Then I heard a loud voice from the
temple
saying to the seven angels,
"Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth."
The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land,
and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people
who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.
The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea,
and it turned into blood like that of a dead man,
and every living thing in the sea died.
The third angel poured out his bowl
on the rivers and springs of water,
and they became blood.
Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:
"You are just in these judgments,
You who are and who were,
the Holy One,
because You have so judged;
for they have shed the blood of Your saints and prophets,
and You have given them blood to drink as they deserve."
And I heard the altar respond:
"Yes, Lord God Almighty,
true and just are Your judgments."
The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun,
and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire.
They were seared by the intense heat
and they cursed the name of God,
who had control over these plagues,
but they refused to repent and glorify Him.
The fifth angel poured out his bowl
on the throne of the beast,
and his kingdom was plunged into darkness.
Men gnawed their tongues in agony
and cursed the God of heaven
because of their pains and their sores,
but they refused to repent of what they had done.
The sixth angel poured out his bowl
on the great river Euphrates,
and its water was dried up
to prepare the way for the kings from the East.
Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs;
they came out of the mouth of the dragon,
out of the mouth of the beast
and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs,
and they go out to the kings of the whole world,
to gather them for the battle
on the great day of God Almighty.
"Behold, I come like a thief!
Blessed is he who stays awake
and keeps his clothes with him,
so that he may not go naked
and be shamefully exposed."
Then they gathered the kings together
to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,
and out of the temple
came a loud voice from the throne,
saying, "It is done!"
Then there came flashes of lightning,
rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake.
No earthquake like it has ever occurred
since man has been on earth,
so tremendous was the quake.
The great city split into three parts,
and the cities of the nations collapsed.
God remembered Babylon the Great
and gave her the cup
filled with the wine of the fury of His wrath.
Every island fled away
and the mountains could not be found.
From the sky huge hailstones
of about a hundred pounds each
fell upon men.
And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail,
because the plague was so terrible.
(Revelation 16)
Friday, June 14, 2019
Thursday, June 13, 2019
DLW 330 - Creation Is the Support For a Human Race Heaven
DLW 330
Since the final end in creation
is an angelic heaven from the human race,
and so also the human race,
therefore its intermediate ends are all other phenomena
that have been created.
And because these have relation to mankind,
they have regard to
these three constituents of a person, namely,
his body, his rational faculty, and his spiritual character,
for the sake of his conjunction with the Lord.
For a person cannot be conjoined with the Lord
unless he is spiritual,
and he cannot be spiritual without being rational,
and he cannot be rational
without having a body in sound condition.
These three are like a house.
The body is like the foundation.
The person's rational faculty is like
the superstructure of the house.
His spiritual character is like
the furnishings in the house.
And conjunction with the Lord is like his inhabiting of it.
Since the final end in creation
is an angelic heaven from the human race,
and so also the human race,
therefore its intermediate ends are all other phenomena
that have been created.
And because these have relation to mankind,
they have regard to
these three constituents of a person, namely,
his body, his rational faculty, and his spiritual character,
for the sake of his conjunction with the Lord.
For a person cannot be conjoined with the Lord
unless he is spiritual,
and he cannot be spiritual without being rational,
and he cannot be rational
without having a body in sound condition.
These three are like a house.
The body is like the foundation.
The person's rational faculty is like
the superstructure of the house.
His spiritual character is like
the furnishings in the house.
And conjunction with the Lord is like his inhabiting of it.
** Seven Angels With Seven Plagues **
I saw in heaven another great and
marvelous sign:
seven angels with the seven last plagues --
last, because with them God's wrath is completed.
And I saw what looked like a sea of glass
mixed with fire and,
standing beside the sea,
those who had been victorious
over the beast and his image
and over the number of his name.
They held harps given them by God
and sang the song of Moses the servant of God
and the song of the Lamb:
"Great and marvelous are Your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are Your ways,
King of the ages.
Who will not fear You, O Lord,
and bring glory to Your name?
For You alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before You
for Your righteous acts have been revealed."
After this I looked and in heaven the temple,
that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened.
Out of the temple came
the seven angels with the seven plagues.
They were dressed in clean, shining linen
and wore gold sashes around their chests.
Then one of the four living creatures
gave to the seven angels
seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God,
who lives for ever and ever.
And the temple was filled with smoke
from the glory of God and from His power,
and no one could enter the temple
until the seven plagues of the seven angels
were completed.
(Revelation 15)
seven angels with the seven last plagues --
last, because with them God's wrath is completed.
And I saw what looked like a sea of glass
mixed with fire and,
standing beside the sea,
those who had been victorious
over the beast and his image
and over the number of his name.
They held harps given them by God
and sang the song of Moses the servant of God
and the song of the Lamb:
"Great and marvelous are Your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are Your ways,
King of the ages.
Who will not fear You, O Lord,
and bring glory to Your name?
For You alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before You
for Your righteous acts have been revealed."
After this I looked and in heaven the temple,
that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened.
Out of the temple came
the seven angels with the seven plagues.
They were dressed in clean, shining linen
and wore gold sashes around their chests.
Then one of the four living creatures
gave to the seven angels
seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God,
who lives for ever and ever.
And the temple was filled with smoke
from the glory of God and from His power,
and no one could enter the temple
until the seven plagues of the seven angels
were completed.
(Revelation 15)
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
DLW 321, 322 - Natural and Spiritual Forms
DLW 321, 322 [2]
It should be known
that in outward appearance
the spiritual world is just like the natural world.
One sees there lands, mountains, hills, valleys,
plains, fields, lakes, rivers, and springs,
just as in the natural world,
thus all the phenomena
belonging to the mineral kingdom.
One sees also parks, gardens, groves, and forests,
in which are found trees and bushes of every kind,
with fruits and seeds, and plants,
flowers, herbs, and grasses,
thus all the phenomena
belonging to the plant kingdom.
One sees animals, birds, and fish of every kind,
thus all the phenomena
belonging to the animal kingdom.
A person there is an angel or spirit.
This much is premised in order to make it known
that the universe of the spiritual world
is just like the universe of the natural world,
the only difference being
that the phenomena which exist there
are not fixed and set
like phenomena in the natural world,
because nothing there is natural,
but everything spiritual.
These phenomena take form
and change as described
because they all exist in accordance with
the affections and consequent thoughts of the angels.
For they are correspondent forms.
And because forms that correspond
accord with that to which they correspond,
therefore they are a representative image of it.
This image is not apparent
when any of these phenomena are viewed
in terms of their forms,
but it is seen
when they are viewed in terms of their uses.
It should be known
that in outward appearance
the spiritual world is just like the natural world.
One sees there lands, mountains, hills, valleys,
plains, fields, lakes, rivers, and springs,
just as in the natural world,
thus all the phenomena
belonging to the mineral kingdom.
One sees also parks, gardens, groves, and forests,
in which are found trees and bushes of every kind,
with fruits and seeds, and plants,
flowers, herbs, and grasses,
thus all the phenomena
belonging to the plant kingdom.
One sees animals, birds, and fish of every kind,
thus all the phenomena
belonging to the animal kingdom.
A person there is an angel or spirit.
This much is premised in order to make it known
that the universe of the spiritual world
is just like the universe of the natural world,
the only difference being
that the phenomena which exist there
are not fixed and set
like phenomena in the natural world,
because nothing there is natural,
but everything spiritual.
These phenomena take form
and change as described
because they all exist in accordance with
the affections and consequent thoughts of the angels.
For they are correspondent forms.
And because forms that correspond
accord with that to which they correspond,
therefore they are a representative image of it.
This image is not apparent
when any of these phenomena are viewed
in terms of their forms,
but it is seen
when they are viewed in terms of their uses.
** The Lamb, the Three Angels, and the Harvest **
Then I looked, and there before me was
the Lamb,
standing on Mount Zion,
and with Him 144,000
who had His name and His Father's 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 firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
No lie was found in their mouths;
they are blameless.
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 the 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."
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 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 winepress of God's wrath.
They were trampled in the winepress 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)
standing on Mount Zion,
and with Him 144,000
who had His name and His Father's 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 firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
No lie was found in their mouths;
they are blameless.
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 the 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."
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 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 winepress of God's wrath.
They were trampled in the winepress 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)
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
DLW 297, 298, 301 - Useful Endeavors That Are From the Lord
DLW 297
Everyone who thinks with some enlightenment
can see that love has as its end and intends
some useful endeavor,
and that it produces the useful endeavor through wisdom;
for love cannot produce any useful endeavor of itself,
but only by means of wisdom.
Indeed, what is love
unless there is something that is loved?
This something is useful endeavor.
And because useful endeavor is that which is loved,
and it is produced through wisdom,
it follows that useful endeavor
is the containing medium of love and wisdom.
It can be seen from this
that the aforementioned three elements --
the Divine element of love,
the Divine element of wisdom,
and the Divine element of useful endeavor --
are in the Lord,
and that in essence they are the Lord.
DLW 298
God as a person
is the supreme form embracing all useful endeavors,
from which all other useful endeavors
in the created universe take their origin,
and consequently
that regarded in terms of its useful endeavors,
the created universe is an image of Him.
DLW 301
. . . nothing in the created universe has life
except the human God alone, or the Lord,
that nothing moves except as the result of life from Him,
and that nothing has existence
except through the sun from Him --
consequently that it is a truth
that in God we live, move, and have our being.
Everyone who thinks with some enlightenment
can see that love has as its end and intends
some useful endeavor,
and that it produces the useful endeavor through wisdom;
for love cannot produce any useful endeavor of itself,
but only by means of wisdom.
Indeed, what is love
unless there is something that is loved?
This something is useful endeavor.
And because useful endeavor is that which is loved,
and it is produced through wisdom,
it follows that useful endeavor
is the containing medium of love and wisdom.
It can be seen from this
that the aforementioned three elements --
the Divine element of love,
the Divine element of wisdom,
and the Divine element of useful endeavor --
are in the Lord,
and that in essence they are the Lord.
DLW 298
God as a person
is the supreme form embracing all useful endeavors,
from which all other useful endeavors
in the created universe take their origin,
and consequently
that regarded in terms of its useful endeavors,
the created universe is an image of Him.
DLW 301
. . . nothing in the created universe has life
except the human God alone, or the Lord,
that nothing moves except as the result of life from Him,
and that nothing has existence
except through the sun from Him --
consequently that it is a truth
that in God we live, move, and have our being.
** The Beast Out of the Sea and the Beast Out of the Earth **
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 him 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.
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 the 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 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
to be killed.
He also forced everyone,
small and great, rich and poor, free and slave,
to receive a mark on his 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)
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 him 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.
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 the 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 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
to be killed.
He also forced everyone,
small and great, rich and poor, free and slave,
to receive a mark on his 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)
Monday, June 10, 2019
DLW 282 - The Lord from Eternity Is Jehovah
DLW 282
The Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah,
created the universe and everything in it
from Himself and not from nothing.
People throughout the world know,
and every wise person
from an interior perception acknowledges,
that there is one God who is the Creator of the universe.
People also know from the Word that God,
the Creator of the universe, is called Jehovah,
so named from the verb to be,
because He alone just is . . .
Jehovah is called the Lord from eternity
because it was Jehovah who assumed a humanity
in order to save people from hell.
Moreover at that time
He commanded His disciples to call Him Lord.
"You call Me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,'
and rightly so,
for that is what I am.
(John 13:13)
Consequently in the New Testament
Jehovah is called the Lord,
as can be seen from considering the following statement.
[In the Old Testament:]
You shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul . . .
(Deuteronomy 6:5)
And in the New Testament:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul . . .
(Matthew 22:37)
The Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah,
created the universe and everything in it
from Himself and not from nothing.
People throughout the world know,
and every wise person
from an interior perception acknowledges,
that there is one God who is the Creator of the universe.
People also know from the Word that God,
the Creator of the universe, is called Jehovah,
so named from the verb to be,
because He alone just is . . .
Jehovah is called the Lord from eternity
because it was Jehovah who assumed a humanity
in order to save people from hell.
Moreover at that time
He commanded His disciples to call Him Lord.
"You call Me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,'
and rightly so,
for that is what I am.
(John 13:13)
Consequently in the New Testament
Jehovah is called the Lord,
as can be seen from considering the following statement.
[In the Old Testament:]
You shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul . . .
(Deuteronomy 6:5)
And in the New Testament:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul . . .
(Matthew 22:37)
** "A Great Sign Appeared in Heaven" - Revelation 19 and DF 59 **
DF 58
This is what the twelfth chapter of Revelation
says about the dragon:
And a great sign appeared in heaven:
a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
And being pregnant,
she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
And another sign appeared in heaven:
behold, a great red dragon
having seven heads and ten horns,
and seven gems on his heads.
His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven
and threw them to the earth.
And the dragon stood before the woman
who was about to give birth,
to devour her child as soon as it was born.
She bore a male child
who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.
And her child was caught up to God and his throne.
And the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she has a place prepared by God,
so that they would feed her there
for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
And war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon;
and the dragon and his angels fought,
but they did not prevail,
and no place was found for them in heaven any longer.
And when the dragon saw
that he had been cast to the earth,
he persecuted the woman
who had given birth to the male child.
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle,
so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place,
where she would be nourished
for a time and times and half a time,
away from the presence of the serpent.
So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood
after the woman,
to cause her to be carried away by the flood.
But the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened its mouth
and swallowed up the flood
that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
And the dragon was enraged with the woman,
and he went away
to make war with the rest of her offspring,
who keep the commandments of God
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
(Revelation 12:1-8, 13-17)
DF 59
The meaning of these verses is as follows:
* A great sign appeared in heaven
means a revelation by the Lord
concerning a church that is to be,
and concerning how its teachings will be received
and who will attack it.
* A woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet
means a church that has love and faith from the Lord.
* And on her head a crown of twelve stars
means that the people [of that church]
will have wisdom and intelligence
arising from divine truths.
* And being pregnant
means the new teachings being born.
* She cried out in labor and in pain to give birth
means resistance by those people
who were devoted to a faith divorced from caring.
* And another sign appeared in heaven
means a further revelation.
* Behold, a great red dragon
means a faith divorced from caring,
which is called “red” because of its strictly earthly love.
* Having seven heads
means a distorted understanding of the Word.
* And ten horns
means the power they have
because many people adopt [their point of view].
* And seven gems on his heads
means distorted truths of the Word.
* His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven
and threw them to the earth
means the destruction of all recognition of what is true.
* And the dragon stood before the woman
who was about to give birth,
to devour her child as soon as it was born
means their hatred of and intent
to destroy the teachings of the church
at its very beginning.
* She bore a male child
means new teachings.
* Who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron
means teachings that will carry conviction
because of the power of earthly truth
derived from spiritual truth.
* And her child was caught up to God and His throne
means that those teachings will be kept safe
by the Lord and heaven.
* And the woman fled into the wilderness
means the church among few people.
* Where she has a place prepared by God
means that its state is such
that in the meantime it may be made available to many.
* So that they would feed her there
for one thousand two hundred and sixty days
means until it grows to its appointed size.
* And war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon,
and the dragon and his angels fought
means the disagreement and battle of those
devoted to a faith divorced from caring
against those devoted to the teachings of the church
with respect to the Lord and a life of caring.
* But they did not prevail
means that [those devoted to faith alone] yielded.
* And no place was found for them in heaven any longer
means their being cast down.
* And when the dragon saw
that he had been cast to the earth,
he persecuted the woman
who had given birth to the male child
means an attack on the church
on account of its teachings by those
devoted to a faith divorced from caring.
* But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle,
so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place
means caution while it was still among few.
* Where she would be nourished
for a time and times and half a time,
away from the presence of the serpent
means until the church would grow to its appointed size.
* So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth
like a flood after the woman,
to cause her to be carried away by the flood
means their rationalizations
based on abundant distortions
aimed at the destruction of the church.
* But the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened its mouth
and swallowed up the flood
that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth
means that because the rationalizations
were based on distortions,
they collapsed on their own.
* And the dragon was enraged with the woman,
and he went away to make war
with the rest of her offspring
means their abiding hatred.
* Who keep the commandments of God
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ
means against those who live caring lives
and believe in the Lord.
This is what the twelfth chapter of Revelation
says about the dragon:
And a great sign appeared in heaven:
a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
And being pregnant,
she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
And another sign appeared in heaven:
behold, a great red dragon
having seven heads and ten horns,
and seven gems on his heads.
His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven
and threw them to the earth.
And the dragon stood before the woman
who was about to give birth,
to devour her child as soon as it was born.
She bore a male child
who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.
And her child was caught up to God and his throne.
And the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she has a place prepared by God,
so that they would feed her there
for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
And war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon;
and the dragon and his angels fought,
but they did not prevail,
and no place was found for them in heaven any longer.
And when the dragon saw
that he had been cast to the earth,
he persecuted the woman
who had given birth to the male child.
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle,
so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place,
where she would be nourished
for a time and times and half a time,
away from the presence of the serpent.
So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood
after the woman,
to cause her to be carried away by the flood.
But the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened its mouth
and swallowed up the flood
that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
And the dragon was enraged with the woman,
and he went away
to make war with the rest of her offspring,
who keep the commandments of God
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
(Revelation 12:1-8, 13-17)
DF 59
The meaning of these verses is as follows:
* A great sign appeared in heaven
means a revelation by the Lord
concerning a church that is to be,
and concerning how its teachings will be received
and who will attack it.
* A woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet
means a church that has love and faith from the Lord.
* And on her head a crown of twelve stars
means that the people [of that church]
will have wisdom and intelligence
arising from divine truths.
* And being pregnant
means the new teachings being born.
* She cried out in labor and in pain to give birth
means resistance by those people
who were devoted to a faith divorced from caring.
* And another sign appeared in heaven
means a further revelation.
* Behold, a great red dragon
means a faith divorced from caring,
which is called “red” because of its strictly earthly love.
* Having seven heads
means a distorted understanding of the Word.
* And ten horns
means the power they have
because many people adopt [their point of view].
* And seven gems on his heads
means distorted truths of the Word.
* His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven
and threw them to the earth
means the destruction of all recognition of what is true.
* And the dragon stood before the woman
who was about to give birth,
to devour her child as soon as it was born
means their hatred of and intent
to destroy the teachings of the church
at its very beginning.
* She bore a male child
means new teachings.
* Who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron
means teachings that will carry conviction
because of the power of earthly truth
derived from spiritual truth.
* And her child was caught up to God and His throne
means that those teachings will be kept safe
by the Lord and heaven.
* And the woman fled into the wilderness
means the church among few people.
* Where she has a place prepared by God
means that its state is such
that in the meantime it may be made available to many.
* So that they would feed her there
for one thousand two hundred and sixty days
means until it grows to its appointed size.
* And war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon,
and the dragon and his angels fought
means the disagreement and battle of those
devoted to a faith divorced from caring
against those devoted to the teachings of the church
with respect to the Lord and a life of caring.
* But they did not prevail
means that [those devoted to faith alone] yielded.
* And no place was found for them in heaven any longer
means their being cast down.
* And when the dragon saw
that he had been cast to the earth,
he persecuted the woman
who had given birth to the male child
means an attack on the church
on account of its teachings by those
devoted to a faith divorced from caring.
* But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle,
so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place
means caution while it was still among few.
* Where she would be nourished
for a time and times and half a time,
away from the presence of the serpent
means until the church would grow to its appointed size.
* So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth
like a flood after the woman,
to cause her to be carried away by the flood
means their rationalizations
based on abundant distortions
aimed at the destruction of the church.
* But the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened its mouth
and swallowed up the flood
that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth
means that because the rationalizations
were based on distortions,
they collapsed on their own.
* And the dragon was enraged with the woman,
and he went away to make war
with the rest of her offspring
means their abiding hatred.
* Who keep the commandments of God
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ
means against those who live caring lives
and believe in the Lord.
Sunday, June 09, 2019
DLW 279, 280 - The Angels With a Person
DLW 279
. . . the angels who are with a person perceive individually
the particular qualities which are present
from the mind in an action.
Spiritual angels perceive those qualities
which are present in it from the intellect,
while celestial angels perceive those qualities
which are present in it from the will.
DLW 280
The same is the case with a person's speech.
From the sound of his speech
angels discern a person's love,
from the articulation of the sound his wisdom,
and from the sense of the words his knowledge.
Moreover they say that these three elements
are discerned in every single word,
because a word is a kind of containing vessel,
having in it sound, articulation, and meaning.
I have been told by angels of the third heaven
that they perceive
from each of a speaker's words in sequence
his general state of mind
and at the same time some of his particular states.
Every single expression in the Word contains
some spiritual element relating to Divine wisdom
and some celestial element relating to Divine love,
and these are perceived by angels
when a person reads the Word with reverence,
as we showed in many places in
'The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem
Regarding the Sacred Scripture'.
. . . the angels who are with a person perceive individually
the particular qualities which are present
from the mind in an action.
Spiritual angels perceive those qualities
which are present in it from the intellect,
while celestial angels perceive those qualities
which are present in it from the will.
DLW 280
The same is the case with a person's speech.
From the sound of his speech
angels discern a person's love,
from the articulation of the sound his wisdom,
and from the sense of the words his knowledge.
Moreover they say that these three elements
are discerned in every single word,
because a word is a kind of containing vessel,
having in it sound, articulation, and meaning.
I have been told by angels of the third heaven
that they perceive
from each of a speaker's words in sequence
his general state of mind
and at the same time some of his particular states.
Every single expression in the Word contains
some spiritual element relating to Divine wisdom
and some celestial element relating to Divine love,
and these are perceived by angels
when a person reads the Word with reverence,
as we showed in many places in
'The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem
Regarding the Sacred Scripture'.
** The Two Witnesses and the Seventh Trumpet **
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 on 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 called 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.
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to 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 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)
"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 on 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 called 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.
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to 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 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)
Saturday, June 08, 2019
DLW 263 - The Natural and Spiritual Minds
DLW 263 [2-4]
It should be known
that in the greatest and least constituents of the universe --
both animate and inanimate --
one finds the reciprocal relation of action and reaction.
It is what holds all things in equilibrium.
This equilibrium is suspended
when the action is greater than the reaction,
and vice versa.
It is the same with the natural and spiritual minds.
When the natural mind is prompted by
the delights of its love
and the gratifications of its thought,
which in themselves are evil and false,
then the reaction of the natural mind
removes those elements
which belong to the spiritual mind
and bars the door to them
to keep them from entering,
causing the action to come from such things
as accord with its reaction.
The result is an action and reaction
of the natural mind
which is opposed to the action and reaction
of the spiritual mind.
This in turn causes a closing of the spiritual mind,
like the twisting of a spiral
into the opposite direction.
On the other hand,
if the spiritual mind is opened,
then the action and reaction of the natural mind
are reversed.
For the spiritual mind acts
from above or from within
and at the same time through
those elements in the natural mind
which have been disposed
from within or from without to obey it,
and it twists into the opposite direction
the spiral in which
the natural mind acts and reacts.
That is because the natural mind is from birth
in a state of opposition to
matters belonging to the spiritual mind,
a state it acquires by heredity from parents,
as people know.
Of such a nature is the change of state
called reformation and regeneration.
The state of the natural mind before reformation
may be likened to
a spiral twisting or curving downward,
while after reformation it may be likened to
a spiral twisting or curving upward.
Consequently a person before reformation
looks downward to hell,
but after reformation upward to heaven.
It should be known
that in the greatest and least constituents of the universe --
both animate and inanimate --
one finds the reciprocal relation of action and reaction.
It is what holds all things in equilibrium.
This equilibrium is suspended
when the action is greater than the reaction,
and vice versa.
It is the same with the natural and spiritual minds.
When the natural mind is prompted by
the delights of its love
and the gratifications of its thought,
which in themselves are evil and false,
then the reaction of the natural mind
removes those elements
which belong to the spiritual mind
and bars the door to them
to keep them from entering,
causing the action to come from such things
as accord with its reaction.
The result is an action and reaction
of the natural mind
which is opposed to the action and reaction
of the spiritual mind.
This in turn causes a closing of the spiritual mind,
like the twisting of a spiral
into the opposite direction.
On the other hand,
if the spiritual mind is opened,
then the action and reaction of the natural mind
are reversed.
For the spiritual mind acts
from above or from within
and at the same time through
those elements in the natural mind
which have been disposed
from within or from without to obey it,
and it twists into the opposite direction
the spiral in which
the natural mind acts and reacts.
That is because the natural mind is from birth
in a state of opposition to
matters belonging to the spiritual mind,
a state it acquires by heredity from parents,
as people know.
Of such a nature is the change of state
called reformation and regeneration.
The state of the natural mind before reformation
may be likened to
a spiral twisting or curving downward,
while after reformation it may be likened to
a spiral twisting or curving upward.
Consequently a person before reformation
looks downward to hell,
but after reformation upward to heaven.
**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 a 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 the 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 your 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)
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 a 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 the 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 your 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)
Friday, June 07, 2019
DLW 242, 246 - Spiritual Light and Spiritual Heat; DLW 255 - The Sensual Person
DLW 242
Spiritual light flows in through the three degrees in a person,
but not spiritual warmth except to the extent
that the person refrains from evils as being sins
and looks to the Lord.
DLW 246
This spiritual warmth can be acquired only
by refraining from evils as being sins
and at the same time by looking to the Lord.
For as long as a person is caught up in evils,
he is also caught up in a love for them,
being driven by a lust for them,
and a love of evil and its lust are prompted
by a love opposed to spiritual love and affection.
This love or lust cannot be removed
except by refraining from evils as being sins;
and because a person
cannot refrain from them on his own but from the Lord,
he must therefore look to the Lord.
Consequently when a person refrains from evils
and does so from the Lord,
then the love of evil and its warmth are removed,
and in their stead are introduced
a love of good and its warmth,
by which the higher degree is opened.
For the Lord flows in from above and opens it,
and at the same time joins spiritual love or warmth
to spiritual wisdom or light;
and as a result of that union
the person begins to blossom spiritually,
like a tree in springtime.
DLW 255
. . . the sensual person,
who is in the lowest degree natural,
differs from the animal
only in his ability to fill his memory with facts
and to think and speak in accordance with them,
an ability he derives
from the faculty inherent in every person,
which is to be able to understand truth if he wills to.
This is the faculty that distinguishes the human being.
But still, many by abuse of this faculty
have made themselves lower than animals.
Spiritual light flows in through the three degrees in a person,
but not spiritual warmth except to the extent
that the person refrains from evils as being sins
and looks to the Lord.
DLW 246
This spiritual warmth can be acquired only
by refraining from evils as being sins
and at the same time by looking to the Lord.
For as long as a person is caught up in evils,
he is also caught up in a love for them,
being driven by a lust for them,
and a love of evil and its lust are prompted
by a love opposed to spiritual love and affection.
This love or lust cannot be removed
except by refraining from evils as being sins;
and because a person
cannot refrain from them on his own but from the Lord,
he must therefore look to the Lord.
Consequently when a person refrains from evils
and does so from the Lord,
then the love of evil and its warmth are removed,
and in their stead are introduced
a love of good and its warmth,
by which the higher degree is opened.
For the Lord flows in from above and opens it,
and at the same time joins spiritual love or warmth
to spiritual wisdom or light;
and as a result of that union
the person begins to blossom spiritually,
like a tree in springtime.
DLW 255
. . . the sensual person,
who is in the lowest degree natural,
differs from the animal
only in his ability to fill his memory with facts
and to think and speak in accordance with them,
an ability he derives
from the faculty inherent in every person,
which is to be able to understand truth if he wills to.
This is the faculty that distinguishes the human being.
But still, many by abuse of this faculty
have made themselves lower than animals.
** The Seventh Seal and the First Four Trumpets Sound **
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 lighting and an earthquake.
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 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)
Thursday, June 06, 2019
DLW 237 - The Progression of Degrees; DLW 240 - Two faculties from the Lord
DLW 237
When a person is born,
he comes first into the natural degree,
and this grows in him by a continuous progression
according to his accumulations of knowledge
and the understanding he acquires by means of them,
until it reaches the highest point of understanding
called rationality.
But still this does not result
in the opening of the second degree,
which we call spiritual.
This degree is opened by
a love of useful endeavors
in accord with one's intellectual attainments --
only by a spiritual love of useful endeavors,
a love which is love for the neighbor.
This degree may likewise grow
by a continuous progression of the degree
until it reaches its highest point,
and it grows by the accumulation of concepts
of truth and good, or of spiritual truths.
But even so, these still do not bring about
the opening of the third degree,
which we call celestial.
Rather this degree is opened by
a celestial love of useful endeavors,
a love which is love toward the Lord;
and love toward the Lord
is nothing other
than to commit the precepts of the Word to life,
the sum of which is to refrain from evils
because they are hellish and diabolical,
and to do good things
because they are heavenly and Divine.
These three degrees are thus
progressively opened in a person.
DLW 240
A person has in him two faculties from the Lord
which distinguish him from animals.
One of these faculties is his ability to understand
what is true and what is good.
This faculty is called rationality,
and it is a faculty of his intellect.
The other faculty is his ability to do
what is true and good.
This faculty is called freedom,
and it is a faculty of his will.
For a person can think in accordance with his rationality
whatever he wishes,
either in accord with God or in opposition to God,
or in accord with the neighbor
or in opposition to the neighbor,
and he can also will and do what he thinks.
Or, when he envisions misfortune or fears punishment,
he can in freedom refrain from doing it.
When a person is born,
he comes first into the natural degree,
and this grows in him by a continuous progression
according to his accumulations of knowledge
and the understanding he acquires by means of them,
until it reaches the highest point of understanding
called rationality.
But still this does not result
in the opening of the second degree,
which we call spiritual.
This degree is opened by
a love of useful endeavors
in accord with one's intellectual attainments --
only by a spiritual love of useful endeavors,
a love which is love for the neighbor.
This degree may likewise grow
by a continuous progression of the degree
until it reaches its highest point,
and it grows by the accumulation of concepts
of truth and good, or of spiritual truths.
But even so, these still do not bring about
the opening of the third degree,
which we call celestial.
Rather this degree is opened by
a celestial love of useful endeavors,
a love which is love toward the Lord;
and love toward the Lord
is nothing other
than to commit the precepts of the Word to life,
the sum of which is to refrain from evils
because they are hellish and diabolical,
and to do good things
because they are heavenly and Divine.
These three degrees are thus
progressively opened in a person.
DLW 240
A person has in him two faculties from the Lord
which distinguish him from animals.
One of these faculties is his ability to understand
what is true and what is good.
This faculty is called rationality,
and it is a faculty of his intellect.
The other faculty is his ability to do
what is true and good.
This faculty is called freedom,
and it is a faculty of his will.
For a person can think in accordance with his rationality
whatever he wishes,
either in accord with God or in opposition to God,
or in accord with the neighbor
or in opposition to the neighbor,
and he can also will and do what he thinks.
Or, when he envisions misfortune or fears punishment,
he can in freedom refrain from doing it.
** 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)
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)
Wednesday, June 05, 2019
DLW 213, 215, 221 - Love, Wisdom, Deeds
DLW 213
As regards love and wisdom,
love is the end,
wisdom the cause or means,
and useful endeavor the effect,
and useful endeavor embraces, contains,
and is the foundation of love and wisdom.
Moreover, useful endeavor
so embraces and so contains them
that all the qualities of the love
and all the qualities of the wisdom
are actually present in it,
useful endeavor being the concurrence of these.
DLW 215
. . . from simply seeing a person's deed or work,
angels perceive and see every quality
of the will and thought of the doer --
angels of the third heaven
perceiving and seeing from his will
the end prompting the action,
and angels of the second heaven
perceiving and seeing the cause
through which the end thus acts.
It is because of this that works and deeds
are so often commanded in the Word,
and that it says a person is known by them.
DLW 221 [3]
. . . every person is an embodiment
of the good and truth in him.
It is this alone that makes a person human.
In the Lord's case, however,
by assuming a natural humanity
He became the embodiment
of Divine good and truth itself,
or to say the same thing,
the embodiment of Divine love and wisdom itself,
both in the firsts of creation and in the lasts of it.
Consequently, in the angelic heavens
He appears as the sun
with a more intense radiance
and with greater splendor
since His advent into the world
than before His advent.
As regards love and wisdom,
love is the end,
wisdom the cause or means,
and useful endeavor the effect,
and useful endeavor embraces, contains,
and is the foundation of love and wisdom.
Moreover, useful endeavor
so embraces and so contains them
that all the qualities of the love
and all the qualities of the wisdom
are actually present in it,
useful endeavor being the concurrence of these.
DLW 215
. . . from simply seeing a person's deed or work,
angels perceive and see every quality
of the will and thought of the doer --
angels of the third heaven
perceiving and seeing from his will
the end prompting the action,
and angels of the second heaven
perceiving and seeing the cause
through which the end thus acts.
It is because of this that works and deeds
are so often commanded in the Word,
and that it says a person is known by them.
DLW 221 [3]
. . . every person is an embodiment
of the good and truth in him.
It is this alone that makes a person human.
In the Lord's case, however,
by assuming a natural humanity
He became the embodiment
of Divine good and truth itself,
or to say the same thing,
the embodiment of Divine love and wisdom itself,
both in the firsts of creation and in the lasts of it.
Consequently, in the angelic heavens
He appears as the sun
with a more intense radiance
and with greater splendor
since His advent into the world
than before His advent.
** The First 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 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 the 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)
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 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 the 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)
Tuesday, June 04, 2019
DLW 199, 200 - Degrees and Perfections
DLW 199
[There are] degrees are of two kinds,
degrees of breadth and degrees of height;
and that degrees of breadth are like those
in the progression of light to dark
or of wisdom to ignorance,
while degrees of height are like end, cause and effect,
or like prior, subsequent and last elements.
We say of these latter degrees t
hat they ascend or descend,
because they are degrees of height.
Of the former, however,
we say that they increase or decrease,
because they are degrees of breadth.
These two kinds of degrees are so different in character
that they have nothing in common.
Consequently they must be distinctly perceived
and not in the least way be confused.
DLW 200
Perfection of life
is a perfection of love and wisdom.
And because the will and intellect
are the recipient vessels of these,
perfection of life is also a perfection of the will and intellect,
and so a perfection of affections and thoughts.
Moreover, because spiritual warmth is the conveyer of love,
and spiritual light the conveyer of wisdom,
the perfection of these
may be included under perfection of life as well.
Perfection of forces
is a perfection of all those agencies
which are activated and set in motion by life,
but which in themselves are devoid of life.
Such forces include
the atmospheres in the influences they exert.
Such forces include as well
the inner and outer organic substances in a person,
and also in animals of every kind.
Such forces include in addition
all those phenomena in the natural world
which are apportioned activities
directly and indirectly by the sun there.
Perfection of forms
and the perfection of forces go hand in hand,
for the character of the forces determines
the character of the forms,
the only difference being
that forms are substances,
while forces are their activities.
Consequently the two exhibit
the same degrees of perfection.
Forms which are not at the same time forces
are also perfected in accordance with degrees.
[There are] degrees are of two kinds,
degrees of breadth and degrees of height;
and that degrees of breadth are like those
in the progression of light to dark
or of wisdom to ignorance,
while degrees of height are like end, cause and effect,
or like prior, subsequent and last elements.
We say of these latter degrees t
hat they ascend or descend,
because they are degrees of height.
Of the former, however,
we say that they increase or decrease,
because they are degrees of breadth.
These two kinds of degrees are so different in character
that they have nothing in common.
Consequently they must be distinctly perceived
and not in the least way be confused.
DLW 200
Perfection of life
is a perfection of love and wisdom.
And because the will and intellect
are the recipient vessels of these,
perfection of life is also a perfection of the will and intellect,
and so a perfection of affections and thoughts.
Moreover, because spiritual warmth is the conveyer of love,
and spiritual light the conveyer of wisdom,
the perfection of these
may be included under perfection of life as well.
Perfection of forces
is a perfection of all those agencies
which are activated and set in motion by life,
but which in themselves are devoid of life.
Such forces include
the atmospheres in the influences they exert.
Such forces include as well
the inner and outer organic substances in a person,
and also in animals of every kind.
Such forces include in addition
all those phenomena in the natural world
which are apportioned activities
directly and indirectly by the sun there.
Perfection of forms
and the perfection of forces go hand in hand,
for the character of the forces determines
the character of the forms,
the only difference being
that forms are substances,
while forces are their activities.
Consequently the two exhibit
the same degrees of perfection.
Forms which are not at the same time forces
are also perfected in accordance with degrees.
** 144,000 Sealed and the Great Multitude in White Robes **
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.
After this I looked
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.
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)
Monday, June 03, 2019
DLW 179 - a Human God; DLW 186 - Discrete and Continuous Degrees
DLW 179
. . . love together with wisdom
is in its form the human being,
because God,
who is love itself and wisdom itself,
is a human God.
DLW 186
To comprehend better still
what discrete degrees are and their nature,
and how they differ from continuous degrees,
take for example the angelic heavens.
There are three heavens,
and these distinct from each other by degrees of height.
Consequently one heaven lies beneath another;
nor do they communicate with one another
except by influx,
which descends from the Lord
through the heavens in turn to the lowest,
and not the reverse.
At the same time, however,
each heaven is in itself distinguished into regions,
not by degrees of height
but by degrees of breadth.
The inhabitants
who are in the middle or at the center
live in the light of wisdom,
while those who are in the peripheral areas
extending to the borders
live in the shadows of wisdom.
Thus wisdom decreases
even to the point of ignorance
as light fades into dusk,
which takes place by a continuous diminution of it.
. . . love together with wisdom
is in its form the human being,
because God,
who is love itself and wisdom itself,
is a human God.
DLW 186
To comprehend better still
what discrete degrees are and their nature,
and how they differ from continuous degrees,
take for example the angelic heavens.
There are three heavens,
and these distinct from each other by degrees of height.
Consequently one heaven lies beneath another;
nor do they communicate with one another
except by influx,
which descends from the Lord
through the heavens in turn to the lowest,
and not the reverse.
At the same time, however,
each heaven is in itself distinguished into regions,
not by degrees of height
but by degrees of breadth.
The inhabitants
who are in the middle or at the center
live in the light of wisdom,
while those who are in the peripheral areas
extending to the borders
live in the shadows of wisdom.
Thus wisdom decreases
even to the point of ignorance
as light fades into dusk,
which takes place by a continuous diminution of it.
** 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)
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)
Sunday, June 02, 2019
DLW 157, 163 - The Suns, Natural and Spiritual
DLW 157
The idea angels have
of the fire of the sun in the natural world
and of the fire of the sun in the spiritual world is this --
that the Divine life is present inwardly
in the fire of the sun in the spiritual world,
but outwardly in the fire of the sun in the natural world.
It can be seen from this
that the activity of the natural sun comes not from itself,
but from a living force emanating from
the sun of the spiritual world.
Consequently if the living force of that sun
were to be withdrawn or removed,
the natural sun would collapse.
DLW 163
Without the two suns,
one alive and the other lifeless,
creation would not exist.
The universe is divided in general into two worlds,
one spiritual and one natural.
Inhabiting the spiritual world are angels and spirits.
Inhabiting the natural world are people.
These two worlds are totally alike
in their outward aspect --
so alike that they cannot be distinguished --
but in their inward aspect they are entirely unalike.
The people who inhabit the spiritual world --
who, as we said, are called angels and spirits --
are themselves spiritual,
and because they are spiritual,
they think spiritually and speak spiritually.
In contrast,
people who inhabit the natural world are natural,
and therefore they think naturally and speak naturally;
and spiritual thought and speech
have nothing in common
with natural thought and speech.
It is apparent from this that these two worlds,
one spiritual and one natural,
are entirely distinct from each other,
so distinct that they cannot in any way blend together.
The idea angels have
of the fire of the sun in the natural world
and of the fire of the sun in the spiritual world is this --
that the Divine life is present inwardly
in the fire of the sun in the spiritual world,
but outwardly in the fire of the sun in the natural world.
It can be seen from this
that the activity of the natural sun comes not from itself,
but from a living force emanating from
the sun of the spiritual world.
Consequently if the living force of that sun
were to be withdrawn or removed,
the natural sun would collapse.
DLW 163
Without the two suns,
one alive and the other lifeless,
creation would not exist.
The universe is divided in general into two worlds,
one spiritual and one natural.
Inhabiting the spiritual world are angels and spirits.
Inhabiting the natural world are people.
These two worlds are totally alike
in their outward aspect --
so alike that they cannot be distinguished --
but in their inward aspect they are entirely unalike.
The people who inhabit the spiritual world --
who, as we said, are called angels and spirits --
are themselves spiritual,
and because they are spiritual,
they think spiritually and speak spiritually.
In contrast,
people who inhabit the natural world are natural,
and therefore they think naturally and speak naturally;
and spiritual thought and speech
have nothing in common
with natural thought and speech.
It is apparent from this that these two worlds,
one spiritual and one natural,
are entirely distinct from each other,
so distinct that they cannot in any way blend together.
** 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)
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)
Saturday, June 01, 2019
DLW 134 - Natural - Spiritual; DLW 137 - Interior Elements; DLW 142 - Two Loves
DLW 134
One does not find anything natural
that does not have its cause
from something spiritual.
DLW 137
Since the interior elements of the mind
operate in concert with the interior elements of the body,
it follows that when the interior elements of the mind
turn to the Lord as the sun,
the interior elements of the body also do likewise;
and that because the outward elements of each,
of both the mind and the body,
depend on their interior elements,
these outward elements do the same as well.
For whatever the outward component does,
it does in consequence of the inner ones,
inasmuch as the common whole takes all its character
from the particular elements which form it.
It is apparent from this
that because an angel turns his face and body
to the Lord as the sun,
all the interior elements of his mind and body
are turned in that direction too.
The case is the same with a person
if he continually has the Lord before his eyes,
which he does if he is in a state of love and wisdom.
He then beholds the Lord
not only with his eyes and face,
but with his whole mind and heart as well;
that is, he regards Him
with all the constituents of his will and intellect,
and at the same time with all the constituents of his body.
DLW 142
Since these two loves --
love toward the Lord
and a love of ruling stemming from a love of self --
are altogether opposed to each other,
and because people
who are prompted by love toward the Lord
all turn to the Lord as the sun . . .,
it can be seen that people
who are prompted by a love of ruling
stemming from a love of self
all turn their back to the Lord.
They turn thus in opposite directions
for the reason that people who are prompted by
love toward the Lord
love nothing more than to be led by the Lord,
and they want the Lord alone to rule,
whereas people who are prompted by
a love of ruling
stemming from a love of self
love nothing more than to lead themselves,
and they want only themselves to rule.
We say a love of ruling
stemming from a love of self,
because a love of ruling is possible
that stems from a love of performing useful services,
a love which, because it goes hand in hand
with love for the neighbor,
is a spiritual love.
But this love cannot be called a love of ruling,
but a love of performing useful services.
One does not find anything natural
that does not have its cause
from something spiritual.
DLW 137
Since the interior elements of the mind
operate in concert with the interior elements of the body,
it follows that when the interior elements of the mind
turn to the Lord as the sun,
the interior elements of the body also do likewise;
and that because the outward elements of each,
of both the mind and the body,
depend on their interior elements,
these outward elements do the same as well.
For whatever the outward component does,
it does in consequence of the inner ones,
inasmuch as the common whole takes all its character
from the particular elements which form it.
It is apparent from this
that because an angel turns his face and body
to the Lord as the sun,
all the interior elements of his mind and body
are turned in that direction too.
The case is the same with a person
if he continually has the Lord before his eyes,
which he does if he is in a state of love and wisdom.
He then beholds the Lord
not only with his eyes and face,
but with his whole mind and heart as well;
that is, he regards Him
with all the constituents of his will and intellect,
and at the same time with all the constituents of his body.
DLW 142
Since these two loves --
love toward the Lord
and a love of ruling stemming from a love of self --
are altogether opposed to each other,
and because people
who are prompted by love toward the Lord
all turn to the Lord as the sun . . .,
it can be seen that people
who are prompted by a love of ruling
stemming from a love of self
all turn their back to the Lord.
They turn thus in opposite directions
for the reason that people who are prompted by
love toward the Lord
love nothing more than to be led by the Lord,
and they want the Lord alone to rule,
whereas people who are prompted by
a love of ruling
stemming from a love of self
love nothing more than to lead themselves,
and they want only themselves to rule.
We say a love of ruling
stemming from a love of self,
because a love of ruling is possible
that stems from a love of performing useful services,
a love which, because it goes hand in hand
with love for the neighbor,
is a spiritual love.
But this love cannot be called a love of ruling,
but a love of performing useful services.
** A Door in Heaven and the Voice of a Trumpet **
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 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 4)
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 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 4)
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