AC 2269 - The Conjunction of Good and Truth; AC 2274 - Temptations

AC 2269 [2-3]

 . . . in the internal sense

all things follow on in a beautiful sequence of their own.

As regards the conjunction of good with truth,

it is an arcanum which cannot be described

so that it can be grasped by the ordinary comprehension.

It must be told in a few words.

The more genuine and pure the truth,

the better can the good

which is from the Lord

be adapted into it as its recipient vessel;

but the less genuine and pure the truth,

the less can the good

which is from the Lord

be adapted into it;

for they must correspond to each other,

and the conjunction of the two

is effected according to the correspondence.

Goods cannot possibly be insinuated into falsities,

nor evils into truths, as their recipient vessels;

for they are of a contrary character and nature,

the one casting out the other as its enemy;

indeed should they attempt

to conjoin themselves together,

the one would spew out the other,

that is to say,

good would spew out evil as if it were poison,

and evil would spew out good

as if it were an emetic (something that induces vomiting).

Such enmity between good and evil

has been provided by the Lord

in order to prevent the possibility

of their being commingled,

for if they were commingled,

the man would perish.

In the deceitful and in hypocrites

they are not far from being conjoined together,

but still precautions are taken by the Lord

in order to prevent their being so conjoined.

This is the reason why in the other life

those who are deceitful and those who are hypocrites

suffer things more direful

than those which are suffered by any others.

AC 2273

. . . a man is not saved on account of temptations

if he places anything of merit in them;

for if he does this,

it is from the love of self,

in that he congratulates himself on their account,

and believes that he has merited heaven more than others,

and at the same time

he is thinking of his own preeminence over others

by despising others in comparison with himself;

all of which things are contrary to mutual love,

and therefore to heavenly blessedness.

Introduction to Luke

Many have undertaken

to draw up an account of the things

that have been fulfilled among us

just as they were handed down to us

by those who from the first 

were eyewitnesses and servants of the Word.

Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated

everything from the beginning,

it seemed good also to me

to write an orderly account for you,

most excellent Theophilus,

so that you may know the certainty

of the things you have been taught.

(Luke 1: 1-4)

** The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets Sound **

The fifth 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 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 they 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 breastplates 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 hear or walk.
Nor did they repent of their murders,
their magic arts,
their sexual immorality or their thefts.

(Revelation 9)
 

AC 2261 - The Lord's Life Is Mercy

AC 2261 [3]

The life of truth, and thus of faith,
is solely from the Lord,
who is life itself.
The Lord's life is mercy,
which is that of love toward the universal human race.
In the Lord's life
those can in no wise have part
who although they profess the truths of faith
despise others in comparison with themselves,
and who, when their life of the love of self
and of the world is touched,
hold the neighbor in hatred,
and take delight in his loss of wealth, of honor,
of reputation, and of life.
But the case with the truths of faith
is that by means of them man is regenerated,
for they are the veriest vessels recipient of good.
Such therefore as are the truths,
and such as are the goods in the truths,
and such as is their conjunction
and the consequent capability
of being perfected in the other life,
such is the state of blessedness
and happiness after death.
 

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

They went to a place called Gethsemane,
and Jesus said to His disciples,
"Sit here while I pray."
He took Peter, James and John along with Him,
and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow
to the point of death," He said to them.
"Stay here and keep watch."


Going a little farther,
He fell to the ground and prayed
that it was possible 
the hour might pass from Him.
"Abba, Father," He said,
"everything is possible for You.
Take this cup from Me.
Yet not what I will,
but what You will."

Then He returned to His disciples
and found them sleeping.
"Simon," He said to Peter, "are you asleep? 
Could you not keep watch for one hour?
Watch and pray
so that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing,
but the body is weak."

Once more
He went away and prayed the same thing.
When He came back,
He again found them sleeping,
because their eyes were heavy.
They did not know what to say to Him.

(Mark 14:32-40)

** The First Four Trumpets Sound **

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 spirings of water --
the name of the star is Wormwood.
A third of the waters turned bitter,
and many 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) 

AC 2250 - Intercession; AC 2253 - Life

AC 2250

The Lord's intercession for the human race 
existed at the time when He was in the world, 
and in fact when He was in a state of humiliation, 
for as before said, 
He then spoke with Jehovah as with another. 
But of course in His state of glorification 
when the Human Essence 
has become united to the Divine Essence, 
and is itself also Jehovah, 
He does not intercede, 
but has mercy and affords aid from His Divine, 
and saves. 
It is Mercy itself which is the intercession, 
for such is its essence.


AC 2253

. . . in so far as any one loves his neighbor,
in so far he partakes of the Lord's life.

The Widow's Offering

Jesus sat down
opposite the place where the offerings were put
and watched the crowed
putting their money into the temple treasury.
Many rich people threw in large amounts.
But a poor widow came
and put in two very small copper coins,
worth only a fraction of a penny.

Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said,
"I tell you the truth,
this poor widow has put more into the treasury
than all the others.
They all gave out of their wealth;
but she, out of her poverty, put in everything --
all she had to live on.

(Mark 12:41-44)

** 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 around 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 they 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 2242 - The Lord on High

AC 2242 [2]

I will go down, I pray, and I will see. 

(Genesis 18: 20)

This shows what is the nature of the sense of the letter,

for Jehovah does not go down,

since going down cannot be predicated of the Lord,

because He is always in the highest;

nor does Jehovah see whether a thing be so,

for seeing whether it be so

cannot be predicated of the Lord,

because He knows all things from eternity

both in general and in particular.

Nevertheless it is so expressed

because it appears to man as if it were so,

for man is in things that are below,

and when anything appears there,

he does not think or even know how the case is

with things that are above,

thus neither how they flow in,

for his thought goes no further

than to what is nearest to him,

and hence he cannot perceive otherwise

than that there is some such thing

as going down and seeing,

and this the more because he imagines

that no one knows what he is thinking;

besides that he has no other idea

than that there is a coming down from on high,

and, when said of God, from the highest;

whereas it is not from the highest, but from the inmost.

A Sign

The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus.

to test Him,

they asked Him for a sign from heaven.

He sighed deeply and said,

Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign?

I tell you the truth,

no sign will be given to it."

Then He left them,

got back into the boat

and crossed to the other side.

(Mark 8:11-13)

** The Lamb Opens the Six 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 a 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) 

AC 2227 - Great and Numerous, and Being In the Lord

AC 2227

Abraham shall surely be for a nation
great and numerous.
(Genesis 18:18)

That this signifies that all good
and all the derivative truth
will be from the Lord,
is evident from the representation of Abraham,
as being the Lord (often shown above),
and also from the signification of a "nation,"
as being good;
here a "nation great and numerous,"
by which is signified good and the derivative truth.
That "great" is predicated of good,
and "numerous" of truth,
appears from other places in the Word,
but I must refrain from citing them here.
The derivative truth,
that is, truth from good,
in the genuine sense is spiritual good.
There are two kinds of good
that are distinct from each other,
namely, celestial good and spiritual good.
Celestial good is that of love to the Lord,
spiritual good is that of love toward the neighbor.
From the former, or celestial good,
comes the latter, or spiritual good;
for no one can love the Lord
unless he also loves his neighbor.
In love to the Lord
is love toward the neighbor;
for love to the Lord is from the Lord,
and thus is from love itself
toward the universal human race.
To be in love to the Lord
is the same as to be in the Lord;
and he who is in the Lord
cannot be otherwise than in His love;
which is toward the human race
and thus toward the neighbor;
thus is he in both kinds of good, celestial and spiritual.
The former is the veriest good itself;
but the latter is its truth, or the truth therefrom;
which truth is spiritual good, as said.
The former is what is signified by "great,"
but the latter by "numerous."

 

Unclean

Again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said,
"Listen to Me, everyone, and understand this.
Nothing outside a man 
can make him 'unclean' by going into him.
Rather it is what comes out of a man
that makes him 'unclean.'"

After He had left the crowd and entered the house,
His disciples asked Him about this parable.
"Are you so dull?" He asked.
"Don't you see
that nothing that enters a man from the outside
can make him 'unclean'?
For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach,
and then out of his body."
(In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")

He went on:
"What comes out of a man
is what makes him 'unclean.'
For from within, out of men's hearts,
come evil thoughts, sexual immorality,
theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
All these evils come from inside
and make a man 'unclean.'"

(Mark 7:14-23) 

Apologies

My computer is having issues and have no long term solution.
So sorry that quotes cannot be posted at this time.
All the best!

** 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.
Then one of the elders said to me, "Do 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 a Lamb, looking as it 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 hard 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 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 6)

AC 2223, 2225 - "Shall I Hide?"

AC 2223, 2225

And Jehovah said,
Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do?

(Genesis 18: 17)

"And Jehovah said," signifies perception;
"Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do?"
signifies that nothing ought to be hidden
before the Lord.

In this case the sense of the letter
is similar to the internal sense,
as occasionally elsewhere,
especially where the essentials of faith are treated of,
which, being necessary to salvation,
are stated in the letter
such as they are in the internal sense;
as for example in Moses:

Jehovah our God is one Jehovah;
and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God
with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul,
and with all thy strengths;
and these words shall be upon thy heart.
(Deuteronomy 6:4-6);

with other similar passages.

Whatever Is Hidden

He said to them,
"Do you bring in a lamp
to put it under a bowl or a bed?
Instead, don't you put it on its stand?
For whatever is hidden
is meant to be disclosed,
and whatever is concealed
is meant to be brought out into the open.
If anyone has ears to hear,
let him hear."

(Mark 4:21-23)

** An Emerald Rainbow Encircling the Throne **

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
were 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 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 4)

AC 2217, 2219 - Sodom

AC 2217

And the men rose up from there
and looked towards the face of Sodom;
and Abraham went with them,
to send them on their way.
(Genesis 18:16)

'The men rose up from there'
signifies that perception came to an end.
'And they looked towards the face of Sodom'
signifies the state of the human race,
'Sodom' being every evil that stems from self-love.
'And Abraham went with them'
signifies that the Lord
still remained with them in perception,
but perception regarding the human race.
'To send them on their way'
signifies that He wished to withdraw
from that perception.

AC 2219 [2-3]

. . . the love of self is . . . diametrically contrary
to the order into which man was created.
Man is distinguished above beasts
by having a rational given him,
to the end that everyone
may will well and do well to others,
as in general so in particular.
This is the order into which man has been created;
consequently it is love to God
and love toward the neighbor
that should be man's life,
and by which he should be distinguished
from brute animals.
This is also the order of heaven,
in which it was intended man should be
while he lives in the world;
thus in the Lord's kingdom;
and into this kingdom he would pass
when he had put off the body
that had been of service to him upon the earth,
and there he would rise into a state
continually advancing in heavenly perfection.

But the love of self is the primary
and indeed the only thing that destroys all this;
and not so much so the love of the world,
for this is indeed opposite
to the spiritual things of faith,
but the love of self is diametrically opposite
to the celestial things of love;
for he who loves himself loves no others,
but endeavors to destroy all persons whatever
that do not pay reverence to him . . ..

The Great Commission

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
When they saw Him,
they worshiped Him;
but some doubted.
Then Jesus came to them and said,
"All authority in heaven and on earth
has been give to Me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age."

(Matthew 28:16-20)