Revelation 14 - three stories

The Lamb and the 144,000   
Then I looked,
and there standing before me was the Lamb,
standing on Mount Zion,
and with him 144,000
who had His name written on their foreheads.
And I heard a sound from heaven
like the roar of rushing waters
and like a loud peal of thunder.
The sound I heard
was like that of harpists playing their harps.
And they sang a new song before the throne
and before the four living creatures and the elders.
No one could learn the song
except the 144,000
who had been redeemed from the earth.
These are those
who did not defile themselves with women,
for they kept themselves pure.
They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
They were purchased from among men
and offered as first-fruits to God and the Lamb.
No lie was found in their mouths;
they are blameless.
(Revelation 14:1-5)

The Three Angels
Then I saw another angel flying in midair,
and he had the eternal gospel
to proclaim to those who live on the earth -
to every nation, tribe, language, and people.
He said in a loud voice,
"Fear God and give Him glory,
because the hour of His judgment has come.
Worship Him who made the heavens,
the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

A second angel followed and said,
"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,
which made all the nations drink
the maddening wine of her adulteries."

A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice:
"If anyone worships the beast and his image
and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand,
he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury,
which has been poured full strength
into the cup of His wrath.
He will be tormented with burning sulfur
in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever.
There is no rest day or night
for those who worship the beast and his image,
or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."
This calls for patient endurance
on the part of the saints
who obey God's commandments
and remain faithful to Jesus.

Then I heard a voice from heaven say,
"Write:  Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord from now on."

"Yes," says the Spirit,
"they will rest from their labor,
for their deeds will follow them."
(Revelation 14:6-13)

The Harvest of the Earth
I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,
and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man"
with a crown of gold on his head
and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Then another angel came out of the temple
and called in a loud voice
to him who was sitting on the cloud,
"Take your sickle and reap,
because the time to reap has come,
for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
So he who was seated on the cloud
swung his sickle over the earth,
and the earth was harvested.

Another angel came out of the temple in heaven,
and he too had a sharp sickle.
Still another angel, who had charge of the fire,
came out from the altar
and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle,
"Take your sharp sickle
and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine,
because its grapes are ripe."
The angel swung his sickle on the earth,
gathered its grapes
and threw them into the great wine press of God's wrath.
They were trampled in the wine press outside the city,
and blood flowed out of the press,
rising as high as the horses' bridles
for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
(Revelation 14:14-20)

AC 10790, 10793, 10798 - ecclesiastical & civil order

AC 10790
Order cannot be maintained in the world without overseers,
who must take note of all things
that are done according to order,
and that are done contrary to order;
and who must reward those who live according to order,
and punish those who live contrary to order.

AC 10793
Overseers over the things with man that belong to heaven,
or over ecclesiastical things, are called priests,
and their office is called the priesthood.
But overseers over such things with man as belong to the world,
or over civil matters, are called magistrates,
and their chief,
where such supreme powers exist, is called a king.

AC 10798
Priests must teach the people,
and lead them to the good of life by means of truths.
But they must not compel anyone,
because no one can be compelled to believe
contrary to what he thinks in his heart to be true.
He who believes differently from the priest,
and makes no disturbance, must be left in peace;
but he who makes a disturbance must be separated;
for this also belongs to the order
for the sake of which is the priesthood.

Revelation 13:2-18 - The Beast out of the Sea and out of the Earth

The Beast out of the Sea
And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.
He had ten horns and seven heads,
with ten crowns on his horns,
and on each head a blasphemous name.
The beast I saw resembled a leopard,
but had feet like those of a bear
and a mouth like that of a lion.
The dragon gave the beast his power
and his throne and great authority.
One of the heads of the beast
seemed to have had a fatal wound,
but the fatal wound had been healed.
The whole world was astonished
and followed the beast.
Men worshiped the dragon because
he had given authority to the beast,
and they also worshiped the beast and asked,
"Who is like the beast?  
Who can make war against him?"

The beast was given a mouth
to utter proud words and blasphemies
and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.
He opened his mouth to blaspheme God,
and to slander His name and His dwelling place
and those who live in heaven.
He was given power to make war against the saints
and to conquer them.
And he was given authority over every tribe,
people, language and nation.
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast -
all whose names have not been written
in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain
from the creation of the world.

He who has an ear, let hear.

If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword he will be killed.

This calls for patient endurance
and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

The Beast out of the Earth
Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth.
He had two horns like a lamb,
but he spoke like a dragon.
He exercised all authority of the first beast on his behalf,
and made the earth and its inhabitants
worship the first beast,
whose fatal wound had been healed.
And he performed great and miraculous signs,
even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth
in full view of the men.

Because of the signs
he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast,
he deceived the inhabitants of the earth.
He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast
who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
He was given power
to give breath to the image of the first beast,
so that it could speak
and cause all who refused to worship the image be killed.
He also forced everyone, small and great,
rich and poor, free and slave,
to receive a mark on this right hand or on his forehead,
so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark,
which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

This calls for wisdom.
If anyone has insight,
let him calculate the number of the beast,
for it is man's number.
His number is 666.
(Revelation 13:2-18)

AC 10773-10774, 10781 - the Lord's providence & foresight

AC 10773 - 10774
The government of the Lord 
in the heavens and on earth
is called Providence.
And as all the good which is of love,
and all the truth which is of faith,
are from Him,
and absolutely nothing from man,
it is evident from this that the Divine Providence of the Lord
is in each and all things
that helps to bring about the salvation of the human race. 
This the Lord teaches in John:

I am the way, the truth, and the life.
(John 14:6).

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine,
so neither can you,
except you abide in Me:
without Me you can do nothing.
(John 15:4, 5)

Moreover the Divine Providence of the Lord
is over the veriest singulars of a person's life;
for there is one only fountain of life,
which is the Lord,
from whom we live and act and have our being.

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 a person is nothing but evil;
but that which comes from the Lord is nothing but good.

Revelation 12 & 13:1 - The Woman and the Dragon

The Woman and the Dragon
A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven:
a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet
and crown of twelve stars on her head.
She was pregnant and cried out in pain
as she was about to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in heaven:
an enormous red dragon
with seven heads and ten horns
and seven crowns on his heads.
His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky
and flung them to the earth.
The dragon stood in front of the woman
who was about to give birth,
so that he might devour her child
the moment it was born.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.
And her child was snatched up to God
and to His throne.
The woman fled into the desert
to a place prepared for her by God,
where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

And there was war in heaven.
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon,
and the dragon and his angels fought back.
But he was not strong enough,
and they lost their place in heaven.
The great dragon was hurled down -
that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan,
who leads the whole world astray.
He was hurled to the earth,
and his angels with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

"Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of His Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
They over came him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short."

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth,
he pursed the woman who had given birth to the male child.
The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,
so that she might fly to the place
prepared for her in the desert,
where she would be taken care of for a time,
times and half a time,
out of the serpent's reach.
Then from his mouth 
the serpent spewed water like a river,
to overtake the woman 
and sweep her away with the torrent.
But the earth helped the woman
by opening its mouth and swallowing the river
that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman
and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring -
those who obey God's commandments
and hold to the testimony of Jesus
And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.
(Revelation 12, 13:1)

AC 107661 - the Lord's Church specific and general

AC 10761
That called the Church
is where the Lord is acknowledged,
and where the Word is;
for the essentials of the Church are
love to the Lord from the Lord,
and faith in the Lord from the Lord;
 and the Word teaches how a person must live
in order that he may receive love and faith from the Lord.

AC 10765
Those who are outside the Church,
and yet acknowledge one God,
and live according to their religion
in a kind of charity toward the neighbor,
are in communion with those who are of the Church,
because no one is condemned
who believes in God, and lives well.
From this it is evident that the Lord's Church
is everywhere in the whole world,
although specifically 
it is where the Lord is acknowledged,
and where the Word is.

Revelation 11 - The Two Witnesses & The Seventh Trumpet

The Two Witnesses
I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told,
"Go and measure the temple of God and the altar,
and count the worshipers there.
But exclude the outer court;
do not measure it,
because it has been given to the Gentiles.
They will trample the holy city for 42 months.
And I will give power to My two witnesses,
and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,
clothed in sackcloth."
These are the two olive trees
and the two lampstands
that stand before the Lord of the earth.
If anyone tries to harm them,
fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.
This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.
These men have power
to shut up the sky so that it will not rain
during the time they are prophesying;
and they have power
to turn the waters into blood
and to strike the earth with every kind of plague
as often as they want.

Now when they have finished their testimony,
the beast that comes up from the Abyss
will attack them, and overpower and kill them.
Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city,
which is figuratively call Sodom and Egypt,
where also their Lord was crucified.
For three and a half days
men from every people, tribe, language and nation
will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.
The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them
and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,
because these two prophets
had tormented those who live on the earth.

But after the three and a half days
a breath of life from God entered them,
and they stood on their feet,
and terror struck those who saw them.
"Come up here."
And they went up to heaven in a cloud,
while their enemies looked on.

At that very hour there was a severe earthquake
and a tenth of the city collapsed.
Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake,
and the survivors were terrified
and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe has passed;
the third woe is coming soon.

The Seventh Trumpet
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,
and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

"The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ,
and He will reign for ever and ever."

And the twenty-four elders,
who were seated on their thrones before God,
fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:

"We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because You have taken Your great power
and have begun to reign.
The nations were angry;
and Your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding Your servants the prophets
and Your saints and those who reverence Your name,
both small and great -
and for destroying those who destroy the earth."

Then God's temple in heaven was opened,
and within His temple was seen the ark of His covenant.
And there came flashes of lightning,
rumblings, peals of thunder,
and earthquake
and a great hailstorm.
(Revelation 11)

AC 10740 - doing from love

AC 10740
That which anyone does from love
remains inscribed on his heart,
for love is the fire of life,
thus is the life of everyone.
Consequently such as is the love,
such is the life;
and such as is the life, thus
such as is the love,
such is the whole person as to soul and as to body.

Revelation 10 - The Angel and the Little Scroll

Then I saw another mighty angel
coming down from heaven.
He was robed in a cloud,
with a rainbow above his head;
his face was like the sun,
and his legs were like fiery pillars.
He was holding a little scroll,
which lay open in his hand.
He planted his right foot on the sea
and his left foot on the land,
and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.
When he shouted,
the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
And when the seven thunders spoke,
I was about to write;
but I heard a Voice from heaven say,
"Seal up what the seven thunders have said
and do not write it down."

Then the angel I had seen standing
on the sea and on the land
raised his right hand to heaven.
And he swore by Him who lives for ever and ever,
who created the heavens and all that is in them,
the earth and all that is in it,
and the sea and all that is in it, and said,
"There will be no more delay!  But in the days
when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet,
the mystery of God will be accomplished,
just as he announced to his servants the prophets."

Then voice that I had heard from heaven
spoke to me once more:
"Go, take the scroll
that lies open in the hand of the angel
who is standing on the sea and on the land."

So I went to the angel and asked him
to give me the little scroll.
He said to me,
"Take it and eat it.
It will turn your stomach sour,
but in you mouth it will be as sweet as honey."
I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it.
It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth,
but when I had eaten it,
my stomach turned sour.
Then I was told,
"You must prophesy again about many peoples,
nations, languages and kings."
(Revelation 10)

AC 10730 - the Sabbath

AC 10730 [2]
By the "Sabbath" in its proper sense
is signified rest and peace,
because when the Lord united
His Human to the Divine Itself
He had peace,
for the combats then ceased,
and all things in the heavens and in the hells
had been reduced into order.
And accordingly there was peace not for Him only;
but also for the angels in the heavens,
and for men on earth,
there were peace and salvation.

Revelation 8 & 9 - two visions

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer
When He opened the seventh seal,
there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God,
and to them were given seven trumpets.

Another angel, who had a golden censer,
came and stood at the altar.
He was given much incense to offer,
with the prayers of all the saints,
on the golden altar before the throne.
The smoke of the incense,
together with the prayers of the saints,
went up before God from the angel's hand.
Then the angel took the censer,
filled it with fire from the altar,
and hurled it on the earth;
and there came peals of thunder, rumblings,
flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
(Revelation 8:1-5)

The Trumpets
Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets
prepared to sound them.

The first angel sounded his trumpet,
and there came hail and fire mixed with blood,
and it was hurled down upon the earth.
A third of the earth was burned up,
a third of the trees were burned up,
and all the green grass was burned up.

The second angel sounded his trumpet,
and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze,
was thrown into the sea.
A third of the sea turned into blood,
a third of the living creatures in the sea died,
and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel sounded his trumpet,
and a great star, blazing like a torch,
fell from the sky on a third of the rivers
and on the springs of water -
the name of the star is Wormwood.
A third of the waters turned bitter,
and man people died from the waters
that had become bitter.

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet,
and a third of the sun was struck,
a third of the moon, and a third of the stars,
so that a third of them turned dark.
A third of the day was without light,
and also a third of the night.

As I watched, I heard an eagle
that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice:
"Woe!  Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth,
because of the trumpet blasts
about to be sounded by the other three angels.
(Revelation 8:6-13)

The firth angel sounded his trumpet,
and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.
The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.
When he opened the Abyss,
smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.
The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.
And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth
and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth
or any plant or tree,
but only those people
who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
They were not given power to kill them,
but only to torture them for five months.
And the agony they suffered
was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
During those days men will seek death,
but will not find it;
they will long to die,
but death will elude them.

The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.
On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold,
and their faces resembled human faces.
Their hair was like women's hair,
and their teeth were like lions' teeth.
They had breastplates like breastplates of iron,
and the sound of their wings
was like the thundering of many horses and chariots
rushing into battle.
They had tails and stings like scorpions,
and in their tails they had power to torment people
for five months.
They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss,
whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon,
and in Greek, Apollyon.

The first woe is past;
two other woes are yet to come.

The sixth angel sounded his trumpet,
and I heard a voice
coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.
It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet,
"Release the four angels
who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
And the four angels
who had been kept ready for this
very hour and day and month and year
were released to kill a third of mankind.
The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million.
I heard their number.

The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this:
Their breast plates were fiery red,
dark blue and yellow as sulfur.
The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions,
and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.
A third of mankind was killed
by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur
that came out of their mouths.
The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails;
for their tails were like snakes,
having heads with which they inflict injury.

The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues
still did not repent of the work of their hands;
they did not stop worshiping demons,
and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood -
idols that cannot see or hear or walk.
Nor did they repent of their murders,
their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
(Revelation 9)

AC 10716 & 10717 - heaven

AC 10716
The Divine of the Lord makes the heavens,
and heaven is with everyone
according to his reception of love and of faith from the Lord.

AC 10717
Heaven is present with all, both angels and people,
who receive love and faith from the Lord;
and therefore those come into heaven after death
who have heaven in them during their life in the world.
 

Revelation 7 - two visions

144,000 Sealed
After this I saw four angels
standing at the four corners of the earth,
holding back the four winds of the earth
to prevent any wind from blowing
on the land or on the sea or on any tree.
Then I saw another angel coming up from the east,
having the seal of the living God.
He called out in a loud voice to the four angels
who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees
until we put a seal on the foreheads
of the servants of our God."

Then I heard the number of those who were sealed:
144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000
from the tribe of Asher 12,000
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000
from the tribe of Simeon 12,000
from the tribe of Levi 12,000
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000
from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
(Revelation 7:1-8)

The Great Multitude in White Robes
After this I looked and there before me
was a great multitude that no one could count,
from every nation, tribe, people and language,
standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.
They were wearing white robes
and were holding palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb."

All the angels were standing around the throne
and round the elders and the four living creatures.
They fell down on their faces before the throne
and worshiped God, saying:
"Amen!
Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks
and honor and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"

Then one of the elders asked me,
"These in white robes - who are they,
and where did they come from?"
I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they
who have come out of the great tribulation;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God
and serve Him day and night in His temple;
and He who sits on the throne
will spread His tent over them.
Never again will they hunger;
never again will the thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
He will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
(Revelation 7:9-17)

AC 10685 - temptations & regeneration

AC 10685
. . . the internal person is opened and given to a person
by means of temptations.
So it is that
everyone who is being regenerated undergoes temptations.
The reason why the internal is opened
and given by means of temptations,
is that when a person is in temptations
(which are combats against evils and falsities),
the Lord flows in from within, and fights for him;
as the person may know from the fact
that when he is in temptations he resists inwardly,
for unless he resisted inwardly
he would not conquer, but would yield.
This interior resistance
does not come to the notice of the person at the time,
because when he is in temptations
he is in obscurity,
from the evil and from the falsities of evil
which are assailing him;
but after the temptations,
it is noticed by those who are in the perception of truth.
For the things which are introduced by the Lord
into the internal of a person
are unknown to him while he lives in the world,
because at that time
he thinks in the external or natural person,
and not perceptibly in the internal person
until he comes into the other life.
Nevertheless when he has overcome in temptations
he ought to know and acknowledge
that he himself has not fought,
but the Lord for him.

Revelation 6 - The Seals

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals.
Then I heard one of the four living creatures
say in a voice like thunder, "Come!"
I looked and there before me was a white horse!
Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown,
and He rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

When the Lamb opened the second seal,
I heard the second living creature say, "Come!"
Then another horse came out, a fiery red one.
Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth
and to make men slay each other.
To him was given a large sword.

When the Lamb opened the third seal,
I heard the third living creature say, "Come!"
I looked, and there before me was a black horse!
Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.
Then I heard what sounded like a voice
among the four living creatures, saying,
"A quart of wheat for a day's wages,
and three quarts of barley for a day's wages,
and do not damage the oil and the wine!"

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal,
I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!"
I looked, and there before me was a pale horse!
Its rider was named Death, 
and Hades was following close behind him.
They were given power over a fourth of the earth
to kill by sword, famine and plague,
and by the wild beasts of the earth.

When he opened the fifth seal,
I saw under the altar the souls of those
who had been slain because of the word of God
and the testimony they had maintained.
They called out in a loud voice,
"How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true,
until You judge the inhabitants of the earth
and avenge our blood?"
Then each of them was given a white robe,
and they were told to wait a little longer,
until the number of their fellow servants and brothers
who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

I watched as He opened the sixth seal.
There was a great earthquake.
The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair,
the whole moon turned blood red,
and the stars in the sky fell to earth,
as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.
The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up,
and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals,
the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man
hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
They called to the mountains and the rocks,
"Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him
who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
For the great day of their wrath has come,
and who can stand?"
(Revelation 6)

Revelation 5 - The Scroll and the Lamb

Then I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne
a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.
And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice,
"Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth
could open the scroll or even look inside it.

I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy
to open the scroll or look inside.
Then one of the elders said to me,
"So not weep!  See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David, has triumphed.
He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

Then I saw the Lamb, looking as if it had been slain,
standing in the center of the throne,
encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.
He had seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
He came and took the scroll
from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
And when He had taken it,
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb.
Each one had a harp
and they were holding golden bowls full of incense,
which are the prayers of the saints.
And they sang a new song:

"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,
because You were slain,
and with Your blood You purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a
kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels,
numbering thousands upon thousands,
and ten thousand times ten thousand.
They encircled the throne
and the living creatures and the elders.
In a loud voice they sang:

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth
and under the earth and on the sea,
and all that is in them, singing:

"To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"

The four living creatures said, "Amen,"
and the elders fell down and worshiped.
(Revelation 5)

AC 10675, 10683 - truth

AC 10675
. . .so far as evils and the falsities of evil are removed,
so far the truths which are from good are multiplied . . .

AC 10683 [6]
. . . those who love truth for the sake of truth,
and who love to do truth for the sake of truth,
love the Lord and receive heaven into themselves . . .

Revelation 4 - The Throne in Heaven

After this I looked,
and there before me was a door
standing open in heaven,
And the voice I had first heard speaking to me
like a trumpet said,
"Come up here,
and I will show you what must take place after this."

At once I was in the Spirit,
and there before me was a throne in heaven
with someone sitting on it.
And the one who sat there
had the appearance of Jasper and carnelian.
A rainbow,
resembling an emerald,
encircled the throne.
Surrounding the throne
where twenty-four other thrones,
and seated on them were twenty-four elders.
They were dressed in white
and had crowns of gold on their heads.
From the throne came flashes of lightning,
rumblings and peals of thunder.
Before the throne,
seven lamps were blazing.
These are the seven spirits of God.
Also before the throne
there was what looked like a sea of glass,
clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne,
were four living creatures,
and they were covered with eyes,
in front and in back.
The first living creature was like a lion,
the second was like an ox,
the third had a face like a man,
the fourth was like a flying eagle.
Each of the four living creatures had six wings
and was covered with eyes all around,
even under his wings.
Day and night they never stop saying:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come."

Whenever the living creatures
give glory, honor and thanks
to Him who sits on the throne
and who lives for Ever and Ever,
the twenty-four elders fall down before Him
who sits on the throne,
and worship Him who lives for ever and ever.
They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things,
and by Your will
they were created and have their being."

Revelation 1-3, portions

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead.
Then He placed His right hand on me and said:
"Do not be afraid.
I am the First and the Last.
I am the Living One:
I was dead,
and behold I am alive for ever and ever!
And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
"Write, therefore, what you have seen,
what is now and what will take place later.
The mystery of the seven stars
that your saw in My right hand
and of the seven golden lampstands is this:
The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,
and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
(Revelation 1:17-20)

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
. . . I know your deeds,
your hard work and your perseverance.
I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men,
that you have tested those
who claim to be apostles but are not,
and you have found them false.
You have persevered
and endured hardships for My name,
and have not grown weary.

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
. . . I know your afflictions and your poverty -
yet you are rich!
I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not,
but are a synagogue of Satan.
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
. . . I know where you live -
where Satan has his throne.
Yet you remain true to my name.
You did not renounce your faith in Me,
even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,
who was put to death in your city -
where Satan lives.

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
. . .I know your deeds, your love and faith,
your service and perseverance,
and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
(Revelation 2:1,2-3;8,9-10;12,13)

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
Wake up!
Strengthen what remains and is about to die,
for I have not found your deeds complete
in the sight of My God.
Remember, therefore,
what you have received and heard;
obey it, and repent.

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
. . . I know your deeds.
See, I have placed before you an open door
that no one can shut.
I know that you have little strength,
yet you have kept My word and not denied My name.

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
. . . I know your deeds,
that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot or cold -
I am about to spit you out of My mouth.

"He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
(Revelation 3:1,2-3;7,8;14,15-16,22)

AC 10660, 10661 - becoming good

AC 10660
. . . the good of innocence, of charity, and of faith . . .
are to be ascribed to the Lord,
that is, that it is to be acknowledged that they are from Him;
for unless they are acknowledged
and believed to be from the Lord
they are not goods,
because all good is from Him,
and that which is not from Him is from a person,
and whatever is from a person is evil,
although in the external form it may appear good;
because what is a person's own (proprium) is nothing but evil,
and good cannot be brought forth from evil.

AC 10661
All the good that a person has from the Lord
is given him by means of truth.
For a person is born into mere ignorance,
 and when he advances in age,
he has from himself mere thick darkness in spiritual things,
for he knows nothing about God, the Lord,
heaven and hell, or the life after death.
What he knows from himself is about the world and himself;
and he calls that good in the world
which is in favor of himself;
and he calls that true which confirms this.
In order therefore that he may have heavenly good,
which he will love more than himself and the world,
it is necessary for him to learn truths from the Word,
or from the doctrine of the church which is from the Word.
He cannot love these truths until he knows them,
because any affection for what is unknown is impossible.
From this it is that
truth is that by means of which a person has good.
The truth with a person becomes good when he loves it;
for all that which is loved is good.
To love is to will and to do,
because that which a person loves,
he wills and does.
In this way truth becomes good.

AC 10646 - Love Divine

AC 10646 [3]
It is said that the Lord alone is to be worshiped.
He who does not know how the case is with the worship of the Lord,
may believe that the Lord loves to be worshiped,
and desires glory from a person,
just like a person, who in order to be honored himself,
gives others what they ask for.
He who so believes has no knowledge of what love is,
and still less of what love Divine is.
Love Divine consists in desiring worship and glory,
not for the sake of itself,
but for the sake of a person and his salvation;
for he who worships the Lord 
and gives glory to the Lord
is in humiliation;
and what is his own
departs from the person who is in humiliation;
and insofar as this departs,
so far the Divine is received;
for what is a person's own, 
because it is evil and false,
is that which alone obstructs the Divine.
This is the glory of the Lord;
and the worship of Him is for the sake of this end.
Glory for the sake of self is from the love of self,
and heavenly love differs from the love of self
as heaven differs from hell,
and infinitely more does the Divine love differ from it.

Psalm 119: Mem 97-98

Oh, how I love Your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
(Psalm 119: Mem 97-98)

AC 10645 - the worship of the Lord from faith and from love

AC 10645 [2]
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 . . ..
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 . . ..

Psalm 119: Kaph 88

Preserve my life according to Your love,
and I will obey the statutes of Your mouth.
(Psalm 119: Kaph 88)

AC 10639, 10640 - molten gods

AC 10639
. . . "though shalt not make for thee molten gods,"
signifies the worship of self and not of the Lord.

AC 10640 [2]
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.

Luke 24:36,50-53

He said to them,
"This is what I told you while I was still with you:
Everything must be fulfilled
that is written about Me in the Law of Moses,
the Prophets and the Psalms."

When He had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany,
He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
While He was blessing them,
He left them and was taken up into heaven.
Then they worshiped Him
and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
And they stayed continually at the temple,
praising God.
(Luke 24:36,50-53)

AC 10638 - daily life and reading the Word

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 commands
which are of the eternal truth,
evils and falsities will be removed.
These commands 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. 

Psalm 119: Yodh 73,76-77

Your hands made me and formed me;
give me understanding to learn Your commands.
May Your unfailing love be my comfort,
according to Your promise to Your servant.
Let Your compassion come to me that I may live,
for Your law is my delight.
(Psalm 119: Yodh 73,76-77)

AC 10618 - anger; AC 10624 - spiritual & celestial numbers

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.
All evil has within it enmity, hatred, revenge, and cruelty;
in these and from these evil has its delight.
Moreover, evil hates good,
because good is opposed to its delights.
Consequently when evil cannot injure good,
which it is always in the endeavor to do,
it is first indignant, and afterward is angry.
Whether you say evil, or an evil man, it is the same,
for evil is in man as in its subject.
And as such is the nature of evil against good,
such it is against the Divine,
for all good is the Divine with a person,
because it is from the Divine.
From this it is
that an evil person is always angry against the Divine,
although outwardly he speaks differently before men.

AC 10624
For in the Word all numbers signify things,
some numbers belonging to the spiritual class,
and some to the celestial class.
The numbers three, six, and twelve belong to the spiritual class,
and the numbers two, four, and eight to the celestial class.
The numbers which belong to the spiritual class
are predicated of truths or of falsities;
and those which belong to the celestial class
are predicated of goods or of evils.
By "three" is also signified all truth in the complex;
and by "four," all good in the complex.

AC 10614, 10627 - the nature of the Word: "let the Lord go in the midst of us"

AC 10614 [2-3]
AC 10614 [2-3]
In the Word there is an external sense,
there is an internal sense,
and there is an inmost sense.
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 understanding of people,
for people 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 an ongoing subsistence of one thing from another.
. . . as the end is in the cause,
and the cause in the effect;
or as with a person will is in thought,
and thought in speech.

When therefore a person is of such a character
that he perceives within himself a holiness in the externals
of the Word, of the church, and of worship,
he has an external in which is an internal,
for this holiness is from the internal,
because it is from heaven.
This is the external which Moses here represents.
But when a person is of such a character
that he does not perceive any internal holiness
in the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship,
he then has an external separate from the internal.

AC 10627
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.

Psalm 119: Teth 65-66, 72

Do good to Your servant
according to Your word, O Lord.
Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
for I believe in Your commands.
The law from Your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
(Psalm 119: Teth 65-66, 72)

AC 10608 - mountains

AC 10608 [3]
. . . "mountains" in the Word signify heaven,
 and specifically "Horeb," and "Mount Sinai."
Moreover, the interior angels dwell higher upon the mountains;
and the higher they dwell,
the more interior and perfect they are.
From this it is evident why
Jehovah descended upon the top of Mount Sinai
when the law was being promulgated (proclaimed),
and why Moses was ordered to stand with Him
on the head of the mountain.
The mountains on earth are not heaven,
but represent the mountains
upon which are the angels in heaven.
 

Psalm 119: Heth 64

The earth is filled with Your love, O Lord;
teach me Your decrees.
(Psalm 119: Heth 64)

AC 10593 - our external

AC 10593
The external which a person carries about in the world
has been accommodated to uses in the world.
This external is what is laid aside when the person dies;
but the external which has been accommodated
to uses in the other life does not die.
This latter external together with the internal
is called a "spirit;"
a good spirit and an angel
if the person had been good in the world;
and an evil spirit if he had been evil.

Psalm 119: Zayin 52,54-55

I remember Your ancient laws, O Lord,
and I find comfort in them.
Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.
In the night I remember Your name, O Lord,
and I will keep Your law.
(Psalm 119: Zayin 52,54-55)

AC 10578 - What is love to the Lord? AC 10579 - "the faces of Jehovah"; AC 10582 - ideas

AC 10578 [3]
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 so far as they are loved,
that is, so far as people live according to them from love,
so far the Lord is loved.

The reason is that the Lord loves a person,
and from love wills that he may be happy forever,
and a person cannot become happy
except by a life according to His commandments,
because by means of these
a person is regenerated and becomes spiritual,
and in this way can be raised into heaven.
But to love the Lord
without a life according to His commandments
is not to love Him,
for then there is not anything with the person
into which the Lord may flow and raise him to Himself . . ..

AC 10579 [8,9]
Everyone can comprehend what is here meant
by "the faces of Jehovah," namely, the Divine,
and whatever belongs to the Divine,
thus mercy, peace, and all good;
but in the universal sense the Divine truth,
because all good is in the Divine truth.
Both with man and with angel
the Divine good is in the Divine truth,
and without the latter there is not the former;
for truth is the recipient of good,
thus also of mercy and peace.
From this then it follows
that where Divine good is not in Divine truth,
there the face of Jehovah is not; a
and it also follows that where there is evil in falsity,
the Divine does not appear.

But be it known that Jehovah, that is, the Lord,
never turns away His faces from a person;
but that the person who is in evil
turns away his face from the Lord.

AC 10582
. . . every material and earthly idea abounds in fallacies
unless there is in it light from heaven.

Psalm 119: Waw 48

I lift up my hands to Your commands,
which I love,
and I meditate on Your decrees.
(Psalm 119: Waw 48)

AC 10574 - the internal of the church

AC 10574 [2]
To receive the internal of the church
is to receive Divine truth from heaven,
and thereby heavenly love.

Psalm 119: He 33-40

Teach me, O Lord, to follow Your decrees;
then I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding,
and I will keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to Your word.
Fulfill Your promise to Your servant,
so that You may be feared.
Take away the disgrace I dread,
for Your laws are good.
How I long for Your precepts!
Preserve my life in Your righteousness.
(Psalm 119:  He 33-40)

AC 10570 - revelation & worship

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.

Psalm 119: Daleth 25-32

I am laid low in the dust;
preserve my life according to Your word.
I recounted my ways and You answered me;
teach me Your decrees.
Let me understand the teaching of Your precepts;
then I will meditate on Your wonders.
My souls is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to Your word.
Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me through Your law.
I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set my heart on Your laws.
I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord;
do not let me be put to shame.
I run in the path of Your commands,
for You have set my heart free.
(Psalm 119:  Daleth 25-32)

AC 10551 - a promise & a warning

AC 10551 [2-3]
. . . to live according to Divine truths from the Word
is to love the Lord,
and all enlightenment comes from the Lord
when He is loved. 

But those cannot possibly be in any enlightenment
who have not as their end
a life according to Divine truths from the Word;
but who have as their end honor, gain, and reputation;
and who thus regard the Divine truths of the Word as means;
for this end is worldly and bodily,
and not spiritual and heavenly;
and it therefore closes the internal of a person,
and when this is closed,
no light can flow in from heaven and enlighten.
If such persons, when reading the Word,
believe that they are in enlightenment,
they are quite mistaken;
for they do not think from heaven, but from the world;
thus not from the Lord, but from themselves;
and insofar as they think
from themselves and from the world,
so far they think from natural light
separate from heavenly light,
and in spiritual things
natural light separate from heavenly light
is mere thick darkness.
If these persons persuade themselves
that they have seen something from enlightenment,
it is a fallacy,
for they perceive whether a thing is true
solely from others by means of confirmations,
which is to see truth from without and not from within,
or to see it from persuasive faith. . . ..
Such persons are able to see falsity as truth,
and truth as falsity;
also evil as good, and good as evil.

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 . . ..

Psalm 119: Gimel 22-24

Remove from me scorn and contempt,
for I keep Your statutes.
Though rulers sit together and slander me,
Your servant will meditate on your decrees.
Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.
(Psalm 119: Gimel 22-24)

AC 10545 - "to dwell"

AC 10545 [2]
. . . for the Lord is said "to dwell"
with the person who is in love to Him,

"If anyone loves Me,
he will obey My teaching.
My Father will love him,
and We will come to him
and make Our home with him.
(John 14:23)

Psalm 119: Beth 9-16

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to Your Word.
I see You with all my heart;
do not let me stray from Your commands.
I have hidden Your Word in my heart
that I might not sin against You.
Praise be to You, O Lord;
teach me Your decrees.
With my lips I recount all the laws
that come from Your mouth.
I rejoice in following Your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on Your precepts
and consider Your ways.
I delight in Your decrees;
I will not neglect Your Word.
(Psalm 119: Beth 9-16)

AC 10540 - ornament

AC 10540 [6, 8]
. . . by "ornament" in general
is signified the Divine truth of the church.

Give unto Jehovah
the glory belonging to His name;
bow yourselves before Jehovah
in the ornament of holiness.
(Psalm 29:2)

"in the ornament of holiness"
denotes the genuine truths of the church.

Psalm 119: Aleph 1-2,5

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they who keep His statutes
and seek Him with all their heart.
Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying Your decrees!
(Psalm 119: Aleph 1-2,5)

AC 10517 - what a person loves; AC 10528 - angels

AC 10517
. . . a person is such that he loves those things
which correspond to his interior affections,
although during his life in the world
he does not know this.

AC 10528
. . . "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.

Psalm 118: 24, 29

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

Give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good;
His love* endures forever.
(Psalm 118:24, 29)

* 'love' has also been translated as:
mercy, loving-kindness, steadfast love,
faithful love

AC 10503 - idols of gold

AC 10503
Mention is made in the Word of four kinds of idols,
namely, idols of stone, of wood, of silver, and of gold.
Idols of stone signify 
worship from falsities of doctrine;
those of wood signify 
worship from evils of doctrine;
those of silver signify 
worship of falsity both in doctrine and in life;
and those of gold signify 
worship of evil both in doctrine and in life.
Consequently idols of gold signified worship the worst of all.
Those who were in this worship not only falsified truths,
but also adulterated goods;
for evils they called goods,
and the derivative falsities they called truths.
All those are in such worship who are in the love of self
and yet believe the Word,
for they apply the sense of the letter of the Word
in favor of all the things which they think and do,
thus in favor of the worship of self.

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol Him, all you peoples.
For great is His love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord.
(Psalm 117)

AC 10490 - being a worthy disciple

AC 10490 [4, 7]
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 does not take up his cross, and follow after Me,
is not worthy of Me;"
by the "cross" being meant the state of man 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
Peace I leave with you;
My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you.
Do not let your heart be troubled,
nor let it be fearful,
and elsewhere.

It is evident that things belonging to a person,
which are evils and falsities in their order,
are meant by these names,
for it is also said that he must hate his own soul,
and that he must renounce all that he has,
that is, the things that belong to him.
A state of temptation, that is, of spiritual combat,
is also here described, for it is said,
"whosoever does not bear his cross,
and come after Me, cannot be My disciple."
To be a disciple of the Lord 
is to be led by Him and not by self,
thus by the goods and truths which are from the Lord,
and not by the evils and falsities which are from man.

AC 10488 - truth from good

AC 10488
By truth from good is meant
a life according to truth,
for good is of the life.

Psalm 116:12-14

How can I repay the Lord
for all His goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all His people.
(Psalm 116:12-14)

AC 10478 - the fire & the calf; AC 10481 - annihilation, enemies

AC 10478
And I cast it into the fire,
and there came out this calf.
(Exodus 32:24)
. . . signifies the loves of self and of the world . . .
consequently "to cast into the fire"
denotes to be in these loves,
and to draw forth such things
from the sense of the letter of the Word as favor them;
and from this to make doctrine;
and from the signification of "calf,"
as being worship from these loves,
and according to them, 
which is infernal.

AC 10451
Unto annihilation by those rising up against them.
(Exodus 32:25)
That this signifies that they lacked all power
to resist the evils and falsities which are from hell,
is evident from the signification of "annihilation,"
as being that they lacked all power
to resist evils and falsities,
for in the spiritual world this is to have no power;
and from the signification of "those rising up against,"
or enemies,
as being evils and the derivative falsities,
for in the spiritual sense
these are the enemies which rise up.

Psalm 115:1

Not to us, O Lord, not to us
but to Your name be the glory,
because of Your love and faithfulness.
(Psalm 115:1)

AC 10460 - the internal of the Word, of the church, of worship

AC 10460
. . . he who turns himself away from the internal of the Word,
also turns himself away from the internal of the church,
and likewise from the internal of worship,
because the internal of the church
and the internal of worship
are from the internal of the Word.
For the Word teaches
what must be the quality of the person of the church,
or what must be the quality of the church with a person,
and likewise what must be the quality of worship
with the person of the church;
because it is the goods and truths of love and of faith
that make the internal church, and also internal worship.
The Word teaches these goods and truths,
and these are the internal things of the Word.

Psalm 113:1-3, 7

Praise the Lord.

Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun
to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.

He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap . . .
(Psalm 113:1-3,7)

AC 10452 - the Word provides conjunction with the Lord and heaven

AC 10452 [2,3]
Those who do not know the nature of the Word,
cannot possibly believe that by means of it
there is a conjunction of the Lord with the human race,
and of heaven with the world;
and still less those who despise the Word,
or make no account of it.
But let them know
that 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,
a 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.

Psalm 112:1,4,7

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who finds delight in His commands.

Even in darkness light dawns
for the upright, for the gracious
and compassionate and righteous man.

He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast,
trusting in the Lord.
(Psalm 112:1,4,7)

AC 10436 - worship and the church; AC 10441 - repentance

AC 10436 [2]
Be it known that the church is not the church
from external worship, but from internal worship;
for external worship is of the body,
but internal worship is of the soul.
Consequently external worship without internal
is of the outward act only,
thus is worship without life from the Divine.
Through the interior things of worship
the person of the church communicates with the heavens,
to which the external serves as a plane
upon which the interior things may subsist,
as a house upon its foundations;
and when it so subsists it is complete and firm,
and the whole person is directed by the Divine. 
   
AC 10441
. . . the signification of "repenting," when said of Jehovah,
as being to be merciful.
That "to repent" denotes to be merciful
is because Jehovah never repents,
for He foresees and provides all things from eternity.
Repentance is applicable only
to him who does not know the future,
and who, when the thing comes to pass,
finds that he has erred.

Psalm 111:1-5,10

Praise the Lord.

I will extol the Lord with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are His deeds,
and His righteousness endures forever.
He has caused His wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear Him;
He remembers His covenant forever.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow His precepts have good understanding.
To Him belongs eternal praise.
(Psalm 111:1-5,10)

AC 10431 - the Lord is never

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.
In like manner it is said that "Jehovah repents,"
. . . when yet Jehovah never repents,
for He foresees all things from eternity;
from which it can be seen how many errors those fall into
who when reading the Word
do not think beyond the sense of the letter,
thus who read it without doctrine from the Word
to teach them how the case really is.

Psalm 109:26-27

Help me, O Lord my God;
save me in accordance with Your love.
Let them know that is is Your hand,
that you, O Lord, have done it.
(Psalm 109:26-27)

AC 10409 - real, long-term happiness

AC 10409 [3]
For they believe that to be exalted to dignities
and to gain wealth above others
is the very good which the Divine gives to a person,
and thus that the Divine blessing (as they call these things)
consists in these alone;
when yet such things are rather a curse
to those who love themselves and the world above all things,
for insofar as they are exalted to honors
and gain wealth by their own effort and their own skill,
so far are they uplifted in the love of self and of the world,
so that at last they place their whole hearts in these things,
and regard them as the only goods,
thus as the only satisfactions and happinesses of a person;
although these things come to an end
together with the life of a person in the world;
whereas 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.

Psalm 108:2-5

Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth.
(Psalm 108:2-5)

AC 10409 - to eternity

AC 10409 [4]
. . . those things which are provided by the Divine
for the good
have no end,
and become favorable and happy to eternity.

Psalm 107:8-9

Let them give thanks to the Lord
for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for men,
for He satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
(Psalm 107:8-9)

AC 10396 - we have an external and an internal

AC 10396 [2]
. . . a person has an internal and an external;
his internal is for heaven,
and his external is for the world.
When the external reigns,
then worldly, bodily, and earthly things reign;
and when the internal reigns,
then heavenly things reign.
But a person has been so created
that the external in him may be subordinated to the internal,
thus the world to heaven;
for as before said,
the external is for the world and the internal for heaven.
When therefore the external reigns, the internal is closed,
for the reason that the person then turns himself
from heaven and from the Lord
to the world and to himself,
and his heart is where he turns himself,
consequently his love,
and with his love the whole of his life,
because the life of a person is his love.

Psalm 106:1-3

Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good;
His love endures forever.
Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord
or fully declare His praise?
Blessed are they who maintain justice,
who constantly do what is right.
(Psalm 106:1-3)

AC 10377 - thinking about God

AC 10377
. . . all who acknowledge God under a human form
are accepted by our Lord,
and are led.
No others can be led,
for they think of God without a form,
thus they think of nature.

Psalm 105:1-4

Give thanks to the Lord,
call on His name;
make known among the nations what He has done.
Sing to Him, sing praise to Him;
tell of all His wonderful acts.
Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and His strength;
seek His face always.
(Psalm 105:1-4)

AC 10367 - becoming good

AC 10367 [3,4]
The Word and doctrine from the Word
teach what is true and good,
and truth and good teach what is false and evil.
Unless a person knows these,
he cannot possible be regenerated (born anew),
for he remains in his evils and their falsities,
calling the former goods,
and the latter truths.

. . . the understanding was given to a person
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 person wills them,
and from willing does them.

Psalm 104:33-35

I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him,
as I rejoice in the Lord.
But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, O my soul.

Praise the Lord.
(Psalm 104:33-35)

AC 10360 - six days of labor and the Sabbath

AC 10360
And you shall keep the Sabbath.
(Exodus 31:13)
That this signifies
that the Divine Human of the Lord is to be worshiped,
is evident from the signification of "keeping,"
when said of the Divine,
as being to worship;
and from the signification of "the Sabbath,"
as being in the supreme sense
the union of the Divine which is called the "Father"
and of the Divine Human which is called the "Son,"
thus the Divine Human in which is this union.
This union is signified by "the Sabbath,"
because by the six days of labor
which precede the seventh
is signified every state of combat;
for in the spiritual sense "labor"
does not mean such labor as there is in the world,
but such as those who are in the church endure
before they enter the church and become the church,
which labor is combat against evils and falsities of evil.
A like "labor" (in the spiritual sense)
was endured by the Lord when He was in the world;
for He then fought against the hells,
and reduced them and likewise the heavens into order,
and at the same time He glorified His Human, that is,
He united it to the Divine Itself which He had from conception).

[2] The time and state when the Lord was in combats
is signified by the six days of labor,
but the state when the union had been effected
is signified by the seventh day,
which is called "the Sabbath," from "rest,"
because the Lord then had rest.
Consequently by "the Sabbath" is signified also
the conjunction of the Lord with heaven, with the church,
with an angel of heaven, and with a person of the church.
The reason is that all who are to come into heaven
must first be in combats against evils and the falsities of evil,
and when these have been separated
they enter heaven and are conjoined with the Lord,
and then they have rest.
It is similar with people in the world.
It is known that these must be in combats,
that is, that they must undergo temptations,
before the good and truth which make the church
have been implanted in them;
thus before they have been conjoined with the Lord,
consequently before they have rest.

Psalm 103:17-18

But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord's love is with those who fear Him,
and His righteousness with their children's children -
with those who keep His covenant
and remember to obey His precepts.
(Psalm 103:17-18)

AC 10355 - a history of instruction or information by means of the Word

AC 10355 [2-5,6]
In the most ancient times
people were informed about heavenly things,
or those things which are of eternal life,
by immediate interaction with the angels of heaven;
for heaven then acted as a one with the people of the church,
for it flowed in through their internal person into their external,
and from this they had not only enlightenment and perception,
but also speech with angels.
This time was called the Golden Age,
from people being then in the good of love to the Lord, 
for "gold" signifies this good.
This state is also described in the Word by "Paradise." 

Afterward information about heavenly things
and the things of eternal life
was accomplished by means of such things
as are called correspondences and representations,
the knowledge of which was derived
from the most ancient people,
who had immediate interaction with the angels of heaven.
Into these correspondences and representations
heaven then flowed with people, and enlightened them.
For correspondences and representations
are the external forms of heavenly things,
and insofar as people were then
in the good of love and of charity,
so far they were enlightened.
For all Divine influx from heaven
is into the good with a person,
and through the good into the truths;
and because the person of the church
was then in spiritual good,
which good in its essence is truth,
therefore those times were called the Silver Age,
for "silver" signifies such good. 

But when
the science of correspondences and of representations
was turned into magic,
that church perished,
and a third church succeeded in which
indeed almost all the worship
was performed by similar observances;
but still it was not known what they signified.
This church was instituted
with the Israelitish and Jewish nation.
But as information about heavenly things,
or those of eternal life,
was not possible with the people of this church
by influx into their interiors, and thus by enlightenment,
therefore angels from heaven
spoke with some of them in a living voice,
and instructed them about external things;
but very little about internal things,
because these they could not understand.
Those who were in natural good
reverently received the things taught them,
and from them these times were called Brazen,
for "brass" signifies such good.

But when not even natural good remained
with the people of the church,
the Lord came into the world and reduced into order
all things in the heavens and in the hells,
to the end that a person may receive
influx from Him out of heaven and be enlightened;
and that the hells should not be able to hinder,
and infuse thick darkness.
Then a fourth church began,
which is called the Christian Church
In this church their information about heavenly things,
or about those of eternal life,
is effected solely by means of the Word.
Thereby a person has influx and enlightenment;
for the Word has been written
by means of mere correspondences,
and by means of mere representatives,
which signify heavenly things.
Into these come the angels of heaven
when a person of the church reads the Word;
consequently there is effected through the Word
the conjunction of heaven with the church,
or of the angels of heaven with the people of the church;
but only with those therein
who are in the good of love and of charity.
But inasmuch as the person of this church
also has extinguished this good,
therefore neither can he be informed by any influx,
and by enlightenment therefrom,
except about a few truths,
which however do not cohere with good.
Therefore these times are what are called Iron,
for "iron" denotes truth in the ultimate of order.

From this it can be seen
in what manner revelations have succeeded one another
from the most ancient ages to the present time;
and that at this day
revelation is given solely through the Word,
and genuine revelation solely with those
who are in the love of truth for the sake of truth,
and not with those who are in the love of truth
for the sake of honors and profit as ends.
For, if you will believe it,
the Lord is the Word itself,
because the Word is Divine truth,
and Divine truth is the Lord in heaven,
because it is from the Lord.
Wherefore they who love Divine truth
for the sake of Divine truth,
love the Lord;
and with those who love the Lord
heaven flows in and enlightens them.
Whereas they who love Divine truth
for the sake of honors and profit as ends,
turn themselves away from the Lord
to themselves and to the world,
for which reason there can be with them
no influx and enlightenment.
Moreover, as these, when dwelling on the sense of the letter,
keep the mind fixed upon themselves
and their own reputation and glory,
they apply this sense to such things as favor their own loves.

Psalm 102:25-26,27

In the beginning
You laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish,
but You remain . . .
and Your years will never end.
(Psalm 102:25-26,27)

AC 10336 - wise in heart

AC 10336
. . . the signification of "one that is wise in heart,"
as being one who wills and loves what is good and true
for the sake of what is good and true;
for it is the part of one who is wise,
and it is wisdom,
to do truths from love;
and it is the part of one who is wise in heart,
and it is wisdom of heart,
to do what is good from love;
and from the signification of "putting wisdom in the heart,"
as being to do these things from the Lord,
thus from the good of love,
because the good of love is from the Lord;
for all such will and do what is good and true
for the sake of what is good and true,
because good and the truth of good
are the Lord with them,
inasmuch as the things which are from Him,
thus which are His,
are also Himself.

For this reason it is said
that the Lord is good itself and truth itself.

Psalm 101:1

I will sing of your love and justice;
to You, O Lord, I will sing praise.
(Psalm 101:1)

AC 10331 - wisdom, intelligence, knowledge & work

AC 10331 [4]
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 people,
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 person.
Knowledge consists in knowing well,
and work in doing well,
both from willing well.
These two are of the external person.
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 terminate.

Psalm 100:1-3

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us,
and not we ourselves;
we are His people,
the sheep of His pasture.
(Psalm 100:1-3)

AC 10318, 10325 - revelation from the Divine

AC 10318
Without a revelation from the Divine,
a person cannot know anything about eternal life,
nor indeed anything about God,
and still less about love to Him and faith in Him.
For a person is born into mere ignorance,
and afterward has all things to learn from what is of the world,
from which he must form his understanding.
He is also born by heredity into all evil
that belongs to the love of self and the love of the world.
The delights from these loves reign continually,
and prompt to such things as are
diametrically contrary to the Divine.
From this then it is
that from himself a person knows nothing about eternal life;
and therefore there must needs be a revelation
from which he may know this.

AC 10325
The books of the Word
are all those which have an internal sense;
and those which have not an internal sense
are not the Word.
The books of the Word in the Old Testament are
the five books of Moses,
the book of Joshua, the book of Judges,
the two books of Samuel,
the two books of Kings,
the Psalms of David,
the Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations,
Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah,
Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi;
and in the New Testament the four Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John;
and Revelation.

Psalm 99:9

Exalt the Lord our God
and worship at His holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.
(Psalm 99:9)

AC 10300 - "salt"

AC 10300
. . . by "salt" is signified
a longing for the conjunction of truth and good . . ..

Psalm 98:4-6)

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn -
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
(Psalm 98:4-6)