification of the "tables,"
as being the Law in the whole complex, thus the Word;
from the signification of "stone,"
as being Divine truth in ultimates;
and from the signification of "written with the finger of God,"
as being from the Lord Himself;
for that which is written with the finger of anyone is from him.
The reason why these tables were of stone,
and the words of the Law were written on stone,
was that "stone" signifies truth in ultimates,
and Divine truth in ultimates is the sense of the letter of the Word,
within which is the internal sense.

AC10367 - the Lord with man

AC 10367 [3-4]
Man is born into evils of every kind,
and consequently into falsities of every kind,
thus of himself he is condemned to hell.
In order therefore that he may be rescued from hell,
he must needs be born again of the Lord.
This being born again is what is called regeneration.
In order therefore that he may be born again,
he must first learn truths,
and if he is of the church he must learn them from the Word,
or from doctrine derived from the Word.
The Word and doctrine from the Word teach what is true and good,
and truth and good teach what is false and evil.
Unless man knows these, he cannot possibly be regenerated,
for he remains in his evils and their falsities,
calling the former goods, and the latter truths.

For this reason the knowledges of truth and good must precede,
and must enlighten the man's understanding.
For the understanding was given to man
in order that it may be enlightened
by means of the knowledges of good and truth,
to the end that these may be received by his will, and may become good;
for truths become good
when the man wills them, and from willing them does them.
From this it can be seen in what manner good is formed with man,
and that unless man is in good,
he is not born anew, or regenerated.
When therefore a man is in good as to the will,
he is then in the truths of this good as to the understanding.
For the understanding with man actually acts as a one with his will,
because that which a man wills, he thinks when he is left to himself.
This then is what is called the conjunction of truth and good,
or the heavenly marriage.
Whether you say to will what is good,
or to love what is good, it is the same;
for what a man loves he wills.
And whether you say to understand the truth which is of good,
or to believe it, it is also the same.
From this it follows that with the regenerate man love and faith act as a one.
This conjunction, or this marriage,
is what is called the church, and heaven, and also the Lord's kingdom;
nay, in the supreme sense, the Lord with man.

The whole of this number is quoted in comments.


AC 10374.
. . . the "rest of Jehovah"
denotes peace and salvation for the angels in the heavens,
and for men on earth when these are in good and thereby in the Lord.

AC 10360 - the sabbath

AC 10360 [3]
That the conjunction of good and truth also, is signified by "the Sabbath,"
is because when a person is in combats he is in truths;
but when truths have been conjoined with good,
thus when the person is in good, he then has rest;
in like manner as the Lord,
when He was in the world, and fought with the hells,
was in respect to His Human Divine truth;
and when He had united His Human to the Divine Itself,
He then, even in respect to His Human, became the Divine good, or Jehovah.

AC 10334 - there are many genera and species of goods

AC 10334
There is celestial good and there is spiritual good;
there is good interior and exterior,
exterior good being natural and sensuous;
there is the good of innocence,
the good of love,
the good of faith.
Good must be in all truth in order that it may be truth.
Moreover, the good with man is formed by means of truths,
consequently good is varied and becomes manifold,
so manifold indeed that no angel, no spirit, and no man,
is in like good with another.
The universal heaven consists in variety as to good,
and by this variety one is distinguished from another.
For if a number had the same good, there would be no distinction;
but these various goods are so ordered by the Lord
that together they constitute one general good.
Be it known that the Divine good is one, because infinite;
but that with angels, spirits, and men,
it is varied in quality and quantity by its reception in truths;
for truths qualify good,
that is, give to good its quality; and truths are manifold.

AC 10331 - "In wisdom, and in intelligence, and in knowledge, and in all work." (Exodus 31:3)

AC 10331 [4-7]
With those who are in the good of love to the Lord,
wisdom, intelligence, knowledge, and work,
follow together in order from inmost to outermost.
With such men, wisdom is inmost, for it is to will well from love;
intelligence is second, for it is to understand well from willing well.
These two are of the internal man.
Knowledge consists in knowing well,
and work in doing well,
both from willing well.
These two are of the external man.
From this it is evident that wisdom must be in intelligence,
intelligence in knowledge,
and knowledge in work.
Thus work includes and brings to a conclusion all the interior things,
for it is the ultimate in which they close.

The Son of man shall render unto everyone according to his deeds.
(Matthew 16:27)

I will recompense them according to their work,
and according to the deed of their hands.
(Jeremiah 25:14).

Jehovah does with us according to our ways,
and according to our works.
(Zechariah 1:6)

Behold I come quickly, and My reward is with Me,
to give to every man according to his works.
(Revelation 22:12)

It is a general law that such as a man is, such is all his work.

Moreover, the very willing of man is nothing but work,
because that which anyone wills he does,
unless he is prevented by some irremovable obstacle.
Therefore by being "judged according to the deeds,"
denotes to be judged according to the will.
They who do good from willing good are called in the Word the "righteous,"

AC 10330 - influx and enlightenment and being raised into heaven

AC 10330 [2-3]
Man is of such a nature that in respect to his interiors,
which are of thought and will,
he can look downward, and he can look upward.
To look downward is to look outward into the world and to self,
and to look upward is to look inward to heaven and to God.
Man looks outward from self, and this is called looking downward,
because when he does so from himself he looks to hell.
But man looks inward not from self, but from the Lord;
and this is called looking upward,
because in respect to his interiors which are of the will and understanding
he is then raised by the Lord to heaven, and thus to the Lord.
Moreover, the interiors are actually raised,
and are then actually withdrawn from the body and from the world.
When this is done, the interiors of the man come actually into heaven,
and into its light and heat. From this he has influx and enlightenment,
for the light of heaven illumines his understanding,
because this light is the Divine truth which proceeds from the Lord as a Sun;
and the heat of heaven enkindles the will,
because this heat is the good of love
which at the same time proceeds from the Lord as a Sun.
As the man is then among the angels,
there is communicated to him from them,
that is, through them from the Lord,
the understanding of truth and the affection of good.
This communication is what is called influx and enlightenment.

But be it known that influx and enlightenment take place
according to the capability of reception on the part of man,
and the capability of reception
is according to the love of what is good and true;
and therefore those are raised
who are in the love of what is good and true
for the sake of what is good and true as ends;
whereas those who are not in the love of what is good and true
for the sake of what is good and true,
but for the sake of self and the world,
cannot be raised, because they continually look and gravitate downward;
thus they cannot receive the Divine influx from heaven, and be enlightened.

AC 10307 - And the incense which you make in its quality, you shall not make for yourselves. (Exodus 30:37)

AC 10307
And the incense which you make in its quality,
you shall not make for yourselves.
(Exodus 30:37)

. . . this signifies that worship from the holy truths of the church
must not be applied in favor of the loves of man . . ..

All the truths of the church have regard to two loves,
namely, to love to God, and to love toward the neighbor.
That the whole Word, which is Divine truth itself,
and from which are all the truths of the church,
hangs on these two loves . . ..

When truths Divine are applied in favor of the loves of man,
they are no longer truths,
because by means of these applications evil enters them,
and perverts them, and makes them appear false.

AC 10299 - worship & influx

AC 10299 [2-5]
When a person is in genuine worship,
then the Lord flows into the goods and truths which are with him,
and raises them to Himself, and with them the man,
insofar and in such a manner as he is in them.
This elevation does not appear to the man
unless he is in the genuine affection of truth and good,
and in the knowledge, acknowledgment, and faith
that everything good comes from above, from the Lord.

That it is so may be comprehended
even by those who are wise from the world,
for they know from their learning that natural influx,
which is called by them physical influx, is not possible,
but only spiritual influx;
that is, that nothing can flow in from the natural world into heaven,
but only from heaven into the world.
From all this it can be seen how it is to be understood
that the influx and operation of the Divine of the Lord
are into each and all things of worship.

Nevertheless a person must not let down his hands and await influx,
for this would be to act like an effigy devoid of life;
in spite of all he must think, will, and act as of himself,
and yet must ascribe to the Lord everything
of thought of truth and of endeavor of good;
by so doing there is implanted in him by the Lord
the capability of receiving Him and the influx from Him.

For man was created no otherwise than to be a receptacle of the Divine;
and the capability of receiving the Divine is formed in no other way.
When this capability has been formed,
he afterward has no other will than that it should be so;
for he loves the influx from the Lord,
and is averse to any working from himself;
because the influx from the Lord is the influx of good,
whereas any working from himself is the working of evil.
In such a state are all the angels in heaven;
therefore by "angels" in the Word are signified truths and goods
which are from the Lord,
because the angels are receptions of these.

AC 10287 - profanation & what happens to those who profane

AC 10287 [2 & 4]
The state of the man who commits profanation is
that he has communication with the heavens
and at the same time with the hells;
by truths with the heavens,
and by falsities of evil with the hells;
from this in the other life there comes a tearing asunder,
whereby everything of interior life perishes.
After this tearing asunder such persons barely appear as men,
but as burnt bones in which there is but little life.

That "strangers" denote those who do not acknowledge the Lord,
and are unwilling to acknowledge Him,
whether they be out of the church or within it,
thus who are in evils and in the falsities of evil . . .
is evident from many passages in the Word.
It is said "those who do not acknowledge the Lord,
thus who are in evils and the falsities of evil,"
because those who do not acknowledge the Lord
must needs be in evils and the falsities of evil;
for all good and the truth of good are from the Lord,
and therefore those who deny the Lord are in evils and the falsities of evil;
according to the words of the Lord in John:

Unless ye believe that I am, ye shall die in your sins.
(John 8:24)

AC 10283 - more on liquid and dry

AC 10283
. . . "pouring" is said of liquids, as of oil, wine, and water,
and "pouring forth" of things Divine, celestial, and spiritual;
while "touching" is said of things dry and bodily
(that "to touch" denotes to communicate, see n. 10130).

AC 10276 - The Word is most holy, and that its literal sense is holy from its internal sense, but that apart from this it is not holy.

AC 10276 [9]
As the Jewish nation did not acknowledge anything holy in the Word
except in the mere sense of its letter,
which they completely separated from the internal sense,
they fell into such darkness
that they did not recognize the Lord when He came into the world.
. . . Therefore unless the Lord had come into the world
and opened the interior things of the Word,
the communication with the heavens by means of the Word
would have been broken;
and then the human race on this earth would have perished,
for a person can think no truth and do no good except from heaven,
that is, through heaven from the Lord;
and the Word is that which opens heaven.

AC 10266 - Don't be mistaken!

AC 10266
He who believes that a person can be endowed with the good of love,
without the truths of faith,
and without a life in accordance with these,
is very much mistaken.

AC 10262 - measurements of liquids and dry things

AC 10262
[2] Two measures are mentioned in the Word, which were in holy use,
one for liquids, which was called the "hin,"
the other for dry things, which was called the "ephah;"
by the hin were measured oil and wine,
and by the ephah, meal and fine flour;
the measure hin, which was for oil and wine, was divided into four parts,
but the measure ephah was divided into ten.
The reason why the measure hin was divided into four,
was that it might signify what is conjunctive, for "four" denotes conjunction;
but that the measure ephah was divided into ten
was that it might signify what is receptive,
the quality whereof was marked by the numbers,
for "ten" signifies much, all, and what is full.

[4] There were other measures besides,
which were in common use both for dry things and for liquids;
the dry measures were called the "homer" and the "omer,"
and the liquid measures the "cor" and the "bath."
The homer contained ten ephahs, and the ephah ten omers;
but the cor contained ten baths, and the bath ten lesser parts.

[5] But in Ezekiel, where the new temple is treated of,
there appears a different division of the ephah and the bath;
the ephah and the bath not being there divided into ten, but into six;
and the hin there corresponds to the ephah,
as is plain in this prophet (Ezek. 45:13, 14, 24; 46:5, 7, 11, 14).
The reason is that the subject there treated of
is not celestial good and its conjunction,
but spiritual good and its conjunction;
and in the spiritual kingdom the corresponding numbers are
twelve, six, and three,
because by these numbers are signified all things,
and when they are predicated of truths and goods,
all things of truth and of good in the complex.

AC 10258 - perfection

AC 10258
. . . inmost truth proceeds immediately from good,
and in lower things acts in conjunction with good.
This takes place when the understanding acts wholly as a one with the will,
so that it is not known whether the act is from the one or from the other.
Moreover, the more interior heavenly things are,
the more perfect they are,
for all perfection increases toward the interiors,
and all perfection is from good,
that is,
through good from the Lord.

AC 10251 - celestial good is the love of living & doing truths from the Lord's Word for Him

AC 10252 [2-3]
In order that celestial good, which is inmost good, may be born with man,
which is effected by the Lord through regeneration,
truths must be acquired from the Word,
or from the doctrine of the church which is from the Word.
These truths obtain their first seat
in the memory of the natural or external man;
from this they are called forth by the Lord into the internal man,
which is done when the man lives according to them;
and the more the man is affected with them, or loves them,
the higher, or the more interiorly, they are raised by the Lord,
and there become celestial good.

[3] Celestial good
is the good of the love of doing truths from the Word for the sake of good,
thus for the Lord's sake;
for the Lord is the source of good, thus is good;
and this is the generation of this good.
From this it is evident
that this good comes forth by means of truths from the Word,
first in the most external or sensuous man,
next by their elevation into the internal man,
and finally into the very inmost man,
where they become celestial good.

AC 10248 - "an age"

AC 10248 [7]
. . . "an age" signifies what is eternal,
because it is said of the Lord and of His kingdom,
and of heaven and the life there, whereof there is no end . . . .

AC 10235 - washing

AC 10235
. . . evils cannot possibly be washed away by water,
but by repentance.

AC 10233 - the laver

AC 10233
Verses 17-21.
And Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying,
And thou shalt make a laver of brass,
and its base of brass, for washing;
and thou shalt put it between the Tent of meeting and the altar,
and thou shalt put waters therein.
And Aaron and his sons shall wash from it their hands and their feet.
When they enter into the Tent of meeting they shall wash with waters,
that they die not;
or when they come near unto the altar to minister,
to burn a fire-offering to Jehovah.
And they shall wash their hands and their feet,
that they die not; and it shall be to them a statute of an age,
to him and to his seed, to their generations.
(Exodus 30:17-21)

"And Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying,"
signifies perceptivity from enlightenment through the Word by the Lord;
"and thou shalt make a laver of brass,"
signifies the good of the natural man, in which is purification;
"and its base of brass,"
signifies the good of the ultimate of the natural, which is of the sensuous;
"for washing"
signifies purification from evils and falsities;
"and thou shalt put it between the Tent of meeting and the altar,"
signifies that there may be the conjunction of truth and good;
"and thou shalt put waters therein,"
signifies the truths of faith, through which there is purification in the natural;
"and Aaron and his sons shall wash from it,"
signifies a representative of
the purification and regeneration of man by the Lord;
"their hands and their feet,"
signifies the interiors and exteriors of man;
"when they enter into the Tent of meeting,"
signifies worship from the good of faith;
"they shall wash with waters,"
signifies purification by means of the truths of faith;
"that they die not,"
signifies lest the representative perish;
"or when they come near to the altar to minister,
to burn a fire-offering to Jehovah,"
signifies worship from the good of love;
"and they shall wash their hands and their feet,"
signifies the purification of the interiors and the exteriors of man;
"that they die not,"
signifies lest the representative perish;
"and it shall be to them a statute of an age,"
signifies an eternal law of order;
"to him and to his seed, to their generations,"
signifies all who receive the things that proceed from the Lord,
thus who are being regenerated by Him.

AC 10227 - the rich, the poor, and those with property

AC 10227
The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less,
from the half of the shekel, to give an uplifting to Jehovah.
(Exodus 30:15)
That this signifies that all, of whatever ability they may be,
must ascribe all things of truth from good to the Lord,
is evident from the signification of "one who is rich,"
as being one who abounds in truths and goods and their knowledges;
from the signification of "one who is poor,"
as being one who does not abound in these things;
and from the signification of "not giving more," and "not giving less,"
as being all equally;
from the signification of "half a shekel," as being all things of truth from good;
and from the signification of "giving to Jehovah,"
as being to ascribe to the Lord;
for by "Jehovah" in the Word is meant the Lord.

[2] The case herein is this.
All have the capacity to understand and to be wise;
but the reason one person is wiser than another
is that they do not in like manner ascribe to the Lord
all things of intelligence and wisdom, which are all things of truth and good.
They who ascribe all to the Lord are wiser than the rest,
because all things of truth and good, which constitute wisdom,
flow in from heaven, that is, from the Lord there.
The ascription of all things to the Lord
opens the interiors of a person toward heaven,
for thus it is acknowledged that nothing of truth and good is from himself;
and in proportion as this is acknowledged, the love of self departs,
and with the love of self the thick darkness from falsities and evils.
In the same proportion also the man comes into innocence,
and into love and faith to the Lord,
from which comes conjunction with the Divine, influx thence, and enlightenment.

[3] By the capacity to be wise is not meant the capacity to reason
about truths and goods from memory-knowledges,
nor the capacity to confirm whatever one pleases;
but the capacity to discern what is true and good,
to choose what is suitable, and to apply it to the uses of life.
They who ascribe all things to the Lord do thus discern, choose, and apply;
while those who do not ascribe to the Lord, but to themselves,
know merely how to reason about truths and goods;
nor do they see anything except what is from others;
and this not from reason, but from the activity of the memory.

[18]
Whosoever he be of you that renounces not all his property,
he cannot be My disciple.
(Luke 14:33);

. . . by "property" are here meant all things
which are from man's own intelligence,
for no one can be wise from himself, but only from the Lord;
wherefore "to renounce all property"
denotes to attribute nothing of intelligence and wisdom to self;
and he who does not do this cannot be instructed by the Lord,
that is, "be His disciple."

AC 10219 - How does the "as of self" work?

AC 10219
It is said "as from self,"
because the goods which a person does he does as from himself,
nor does he perceive otherwise until he is in faith from love.
For goods flow in from the Lord and are received by the person,
and those which are received
are at first felt no otherwise than as in himself and from himself;
nor is it perceived that they are from the Lord
until he comes into knowledge,
and afterward into acknowledgment from faith.
For before this he cannot reflect that anything flows in from the Divine;
nor can he at all perceive this, that is, be sensible of it in himself,
until he begins to will and to love that it be so.

[3] But so long as a person believes that he does all things of himself,
both goods and evils,
so long goods do not affect him,
and evils adhere to him;
but the moment that he acknowledges and believes
that goods flow in from the Lord,
and not from himself,
and that evils are from hell,
then goods affect him and evils do not adhere to him;
and, moreover, insofar as goods affect him,
so far evils are removed, thus he is purified and liberated from them.
But so long as the state of a person is such
that he cannot perceive and be sensible
of the influx of goods from the Lord,
so long he does goods as from himself,
and yet ought to acknowledge and believe that they are from the Lord.
When this is the case, he also is liberated from evils;
but in order that he may be liberated from evils
this acknowledgment must be the confession of the heart itself,
and not of the lips only.

AC 10216 - perception, intelligence & wisdom

AC 10216
Perception flows in from the Lord, who is the Word;
for everything of intelligence and wisdom is from the Lord,
and without Him there is none at all.

AC 10215 - "And Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying." (Exodus 30:11)

AC 10215
And Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying.
(Exodus 30:11)
That this signifies enlightenment through the Word by the Lord,
is evident from the signification of "speaking,"
when by Jehovah to Moses,
as being enlightenment by the Lord through the Word;
for "Jehovah" in the Word denotes the Lord,
and by Moses is represented the Word;
for by "speaking" is signified influx, perception, and instruction,
consequently also enlightenment,
for enlightenment is influx, perception, and instruction by the Lord
when the Word is being read.
That these things are signified by "Jehovah speaking to Moses,"
is because these words
are not perceived in heaven in the same way as on earth;
for in heaven words are perceived according to the internal sense,
but on earth according to the external sense,
for in heaven all things are understood spiritually, but on earth naturally.
The spiritual understanding is instantaneous,
without any knowledge of what is understood
in the external or literal sense by a person.
Such is the consociation of the angels of heaven with a person,
for the reason that everything of a person's thought
flows in from the spiritual world,
and thus that in its first origin his thought is spiritual,
and becomes natural in the external man by means of influx.

AC 10206 - regeneration is one thing, and worship is another

AC 10206
Regeneration is one thing, and worship another;
for regeneration is first,
and the worship is according to the quality of the person's regeneration;
for his worship is accepted and is pleasing in the proportion
that he has been purified from evils and the consequent falsities,
and accordingly in the proportion
that the truths and goods of faith and of love have been implanted.
For by worship is meant everything
that proceeds from love and faith with a person,
and is uplifted to the Lord by the Lord.
As this is the full completion,
the altar of incense, by which worship was represented,
is described last;
for all things follow in order
according to the series in which they are described.

First is described the Testimony,
by which is meant the Lord;

next the ark in which was the Testimony,
by which is signified the inmost heaven where the Lord is;

afterward the table on which were the breads,
by which is signified the good of love therefrom;

and also the lampstand with the lamps,
by which is signified the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord's Divine good;

then the Tent itself,
by which is signified heaven and the church which are from these;

at length the altar of burnt-offering,
by which is signified regeneration by means of truths from good;

and lastly the altar of incense,
by which is signified worship from all these in heaven and in the church.

AC 10194 - founded on good

AC 10194
It is believed by some that truth is that on which all things are founded;
but they are very much mistaken;
for no truth is possible with a person unless he is in good.
The truth with a person which is devoid of good
is an external without an internal,
thus a shell without a kernel,
residing only in the memory.

AC 10182 - all the power of truth is from the good of love

AC 10182 [4 & 6]
The power of Divine truth is meant also by "the Word" in John:

All things were made by the Word,
and without Him was not anything made that was made.
(John 1:3)

. . . "the Word" denotes the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Divine good;
wherefore also the Lord when in the world first made Himself Divine truth,
which is also meant by "the Word was made flesh" (verse 14).
The reason why the Lord then made Himself Divine truth,
was in order that He might fight against all the hells and subjugate them,
and thus reduce into order all things there,
and at the same time all things in the heavens.

That truths from good have such power
cannot be apprehended by those
who have the idea that truth and its faith are mere thought;
when yet a person's thought from his will
produces all the strength of his body,
and if it were inspired by the Lord through His Divine truth,
a person would have the strength of Samson.
But it is the Lord's good pleasure that in respect to the things of his spirit,
and that conduce to eternal salvation,
a person should have strength through faith from love.