AC 3475-3476, AC 3484 - Representatives, Correspondence & Life

AC 3475-3476

Inhabitants of the first heaven
see within their representatives
such things as manifest themselves
within the inner sphere of the kingdom.
And within these they see things more interior still,
and so, though remotely,
things that are representative of the Lord.
Inhabitants of the second heaven
see within their representatives such things
as exist in the inmost sphere of the kingdom;
and within these
they see representatives of the Lord more closely.
Inhabitants of the third heaven however
see the Lord Himself.

From all this
people may know how the case is with the Word;
for the Word has been given by the Lord
to man and also to the angels
in order that by it they may be with Him;
for the Word is the medium
that unites earth with heaven,
and through heaven with the Lord.
Its literal sense is that which unites man
with the first heaven;
and as within the literal
there is an internal sense
which treats of the Lord's kingdom,
and within this a supreme sense
which treats of the Lord;
and as these senses are in order one within another,
it is evident what is the nature
of the union with the Lord
that is effected by means of the Word.

AC 3484

. . . there is but one life - the Lord's.
This life flows in and gives life to man,
to both good and evil alike.
To that life
the forms which consist of material substance
correspond,
and those forms -
by means of a constant inflow of the Divine -
receive life in such a way
that they seem to themselves to live independently.
This correspondence is a correspondence
of the organs of life with life itself.
Yet the nature of the recipient organs
determines the kind of life they have.
In those people
who have love and charity within them
that correspondence is present,
for the life itself is received by them as it should be.
But that correspondence is not present in those
who have the reverse of love and charity within them,
for the life itself is not received by them as it should be.
Consequently the nature of the life received by them
depends on what they are like themselves.
This may be exemplified from the natural forms
on to which the light of the sun falls -
the nature of the forms receiving it
determines the variations of the light reflected in them.
In the spiritual world the variations are spiritual,
and therefore
the nature of recipient forms in that world determines
that of the intelligence and the wisdom they have.
This is why good spirits and angels
are seen as embodiments of charity themselves,
while evil and hellish spirits
are seen as embodiments of hatred.
 

** A Warning **

When Jesus had finished saying all these things,
He said to His disciples,
"As you know, the Passover is two days away --
and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

(Matthew 26:1)

AC 3469, 3470 - Natural Good

AC 3469 [2, 3]

. . . a person is regenerated as to the rational
before he is regenerated as to the natural;
because the natural is altogether in the world,
and in the natural as in a plane
there are founded a person's thought and will.
This is the reason why during regeneration
a person observes a combat
between his rational or internal person
and his natural or external person;
and why his external person is regenerated much later,
and likewise with much greater difficulty,
than his internal person.
For that which is nearer to the world
and nearer to the body
cannot be easily constrained
to render obedience to the internal person;
but only after considerable length of time
and by means of many new states
into which the person is introduced,
which are states of self-acknowledgment,
and of acknowledgment of the Lord,
that is, of one's own wretchedness,
and of the Lord's mercy;
thus states of humiliation
resulting from temptation combats.

Everyone knows what natural good is,
namely, that it is the good into which a person is born;
but what the natural good of truth is,
is known to few, if any.
There are four kinds of natural good,
that is, of the good that is born with a person,
namely, natural good from the love of good,
natural good from the love of truth,
and also natural good from the love of evil,
and natural good from the love of falsity.
For the good into which a person is born
he derives from his parents,
either father or mother;
for all that which parents have contracted
by frequent use and habit,
or have become imbued with by actual life
until it has become so familiar to them
that it appears as if natural,
is transmitted into their children,
and becomes hereditary.
If parents who have lived
in the good of the love of good
and in this life have perceived
their delight and blessedness,
conceive offspring in this state,
the offspring receive therefrom
an inclination to similar good;
and if parents who have lived
in the good of the love of truth
and in this life have perceived their delight,
are in this state when they conceive offspring,
the offspring receive therefrom
an inclination to the like good.

AC 3470 [2, 3]

As just stated natural good is from parents;
but spiritual good is from the Lord;
and therefore
in order that a person may receive spiritual good,
he must be regenerated . . ..

. . . natural good is such that of itself
it is unwilling to obey and serve the rational
as a slave does his master
but wishes to take command.
To render it submissive and subservient however
it is chastened
by means of states of vastation and temptation
to the point when its cravings die down.
At that point it is moderated
by means of an influx from the Lord,
by way of the internal person,
of the good of faith and charity,
even to the point where good acquired by heredity
is gradually rooted out
and a new good implanted in place of it.
Into this new good
truths of faith are introduced,
like new fibers into the human heart,
along which fibers new fluid is borne in,
until a new heart has by degrees grown there.

~ In His Holy Temple ~

"But the Lord is in His holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before Him."

(Habakkuk 2:20)
 

** The Pharisees Question Jesus **

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
the Pharisees got together.
One of them, and expert in the law,
tested Him with this question:
"Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied:
""Love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your mind.'
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it:
'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
All the Law and the Prophets
hang on these two commandments."

(Matthew 22:34-40)

AC 3464 - Being in the Doctrinal Things From the Literal Sense

AC 3464

For as before said,
there are interior truths in all the doctrinal things
that are drawn from the literal sense of the Word,
because the literal sense of the Word
is like a well that contains water;
for in each and every thing of the Word
there is an internal sense,
which is also in the doctrinal things
that are from the Word.

As regards the doctrinal things
that are from the literal sense of the Word,
the case is this:
When a person is in them,
and at the same time in a life according to them,
he has a correspondence in himself;
for the angels who are with him
are in interior truths, while he is in exterior ones,
and thus through the doctrinal things
he has communication with heaven,
but according to the good of his life.

As for example, when in the Holy Supper
he thinks in simplicity of the Lord
from the words then used,
"This is My body, and this is "My blood,"
the angels with him
are in the idea of love to the Lord
and charity toward the neighbor;
for love to the Lord corresponds
to the Lord's body, and to bread;
and charity toward the neighbor
corresponds to the blood, and the wine;
and because there is such a correspondence,
there flows an affection out of heaven
through the angels into that holy state
in which the person then is,
which affection he receives
in accordance with the good of his life.

For the angels
dwell with everyone in his life's affection,
thus in the affection of the doctrinal things
according to which he lives;
but in no case if his life disagrees therewith;
for if the life disagrees,
as for instance
if he is in the affection of gaining honors and riches
by means of doctrinal things,
then the angels retire,
 and infernals dwell in this affection,
who either infuse into him
confirmations of the doctrinal things
for the sake of self and the world,
thus a persuasive faith --
which is such
that it is regardless whether a thing is true or false
provided it captivates the minds of others --
or else they take away all faith,
and then the doctrine of his lips
is only a sound excited and modified
by the fire of these loves.

~ The Lord Is Good ~

The Lord is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in Him . . ..

(Nahum 1:7)

** Jesus Enters the Temple **

Jesus entered the temple area
and drove out all who were buying and selling there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and benches of those selling doves.
"It is written," He said to them,
"'My house will be called a house of prayer,'
but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"

(Matthew 21:12-13)

AC 3451 - Doctrine and Life; AC 3454 - Doing Violence to the Internal Sense

AC 3451 [2, 4]

. . . a difference in the doctrinal things of faith
does not prevent the church from being one,
provided there is unanimity
as to willing well and doing well.

. . . those who are in good, that is,
with those who,
although they make faith essential as to doctrine,
still make charity essential as to life;
for when with such
there is confidence or trust in the Lord,
which they call faith itself,
then they are in the affection of love to the Lord,
consequently as to the life they are in good.

AC 3454

. . . to do violence to the internal sense
is to deny those things
which are the principal things of this sense,
and which are the essential holy things of the Word;
and these are,
the Divine Human of the Lord,
love to Him,
and love toward the neighbor.
These three are
the principal things of the internal sense,
and are the holy things of the Word;
they are also the internal and holy things
of all doctrinal things that are from the Word;
and are likewise
the internal and holy things of all worship;
for in them is the Lord's kingdom itself.
A fourth is, that the Word,
as to all things therein both in general and in particular,
indeed, as to the smallest point, is Divine;
thus that the Lord is in the Word.
This is also confessed and acknowledged
by all who have doctrinal things from the Word;
and yet at heart
those deny it
who acknowledge no other holiness in the Word
than that which appears in the letter;
for such can perceive nothing holy
in the historicals, nor in the propheticals,
except only a slight external something,
from its being called holy;
when yet it must be interiorly holy
if it be Divine as to the smallest point.

~ The Mountain of the Lord, Our Shepherd ~

In the last days
the mountain of the Lord's temple
will be established as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it.

Many nations will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us His ways,
so that we may walk in His paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
they will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
Every man will sit under his own vine
and under his own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
All the nations may walk in the name of their gods;
we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever.

(Micah 4:1-5)

He will stand and shepherd His flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.
And they will live securely,
for then His greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
And He will be their peace.

(Micah 5:4-5)

** Jesus Rides Into Jerusalem **

The crowds that went ahead of Him
and those that followed shouted,

"Hosanna to the Son of David!"

"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Hosanna in the highest!"

(Matthew 21:9)

AC 3447 - Every Church; AC 3449 - Refusing the Divine

AC 3447 [2]

As in every church of the Lord
there are those who are internal people
and those who are external,
and the internal are those who are in the affection of good,
and the external those who are in the affection of truth . . ..

AC 3449

And Isaac said to them,
For what reason have you come to me,
seeing that you hate me
and have sent me away from you?'
(Genesis 26:27)

This means,
why should they desire that which is Divine
seeing that they refused to recognize it
and loathed that which is contained
in the internal sense of the Word?

AC 3441 - The Lord's Divine Human; AC 3445 - One Doctrine

AC 3441

For the sake of Abraham My servant.
(Genesis 26:24)

This means because of the Lord's Divine Human.
This is clear from the representation of 'Abraham'
as the Lord's Divine, and also His Divine Human,
and from the meaning of 'My servant',
when used in reference to the Lord,
as the Divine Human.
Not that the Divine Human is a servant,
for the Divine Human also is Jehovah,
but 'My servant' means the Divine Human
because by means of that Divine Human
the Lord serves the human race.
Indeed it is by means of the Divine Human
that a person is saved,
for unless the Lord had united
the Human to the Divine
so that a person could with his mind
behold and worship the Lord's Human,
and in so doing approach the Divine,
he could not possibly be saved.
The joining of a person
to the Divine Himself, called the Father,
is effected through the Divine Human, called the Son,
and so through the Lord,
by whom one who is spiritual
understands the Human,
but one who is celestial
understands the Divine Himself.

From these considerations it is evident
why the Divine Human is called a servant,
namely that it serves the Divine
for the purpose of giving a person access to Himself,
and it serves the human race in their salvation.

AC 3445

. . . doctrine itself from the literal sense of the Word
is one only, namely,
the doctrine of charity and love --
charity toward the neighbor and love to the Lord;
for this doctrine and life according to it
is the whole Word . . ..

AC 3436 - Reading the Word

AC 3436

. . . he who reads the Word in order to be wise,
that is, to do what is good
and understand what is true,
is instructed according to his end and affection;
for unknown to him
the Lord flows in and enlightens his mind,
and where he is at a loss,
gives understanding from other passages.

~ As You Have Done ~

"The day of the Lord is near for all nations.
As you have done,
it will be done to you;
your deeds will return upon your own head."

(Obadiah 1:15)

AC 3427 - Persuasive Faith vs. the Good of Life

AC 3427 [4]

. . . those who are in the mere doctrinal things of faith
and not in the good of life,
cannot but be in persuasive faith,
that is, in preconceived principles,
false as well as true;
consequently they must be more stupid than others,
for insofar as anyone is in persuasive faith,
so far he is stupid;
but insofar as anyone is in the good of life
(that is, in love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor),
so far he is in intelligence,
that is, in faith from the Lord.
Also, for this reason it is
that the former (those in mere doctrinal things of faith)
must needs be in the negative
as regards the internal sense of the Word;
but the latter (those in the good of life)
must needs be in the affirmative
for with those who are merely in doctrinal things,
and not in the good of life,
the interiors are closed,
so that the light of truth from the Lord cannot flow in
and give them to perceive that it is so;
whereas with those who are in love to the Lord
the interiors are open
so that the light of truth from the Lord can flow in,
affect their minds,
and give a perception that it is so.

AC 3419 - The Lord, Charity and the Neighbor

AC 3419 [3, 6]

. . . as the ancients were in
the representatives and the meanings
of the Lord's kingdom,
in which there is nothing but celestial and spiritual love,
they had also doctrinal things
that treated solely of love to God
and of charity toward the neighbor;
and by virtue of these doctrinal things
they were called the wise.
From these doctrinal things they knew
that the Lord would come into the world,
and that Jehovah would be in Him,
and that He would make the human in Himself Divine,
and would thus save the human race.
From these doctrinal things
they also knew what charity is,
namely, the affection of being of service to others
without any end of recompense;
and also what is the neighbor
toward whom there should be charity,
namely, all in the universe,
but still each with discrimination.
At this day these doctrinal things are utterly lost,
and in place of them there are doctrinal things of faith,
which the ancients accounted as relatively nothing.
At the present day
the doctrinal things of love to the Lord
and of charity toward the neighbor are rejected,
in part by those who in the Word
are called "Babylonians and Chaldeans,"
and in part by those
who are called "Philistines" and also "Egyptians";
and thus are so completely lost
that there remains scarcely any trace of them.
For who at the present day knows what
that charity is which is devoid of all regard for self,
and which is averse to everything
that is for the sake of self?
And who knows that the neighbor is everyone,
with discrimination
according to the kind and amount of good in him,
thus that he is good itself,
consequently in the supreme sense the Lord Himself,
because He is in good,
and good is from Him,
and the good which is not from Him is not good,
however much it may appear to be so?
And because it is not known what charity is,
and what the neighbor,
it is not known who they are that in the Word
are signified by the "poor," the "miserable,"
the "needy," the "sick," the "hungry" and "thirsty,"
the "oppressed," "widows," "orphans," "captives,"
the "naked," "sojourners," the "blind," the "deaf,"
the "halt," "maimed," and others
when yet the doctrinal things of the ancients
taught who these were,
and to what class of the neighbor,
and thus of charity, each belonged.
The whole of the Word in the sense of the letter
is written in accordance with these doctrinal things,
so that he who has no knowledge of them
cannot possibly know
any interior sense of the Word.

. . . in the supreme sense
the Lord is the neighbor, for He says:

'I tell you the truth,
whatever you did
for one of the least of these brothers of mine,
you did for Me.'
Matthew 25:40)

AC 3412 - Wisdom & Intelligence; AC 3417 - The Life of Heavenly Delight

AC 4312 [3]

. . . no one can be wise and intelligent in regard to truth
unless he is in good, that is in charity,
because all truth is from good,
and looks to good;
so that those who are without good
cannot understand truth,
and are not even willing to know it.

AC 3417 [3]

. . . heavenly delight . . . results from
humiliation and the affection of serving others --
that is, the delight of love to the Lord
and of charity toward the neighbor --
consequently of the blessedness
and happiness derived from them.

. . .a single angel has greater power
than myriads of infernal spirits,
yet not from himself, but from the Lord;
and he has it from the Lord
in proportion that he believes
that he has no power from himself,
thus that he is the least:
and this he can believe in so far as he is in humiliation
and in the affection of being of service to others,
that is,
in so far as he is in the good of love to the Lord,
and of charity toward the neighbor.

~ He Forms the Mountains ~

He who forms the mountains,
creates the wind,
and reveals His thoughts to man,
He who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads the high places of the earth --
the Lord God Almighty is His name.

(Amos 4:6-13)

AC 3405 - In That Year A Hundred Measures

AC 3405

And found in that year a hundred measures.
(Genesis 24:12)

That this means abundance,
is evident from the meaning of "year,"
as being the entire state that is treated of;
from the meaning of a "hundred,"
as being much and full;
and from the meaning of "measure,"
as being the state of a thing as to truth.
All these things collected into a one
mean the abundance of truth.

In the supreme sense here, as everywhere,
the subject treated of is the Lord --
that He too when in the maternal human
was in appearances of truth;
but that as He put off this human,
He put off the appearances also,
and put on the infinite and eternal Divine Itself.
But in the internal or relative sense
the subject is appearances of a higher degree
which exist with the angels, as above stated,
the abundance of which is meant by
the finding in that year of a hundred measures.

With appearances of truth,
or with truths from the Divine,
the case is
that such as are of a higher degree
immeasurably surpass those
which are in a lower degree,
both in abundance and in perfection;
for myriads, indeed myriads of myriads of things
which are distinctively perceived
by those who are in a higher degree,
appear only as one thing
to those who are in a lower degree;
for lower things are nothing
but the composites of higher things,
as may be inferred from the memories in a person,
the interior of which,
because in a higher degree,
so immeasurably excels the exterior one
which is in a lower degree.
From this we can see how great
is the angelic wisdom
in comparison with that of a person;
the angels of the third heaven
being in the fourth degree above a person;
concerning which wisdom therefore
nothing can be told
except that it is incomprehensible,
indeed, beyond words (ineffable).

AC 3402 - Good and Truth and Profanation

AC 3402 [2-3]

(That it is of the Lord's providence
that no one should be admitted into good and truth --
that is, into the acknowledgment and affection of them --
any further than he can remain in them,
on account of the danger of eternal damnation,
may be seen above, n. 3398.)

Good and truth, or the angels,
are said to be removed from a person
when he is not affected by them,
that is, when he is no longer delighted with them,
but on the contrary
is affected by the things that are
of the love of self and the love of the world,
that is, when these alone delight him.

To know good and truth,
that is, to hold them in the memory,
and to talk about them,
is not to possess them;
but to possess them
is to be affected by them from the heart;
neither does anyone possess good and truth
when he is affected by them
for the sake of thereby gaining reputation and wealth;
for in this case he is not affected by good and truth,
but by honor and gain,
and he makes the former
the means of obtaining the latter.
In the other life
the goods and truths that such persons have known,
and have even preached,
are taken away from them,
and there remains the love of self and of the world,
from which is their life.
From this it is evident
how the case is with good and truth,
namely, that no one is allowed to approach them
with affection and faith,
unless he is of such a character
that he can continue in them to the end of his life.
But they who profane
are those who cannot be withheld from them.

AC 3394 - The Perception of the Celestial

AC 3394 [2]

The spiritual, not having perception as the celestial have,
do not know that with a regenerated person
Divine truth becomes rational truth.
They do indeed say
that all good and all truth are from the Lord;
yet as these come forth in their rational,
they suppose them to be their own,
and thus as it were from themselves;
for the spiritual cannot be separated from their own,
and their own so wills it;
although as regards this matter with the celestial,
these perceive Divine good and truth in the rational,
that is, in the rational things
which when enlightened by the Divine of the Lord
are appearances of truth,
even in the natural,
that is, in the things of sense and memory-knowledge;
and as the celestial are in such a state,
they are able to acknowledge
that all good and truth flow in from the Lord;
and also that there is
a perceptive power of good and truth
that is communicated and appropriated
to them by the Lord,
and that constitutes their delight, bliss, and happiness.
It was from this that the most ancient people,
who were celestial people,
in all the objects which they saw with their eyes
perceived nothing but celestial and spiritual things.

~ The Ways of the Lord ~

The ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.

(Hosea 14:9.5)

AC 3391 - "Look out through a window"

AC 3391

. . . to "look out through a window"
is to perceive those things
which appear by means of the internal sight,
which in general are knowledges
such as are of the external person.
Rational things, or what is the same,
appearances of truth, that is, truths spiritual,
are not knowledges,
but are in knowledges,
for they belong to the rational,
thus to the internal person,
and it is the internal person
which looks to the things of the external person,
thus to truths in knowledges.
For as knowledges are of the natural person,
they are vessels that receive rational things . . ..

~ For I Am God ~

For I am God, and not man --
the Holy One among you.
I will not come in wrath.
They will follow the Lord;
He will roar like a lion.
When He roars,
His children will come trembling from the west.
They will come trembling like birds from Egypt,
like doves from Assyria.
I will settle them in their homes," declares the Lord.

. . . the Lord God Almighty,
the Lord is His name of renown!
But you must return to your God;
maintain love and justice,
and wait for your God always.

(Hosea 11:9.5-11; 12:5-6)

AC 3384. 3387 - Rational Things Enlightened

AC 3384

. . . the rational things
which when enlightened by the Divine of the Lord
are appearances of truth.

AC 3387 [1-2, 3]

. . . if Divine truths themselves were to be opened,
they would not be received by those
who are in the doctrinal things of faith,
because they surpass all their rational apprehension,
thus all their belief,
and consequently nothing of good from the Lord
could flow in.
For good from the Lord, or Divine good,
can inflow solely into truths,
because truths are the vessels of good,
as often shown.

Truths or appearances of truth are given a person
to the intent that Divine good may be able
to form his understanding,
and thus the person himself.
For truths exist to the end
that good may flow in;
for without vessels or receptacles
good finds no place,
because it finds no state corresponding to itself;
and therefore where there are no truths,
or where they are not received,
there is no rational or human good,
consequently the person has no spiritual life.
In order therefore
that a person may nevertheless have truths,
and thereby have spiritual life,
appearances of truth are given to everyone
according to his apprehension;
which appearances are acknowledged as truths,
because they are such
that Divine things can be in them.

(An example:)
. . . whatever is said in the Word
concerning places and spaces,
and from them and by means of them,
is an appearance of truth;
and unless it were said by means of such appearances,
it would not be received at all,
consequently would be scarcely anything;
for so long as he is in the world,
that is, in space and time,
the idea of space and of time
is within almost everything of a person's thought,
both in general and in particular.

AC 3382 - "My Charge, My Commandments, My Statutes, and My Laws"

AC 3382  [1-2]

And kept My charge, My commandments,
My statutes, and My laws.
(Genesis 26:5)

That this means
by means of continuous revelations from Himself --
that is to say, as by means of temptations,
so also by means of these revelations
the Lord united the Divine Essence to the Human --
is evident from the fact that these words,
"keeping His charge, commandments,
statutes, and laws,"
involve all things of the Word,
namely, "charge," all things of the Word in general;
"commandments," the internal things;
"statutes," the external things;
and "laws," all things specifically.
Inasmuch as this is predicated of the Lord,
who from eternity was the Word,
and from whom all these things are,
in the internal sense
it cannot be meant
that He observed these things,
but that He revealed them to Himself
when He was in a state of unition
of the Human with the Divine.

These things do indeed appear at first view
rather remote from the sense of the letter,
and even from the proximate internal sense;
but still when the words are read by a person,
this is their sense in heaven;
for, as occasionally before said,
and as may be seen from examples given,
in its ascent toward heaven
the sense of the letter is put off;
and instead of it
another heavenly sense comes into view,
so different that it cannot be known
to be from the same source.
For those who are in heaven
are in the idea that in the internal sense
all things of the Word treat of the Lord;
and also that all things of the Word are from the Lord;
likewise that when He was in the world
the Lord thought from the Divine
and thus from Himself,
and acquired for Himself all intelligence and wisdom
through continuous revelations from the Divine;
and therefore from the above words
they perceive nothing else.
For "keeping the charge, commandments,
statutes, and laws" is not predicable of the Lord,
because He Himself was the Word,
consequently He Himself was the charge,
He Himself was the commandment,
He Himself the statute,
and He Himself the law;
for all these things have respect to Him
as the First from whom they are derived,
and as the Last to whom they tend.
Therefore in the supreme sense by the above words
nothing else can be meant
than the unition of the Lord's Divine with the Human,
through continuous revelations from Himself.

~ Come, Let Us Return to the Lord ~

"Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us;
He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds.
After two days He will revive us;
on the third day He will restore us,
that we may live in His presence.
Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge Him.
As surely as the sun rises,
He will appear;
He will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth."

(Hosea 6:1-3)

AC 3367, 3376 - Thought From the Divine

AC  3367

And Jehovah appeared unto him, and said.
(Genesis 26:2)

That this means thought from the Divine,
is evident from the meaning of "appearing,"
when said of the Lord, who is Jehovah,
as being the Divine Itself that was in Him.
That Jehovah was in the Lord,
and that the Lord Himself is Jehovah,
has been shown above in many places;
and that insofar as the Lord had united
the Human essence to the Divine,
so far He spoke with Jehovah as with Himself;
thus "Jehovah appearing to him,"
in the internal sense means from the Divine;
that thought is meant is evident from
the meaning of "saying,"
as being to perceive and also to think;
as has been frequently shown.

AC 3376

. . . there was thought from the Divine
not to go down to memory-knowledges,
but to rational things
which
when enlightened by the Divine
are appearances of truth,
and that from these would come
instruction from the Divine, and increase,
thus good and truth,
which are spiritual,
whereby there is conjunction
of the Lord with the things in His Word.
These things which before a person
appear thus scattered,
are yet in the internal sense conjoined together
in the most orderly manner,
and before the angels, or in heaven,
appear and are perceived
in a most beautiful series and connection;
indeed, are attended with angelic representatives
in a heavenly form;
and this with inexpressible variety.
Such is the Word throughout in its internal sense.

AC 3362 - Divine Truth and Appearance of Truth

AC 3362

Divine truths are such
that they cannot possibly be grasped by any angel,
still less by any person.
They go far beyond
the whole range of their understanding.
Yet so that the Lord may be joined
to angels and people
Divine truths flow in,
with both angels and people,
within appearances;
and when those appearances
have Divine truths within them,
then these Divine truths
can be received and acknowledged.
And this is done in such a way as is adequate
for everyone to grasp them.

AC 3365

. . . Divine truths from the Lord
present themselves before the rational
by means of appearances.
This is why matters of doctrine
are no more than the appearances of Divine truth,
that is, no more than celestial and spiritual vessels
that hold what is Divine within them.
And because they hold the Divine,
that is, the Lord,
within them,
they therefore stir a person's affection,
and thereby the Lord is joined
to angels and to people.

AC 3344 - Life From the Lord

AC 3344

In itself
whatever is from the Lord
is alive.

~ The One Who Looked Like a Man ~

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month,
as I was standing on the bank of the great river, Tigris,
I looked up and there before me was a man
dressed in linen,
with a belt of the finest gold around his waist.
His body was like chrysolite,
his face like lightning,
his eyes like flaming torches,
his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze,
and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

. . . the one who looked like a man
touched me and gave me strength.
"Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said.
"Peace!
Be strong now; be strong."

(Daniel 10:4-6, 18-19)

AC 3332 - When the Spiritual Person Is Being Regenerated

AC 3332 [2-3]

. . . he first learns the doctrinal things of truth,
next is affected by them
(which is the good of the doctrinal things),
then that by taking a mental view
of these doctrinal things
he is affected with the truths in them
(which is the good of truth),
and lastly that he wills to live according to them,
which is the good of life.
In this way the spiritual person
when being regenerated
advances from the doctrine of truth to the good of life.
But when he is in the good of life
the order is inverted,
and from this good
he looks to the good of truth,
from this to the good of doctrinal things,
and from this to the doctrinal things of truth.
From this it may be known how a person
from being a sensuous person becomes spiritual,
and of what quality he is when he becomes spiritual.

That these goods, namely,
the good of life,
the good of truth,
and the good of doctrinal things,
are distinct from each other
can be seen by those who carefully consider the matter.
The good of life
is that which flows from the will;
the good of truth
is that which flows from the understanding;
and the good of doctrinal things
is that which flows from memory-knowledge.
The good which is doctrinal
has these other goods within it.

~ One of Daniel's Visions ~

"In my vision at night I looked,
and there before me was one like a son of man,
coming with the clouds of heaven.
He approached the Ancient of Days
and was led into His presence.
He was given authority, glory and sovereign power;
all peoples, nations and men of every language
worshiped Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that will not pass away,
and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

(Daniel 7:13-14)

AC 3330 - The Spiritual Person In the Beginning

AC 3330

That in the spiritual person in the beginning
truth has the dominion,
is chiefly because in his first state
there are delights of the love of self
and of the world
which he believes to be good,
and which apply themselves to his truths,
and for the most part
produce the affection of truth in him;
for he then thinks that truths
may be serviceable to him
either for honor, or for gain,
or for reputation in the world,
or even for merit in the other life.
All these things excite
this affection of truth in him,
and also enkindle it;
and yet they are not good, but evil.
Nevertheless the Lord permits
that such things should influence him
in that first time,
because otherwise he could not be regenerated.
Intelligence and wisdom come in time;
in the meanwhile
through these truths
the person is introduced into good,
that is, into charity;
and when he is in this,
then for the first time he perceives what is good,
and acts from good,
and then judges and draws conclusions
from this good concerning truths;
and those which do not accord with this good
he calls false, and rejects.
Thus he rules over truths
as a master over his servants.

~ King Darius Honors the God of Daniel ~

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples,
nations and men of every language
throughout the land:

"May you prosper greatly!

"I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom
people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

"For He is the living God
and He endures forever;
His kingdom will not be destroyed,
His dominion will never end.
He rescues and He saves;
He performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions."

(Daniel 6:25-27)

AC 3318 - "And He Was Weary"

 

AC 3318

And he was weary.
(Genesis 25:29)

That this means a state of combat,
is evident from the meaning of "weary," or "weariness,"
as being the state after combat;
here, a state of combat,
because the subject
is the conjunction of good with truth
in the natural person.

A person is nothing but an organ, or vessel,
which receives life from the Lord;
for a person does not live from himself.
The life which inflows with a person from the Lord
is from His Divine love.
This love, or the life thence derived,
inflows and applies itself to the vessels
which are in a person's rational,
and to those which are in his natural.
In consequence of the hereditary evil
into which a person is born,
and of the actual evil which he acquires,
these vessels are in a contrary position within him
relatively to the inflowing life,
yet insofar as the life which flows in
can dispose the vessels to receive it,
it does so dispose them.
These vessels in the rational person,
and in the natural,
are what are called truths,
but in themselves
they are merely perceptions
of the variations of form of these vessels,
and of the changes of state
according to which in diverse ways
these variations come forth,
being effected in the most subtle substances,
by methods inexpressible.
Good itself,
which has life from the Lord,
or which is life,
is that which flows in and disposes.

When therefore these vessels,
which are to be varied as to forms,
are as before said

in a contrary position and direction in respect to the life,
it is evident that they must be reduced

to a position in accordance with the life,
or into compliance with it.
This cannot possibly be effected

so long as the person is in that state

into which he is born,
and to which he has reduced himself;
for the vessels are not obedient,
being obstinately resistant,
and hardening themselves against the heavenly order
according to which the life acts;
for the good which moves them,
and with which they comply,
is of the love of self and of the world;
which good, from the gross heat that is in it,
causes them to be of such a quality;
and therefore before they can be rendered compliant
and fit to receive anything of the life of the Lord's love,
they must be softened.
This softening is effected by
no other means than temptations;
for temptations remove all that is of the love of self
and of contempt for others in comparison with self,
consequently all that is of self-glory,
and also of hatred and revenge on this account.
When therefore the vessels have been

somewhat tempered and subdued by temptations,
they begin to become yielding to, and compliant with,
the life of the Lord's love,
which continually flows in with man.

So it is then

that good begins to be conjoined with truths;

first in the rational person,
and afterwards in the natural;
for as before said

truths are nothing else

than perceptions of the variations of form

according to states that are continually being changed;
and these perceptions are from the life which flows in.
This is the reason why a person is regenerated,

that is, made new, by temptations;
or what is the same, by spiritual combats;

and that he is afterwards gifted with another nature;

being made mild, humble, simple, and contrite in heart.
From these considerations

it may now be seen what use temptations promote,

namely, that good from the Lord may not only flow in,

but may also dispose the vessels to obedience,

and thus conjoin itself with them.
That truths are vessels receptive of good,

may be seen above.
Here therefore, because the subject is

the conjunction of good and truth in the natural man,

and the first of conjunction takes place

by means of combats,

which are those of temptations,

it is evident that by "he was weary" i

s signified a state of combat.

But as regards the Lord,
who in the supreme sense is here treated of,
He by the most grievous temptation
combats reduced all things in Himself into Divine order,
insomuch that there remained nothing at all
of the human which He had derived from the mother,
so that He was not made new as are other men,
but altogether Divine.
For the person who is made new by regeneration
still retains in himself an inclination to evil,
and even evil itself;
but is withheld from evil
by an influx of the life of the Lord's love,
and this with a force exceeding great;
whereas the Lord utterly cast out all the evil
that was hereditary to Him from the mother,
and made Himself Divine,
even as to the vessels,
that is, as to truths.
This is that which in the Word is called "glorification."

 

AC 3316 - Pottage - a soup or a stew

AC 3316 [1, 2]

And Jacob boiled pottage.
(Genesis 25:29)

That this means a chaotic mass of doctrinal things,
is evident from the representation of Jacob,
as being the doctrine of natural truth,
thus the doctrinal things which are in the natural person;
and from the meaning of "pottage,"
as being a chaotic mass of such things.

The first state of the person who is being regenerated,
or in whom truth is being conjoined with good,
is that first of all in his natural person,
or in its storehouse called the memory,
there are amassed the doctrinal things of truth
without any certain order.
The doctrinal things therein at that time
may be compared to
some undigested and uncompounded mass,
and to a kind of chaos.
But this is to the end
that they may be reduced to order,
for whatever is to be reduced to order
is at first in this state of confusion;
and this is what is meant by the pottage
which Jacob boiled, that is, amassed.
These doctrinal things
are not reduced to order by themselves,
but by the good which flows into them,
and the good reduces them into order
in exact proportion to the amount and the quality
of its action upon them.
When good first longs for and desires
these doctrinal things,
to the end that it may conjoin them with itself,
it manifests itself
under the appearance of the affection of truth.

~ Daniel Praises the God of Heaven ~

"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are His.
He changes times and seasons;
He sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
He knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with Him.
I thank and praise You,
O God of my fathers:
You have given me wisdom and power,
You have made known to me what we asked of You,
You have made known to us
the dream of the king."

(Daniel 2:19.5-23)

AC 3314 - What the World Does Not Know About the Rational

AC 3314 [2]

. . . the world, even the learned world,
is ignorant of the most general truths upon the subject --
as that the rational is distinct from the natural,
and that it is good and truth
which constitute both the rational and the natural;
and still less is it known
that the rational must flow into the natural
in order for a person to be able to think,
and to will as he thinks.
As these most general truths are unknown,
the influx spoken of above
can with difficulty be comprehended;
and yet these are matters in regard to which
the angels have light,
and perceive things innumerable,
and this attended with the delight in which
they are when it is given them
at the same time to think concerning
the Lord's Divine in respect to the Human.
The person who is in good
and in whom there is what is angelic
while he is in the body,
is also gifted with some light from the Lord
on these and similar subjects;
but he who is not in good
feels a loathing when thinking of such things,
and the more so the more he thinks of them
as applied to the Divine
that pertains to the Lord's Human.
It is better therefore
that those who are of such a nature
should remove their mind from such subjects;
for they comprehend nothing of them,
and even reject them;
saying at heart,
What is this to me?
will bring me neither honors nor gain.

AC 3308 - "The Boys Grew Up"

AC 3308
 

The boys grew up.
(Genesis 25:27)

That this means the first state, namely,
of the conjunction of good and truth . . .
and from the meaning of the "boys,"
as being good and truth;
for good is represented by the "boy Esau,"
and truth by the "boy Jacob," . . ..
The case with good and truth
is the same as with offspring,
in that they are conceived, are in the womb,
are born, grow up, and also advance in age
even to the last.
That they are conceived, are in the womb,
and are born, pertains to the state of origin;
but that they grow up,
and advance in age even to the last,
pertains to the state of progress.
The state of progress advances
in succession from the birth,
and is a state of the conjunction of good and truth.
The first of this state
is that which is here meant by "growing up."
This state commences immediately after birth,
and is continued even to the last of life;
and with those who are in good,
after the life of the body to eternity.
The angels are thus being continually perfected.

AC 3304, 3305 - Reading the Word

AC 3304 [3]

Those who keep the mind solely in the historicals,
and who are not able to withdraw it from them,
do not know but that these and former passages
simply foretell the events which came to pass
 between Esau and Jacob,
and this conviction is confirmed also by what follows.
But the Word of the Lord is of such a nature
that the historicals are in their own series,
while the spiritual things of the internal sense
are in theirs;
so that the former may be viewed
by the external person,
and the latter by the internal person,
and that in this way there may be
a correspondence between the two, namely,
between the external person and the internal;
and this by means of the Word,
for the Word is the union of earth and heaven,
as has been frequently shown.
Thus in everyone
who is in a holy state while reading the Word,
there is a union of his external person
which is on the earth,
with his internal person
which is in heaven.

AC 3305 [2]

Those who abide in the mere sense of the letter
believe that by "Jacob" in the Word is meant
all that people which was descended from Jacob,
and for this reason they apply to that people
all things that have been said
historically and prophetically concerning Jacob.
But the Word is Divine chiefly in this respect,
that all things in it both in general and in particular
do not regard one nation or one people,
but the universal human race;
namely, that which is,
which has been,
and which will be;
and also that which is still more universal,
namely, the Lord's kingdom in the heavens;
and in the supreme sense,
the Lord Himself.
It is for this reason that the Word is Divine.

AC 3286 - Correspondence & Regeneration; AC 3286 - Old Becomes New

AC 3286 [3]

The work of regeneration is chiefly concerned
in bringing about the correspondence
of the natural person to the rational person,
not only in general,
but also in particular;
and the natural person
is reduced to correspondence by the Lord
through the rational,
in that good is insinuated into the rational,
and in this good as in ground
truths are implanted,
and then by means of rational truths
the natural is reduced to obedience;
and when it obeys,
then it corresponds;
and insofar as it corresponds,
so far is the person regenerate.

AC 3296 [2]

. . . as the Lord altogether changed
His human state into the Divine,
so also in a person,
when He regenerates him,
the Lord utterly changes the person's state,
for He makes his old person new.

AC 3279 - Generations; AC 3283 - The Natural and the Rational

AC 3279

'These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son'
(Genesis 25:19)

means the Lord's Divine Rational,
from which the Divine Natural sprang.
. . . Here . . . 'generations' has reference to the Lord,
Divine generations are meant.
That is to say,
the Divine Rational came into being
from the Divine itself,
which is meant by Isaac who was begotten by Abraham;
and the Divine Natural came into being
from the Divine Rational,
which is meant by Esau and Jacob
who were begotten by Isaac.
For Esau and Jacob represent the Lord's Divine Natural,
Esau as regards good,
and Jacob as regards truth,

AC 3283 [2]

The Lord's natural could not be made Divine
until truth had been allied to His Rational
and that truth had been made Divine -
for the influx into the natural
had to be an influx
from the Divine Good of the Rational
by way of Divine Truth there.
Indeed the entire life of the natural person
so far as knowing and acting
with understanding are concerned
is due to such an influx.
It is the rational in fact
that coordinates everything in the natural,
and in accordance with that coordination
fittingly regards the things that are there.
Indeed the rational
is like a higher faculty of seeing which,
when it looks at facts
belonging to the natural person,
is like someone looking down on to a plain below him.
The light of that faculty of seeing
is the light of truth,
but the origin of that light
rests with the good present in the rational.

AC 3267 - Loving the Neighbor in Charity, or Not

AC 3267 [3]

He who is in charity loves his neighbor,
and when the neighbor differs from him
in matters of belief,
he excuses it
provided that his neighbor lives in good and truth.
He also does not condemn the well-disposed Gentiles,
although they are ignorant of the Lord,
and do not know anything of the faith.
For he who is in charity,
that is, who lives in good,
receives from the Lord
truths of such a quality as agree with his good,
and Gentiles receive such truths
as in the other life
may be bent into truths of faith.
But he who is not in charity,
that is, who does not live in good,
can never receive any truth;
he may indeed know truth,
but it is not implanted in his life;
thus he may indeed have it in his mouth,
but not in his heart.
For truth cannot be conjoined with evil,
and therefore those who know the truths
which are called the articles of belief,
and do not live in charity or in good,
although they are in the church because born in it,
are yet not of the church,
for there is nothing of the church in them,
that is nothing of good
with which truth may be conjoined.

AC 3263 - The Spiritual Church, Ishmael, and Gentiles

AC 3263

And these are the births of Ishmael the son of Abraham.
(Genesis 25:12)

That this means the derivations
of the spiritual church represented by Ishmael,
is evident from the meaning of "births,"
as being the derivations of faith,
thus of the church;
from the representation of Ishmael,
as being those who are rational
and who are of the Lord's spiritual church;
and from the meaning of the "sons of Abraham,"
as being those who are in truth from the Lord;
for by "sons" are meant truths,
and by Abraham is represented
the Lord as to the Divine Human
also, from whom the spiritual have truth and good.

As regards the Lord's spiritual church,
be it known that it exists
throughout the universal world;
for it is not confined to those who have the Word
and thence know the Lord and some truths of faith;
but it exists also with those who have not the Word
and therefore are altogether ignorant of the Lord
and consequently know no truths of faith
(for all the truths of faith regard the Lord);
that is to say, this church exists among the Gentiles
who are remote from the church;
for there are many among them
who from rational light know that there is one God;
that He has created all things
and preserves all things;
and also that from Him is all good,
consequently all truth;
and that likeness to Him makes man blessed;
and moreover they live according to their religion,
in love to that God and in love toward the neighbor;
and from the affection of good
they do works of charity,
and from the affection of truth
they worship the Supreme Being.
The Gentiles who are of this character
are they who belong to the Lord's spiritual church;
and although while in this world
they do not know the Lord,
yet within themselves
they have the worship
and tacit acknowledgment of Him
when they are in good,
for in all good the Lord is present;
and therefore in the other life
they easily acknowledge Him,
and receive the truths of faith in Him
more readily than Christians do
who are not in good in this way . . ..

~ I Will Give You ~

I will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you
your heart of stone
and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put My Spirit in you
and move you to follow My decrees
and be careful to keep My laws.

(Ezekiel 36:26-27)

AC 3254 - "Old Age"; AC 3260 - "May God Bless"

 AC 3254

In a good old age, an old man and sated.
(Genesis 25:8)

That this means something new in the representation,
is evident from the meaning
in the internal sense of "old age,"
as being to put off what is old
and put on what is new.
The reason why what is new, or a new state,
is meant in the internal sense by "old age,"
is that with the angels,
for whom is the internal sense of the Word,
there is no idea of time,
thus no idea of such things as belong to time,
as the ages of man --
infancy, childhood, youth, adult age, and old age.
But instead of all these
they have an idea of states,
thus instead of the time of infancy
they have an idea of the state of innocence;
instead of the time of childhood and youth
they have an idea of
the state of the affection of good and truth;
instead of adult age
they have an idea of the state of intelligence;
and instead of old age
an idea of the state of wisdom;
and as at this time of life
a person passes from the things of time
to those that are of a life without time,
and thus puts on a new state . . ..

AC 3260

Among the ancients,
when a work was to be commenced,
it was customary to say, "May God bless it;"
and by this was meant the same as is meant
by the expression of the wish,
"May it be prosperous and happy;"
and thus in a more remote sense, by,
"May God bless,"
as well as by, "May it be prosperous and happy,"
there is meant a beginning,
here the beginning of the representation by Isaac,
because this follows immediately after
the end of the representation by Abraham,
which is signified by his death.

~ The Way of the Lord ~

"Yet your countrymen say,
'The way of the Lord is not just.'
But it is their way that is not just.
If a righteous man turns from his righteousness
and does evil,
he will die for it.
And if a wicked man turns away from his wickedness
and does what is just and right,
he will live by doing so.
Yet, O house of Israel, you say,
'The way of the Lord is not just.'
But I will judge each of you
according to his own ways."

(Ezekiel 33:17-20)

AC 3245 - The Lord's Rational; AC 3249 - Charity Toward the Neighbor

AC 3245 [1-2]

The things which precede
and those which follow have regard to this fact --
that in the Lord's rational all things were made Divine.
For in the internal sense,
where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are treated of,
the subject is the Lord's Human,
and how it was made Divine.

There are two things
which properly constitute the Human,
namely, the rational and the natural;
the Lord's rational was represented by Isaac,
and His natural by Jacob;
the Lord made them both Divine;
how He made the rational Divine
is contained in what was said of Isaac,
but how He made the natural Divine
is contained in what is said of Jacob in what follows.
But this latter (that is, the natural)
could not be made Divine
until the rational had been made Divine,
for by means of the rational the natural was made so;
hence therefore it is
that by the words before us
are meant all Divine things in the Divine rational.

AC 3249

Charity toward the neighbor is nothing else
than a life according to the Lord's commandments.

AC 3234 - Abraham & Sarah; Abraham & Keturah; AC 3241 - The Spiritual Church

AC 3234

And Abraham added, and took a woman,
and her name was Keturah.
(Genesis 25:1)

"And Abraham added, and took a woman,"
means another state of the Lord,
whom Abraham represents;
Abraham and Sarah represented the Lord
as to the Divine celestial;
Abraham and Keturah represented the Lord
as to the Divine spiritual;
thus Abraham here represents the Lord
as to Divine good spiritual,
and his woman
as to Divine truth adjoined to this good;
"and her name was Keturah,"
means the essence of this Divine truth.

AC 3241 [3]

As those who are of the spiritual church
have no perception of what is good and true,
like those of the celestial church,
but acknowledge as truths
the things they have learned,
they are on this account
continually in dispute concerning them,
reasoning whether a thing is true;
and each person abides in that doctrine
(and calls it true)
which is of his own church.
This is the source of so many differences.
Moreover very many form their conclusions
concerning things good and true
from appearances and fallacies --
one in one way, another in another,
but none from any perception;
they do not even know what perception is;
and as their understanding is thus in obscurity
as to the goods and truths of faith,
it is not surprising that dissensions should arise
concerning the most essential
of all the things of faith, namely,
concerning the Divine,
the Human,
and the Holy Proceeding of the Lord.
The celestial perceive
that these are not three, but One;
but the spiritual abide in the idea of three,
although they desire to think that they are One.
Seeing then that there are dissensions
concerning that which is the most essential,
it is evident
that the varieties and differences of doctrinal things
must be innumerable.

AC 3224 - The Opening of the Interior Mind

 AC 3224 [3]

Truths and goods cannot be acknowledged,
except with those whose interior mind is open,
into which the light from the Lord may inflow;
and so far as this mind is open,
truths and goods are acknowledged.
This mind is open only with those
who are in innocence, in love to the Lord,
and in charity toward their neighbor;
but not with those who are in the truths of faith,
unless they are at the same time in the good of life.

AC 3207 - Good Itself, Truth and Appearances of Truth

AC 3207 [2-3, 5]

Good itself is holy,
because it is the Divine proceeding from the Lord,
and flows in by the higher way or gate in a person;
but insofar as its origin is concerned,
truth is not holy;
because it flows in by a lower way or gate,
and at first is of the natural person;
but when it is elevated from there
toward the rational person
it is by degrees purified;
and at the first sight of the affection of good
it is separated from memory-knowledges,
and puts on appearances of truth,
and thus comes near to good;
an indication that such is its origin,
and that it could not endure
the first sight of Divine good
until it has entered into the bridegroom's chamber
(that is, into the sanctuary of good),
and the conjunction has been effected;
for then truth no longer looks at good
from appearances, or through appearances;
but it is looked at from good apart from them.

Be it known, however, that neither with a person,
nor indeed with an angel,
are any truths ever pure, that is, devoid of appearances;
for all both in general and in particular
are appearances of truth;
nevertheless they are accepted by the Lord as truths,
provided good is in them.
To the Lord alone belong pure truths,
because Divine;
for as the Lord is Good itself,
so He is Truth itself.

In order that some idea may be formed
of what appearances of truth are,
let the following examples serve for illustration.

I.  A person believes
that he is reformed and regenerated
through the truth of faith;
but this is an appearance;
he is reformed and regenerated
through the good of faith,
that is, through charity toward the neighbor
and love to the Lord.

II.  A person believes
that truth enables us to perceive what good is,
because it teaches;
but this is an appearance;
it is good that enables truth to perceive,
for good is the soul or life of truth.

III.  A person believes
that truth introduces to good
when he lives
according to the truth which he has learned;
but it is good which flows into truth,
and introduces it to itself. 

IV.  It appears to a person
that truth perfects good,
when yet good perfects truth.

V.  Goods of life appear to a person
to be the fruits of faith;
but they are the fruits of charity.

From these few examples
it may in some measure be known
what appearances of truth are.
Such appearances are innumerable.

AC 3200 - The Rational Good Expecting Truth

And Isaac came from coming from Beer-lahai-roi;
and he dwelt in the land of the south.
And Isaac went out
to meditate in the field toward evening;
and he lifted up his eyes and saw,
and behold there were camels coming. 
(Genesis 24:62-63)

AC 3200

In these two verses is described
the state of rational good
when it is in expectation of the truth
that is to be conjoined with it as a bride to a husband.
In the two verses which immediately follow,
is described the state of truth when it is near,
and perceives the good with which it is to be conjoined.
But it is to be known that these states
did not come forth once only,
but continually during the Lord's whole life in the world,
until He was glorified.
The case is the same with the regenerate;
for they are not regenerated at once,
but continually during their whole life,
and even in the other life;
for a person can never be perfected.

And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and saw Isaac,
and she alighted from off the camel.
And she said unto the servant,
What man is this that walks in the field to meet us?
And the servant said, It is my lord.
And she took a veil and covered herself.
(Genesis 24:64-65)

AC 3182 - Regarding Truth and Life; AC 8183 - The Role of Innocence; AC 8187 - Becoming a Kingdom of the Lord

 AC 3182

Truth is separated when the person
no longer from truth regards good,
but from good truth;
or what is the same,
when he no longer from doctrine regards life,
but from life doctrine.
For example: doctrine teaches the truth
that no one is to be held in hatred;
for whoever holds another in hatred,
kills him every moment.
In early life
a person scarcely admits the truth of this,
but as he advances in age and is being reformed,
he accounts this as one of the doctrinal things
according to which he ought to live.
At last he lives according to it;
and then he no longer thinks from the doctrine,
but acts from the life.
When this is the case,
this truth of doctrine is elevated out of the natural,
and indeed is separated from the natural
and implanted in good in the rational;
and this being effected
he no longer suffers the natural person
by any of its sophistry
to call it in doubt;
indeed he does not suffer the natural person to
reason against it.

AC 3183

. . . the affection of truth is not the affection of truth
unless innocence is in it;
for by innocence the Lord flows into this affection,
and indeed with wisdom,
since true innocence is wisdom itself . . ..

AC 8187 [3]

. . . with every person
who becomes a kingdom of the Lord,
the case also is this:
Before he becomes this kingdom,
that is, before he is being regenerated,
he is inwardly nothing but evil and falsity;
and infernal and diabolical spirits
have possession of that which is called the "gate"
(concerning which see n. 2851[2] quoted here:
As regards the signification of a "gate,"
there are in general two gates with every person;
the one opens toward hell,
and is opened to the evils and falsities therefrom;
in this gate are infernal genii and spirits;
the other gate opens toward heaven,
and is opened to good and the truths therefrom;
in this gate are angels.
There is thus a gate which leads to hell,
and a gate which leads to heaven.);
but when he is becoming a kingdom of the Lord,
that is, when he is being regenerated,
then evils and falsities, or what is the same,
infernal and diabolical spirits, are driven out,
and good and truth enter and inherit that place;
and then there is in him
a conscience of good and truth.
And as the case is in particular,
so also is it in general.

AC 3175 - What It Takes to Become a Person

AC 3175 [1, 2-3]

No person is ever ever born into any truth,
not even into any natural truth --
as that he should not steal, should not kill,
should not commit adultery, and the like;
still less is he born into any spiritual truth --
as that there is a God,
and that he has an internal which will live after death.
Thus of himself a person knows nothing
that relates to eternal life.
A person learns both these kinds of truth;
otherwise he would be much worse than a brute animal;
for from his hereditary nature
he loves himself above all
and desires to possess all things in the world.

. . . unless a person is rational, he is not a person;
and therefore according to
the quality and the measure of a person's rational,
such is the quality and the measure of the person.
A person cannot possibly be rational
unless he possesses good.
The good whereby a person surpasses the animals,
is to love God,
and to love the neighbor;
all human good is from this.
Into this good truth must be initiated and conjoined,
and this in the rational.
Truth is initiated into good and conjoined with it
when a person loves God and loves his neighbor,
for then truth enters into good,
inasmuch as good and truth mutually
acknowledge each other,
all truth being from good,
and having respect to good as its end and as its soul,
and thus as the source of its life.

AC 3170 - Unrest and Peace

AC 3170

. . . all unrest is from evil and falsity,
and all peace is from good and truth.

~ The Lord's Pleasure ~

"Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?"
declares the Sovereign Lord.
"Rather, am I not pleased
when they turn from their ways and live?"

(Ezekiel 18:23)

AC 3160 - Laban and Bethuel

AC 3160 [1, 2]

And Laban and Bethuel answered and said,
The word has gone forth from Jehovah;
we cannot speak unto you evil or good.
(Genesis 24:50)

. . . by "Jehovah," so often named in the Old Testament,
no other is ever meant than the Lord.

The secret reason why Laban and Bethuel answered,
that is, the brother first and then the father,
is that while good from the rational person
is flowing into the natural,
it does not flow immediately into the truth there,
but into the good there,
and through the good into the truth;
and unless there is this influx
the affection of truth cannot come into actual being.
The affection of good in the natural person
is that which acknowledges,
and thus is that which first consents;
for there is an immediate communication
between rational good and natural good,
but not between rational good and natural truth.

AC 3158 - Freedom and Conjunction

AC  3158

Tell me; and if not, tell me.
(Genesis 24:49)

That this signifies their free state of deliberation . . ..
This is evident from the sense of the words themselves.
From all that has gone before
it is clear that while the sense of the letter in this chapter
is dealing with
the betrothal and marriage of Rebekah to Isaac,
the internal sense is dealing with
the introduction and joining together of truth and good,
for the introduction and joining together
of truth and good
is spiritual betrothal and spiritual marriage.
In both instances a free state to deliberate is necessary.
The necessity for it in betrothal and marriage
is well known,
but the necessity for it
in the introduction and joining together of truth and good
is not so well known
because it is not visible to the natural person
and belongs among the things that go on
quite apart from any reflecting on them.
Yet this activity continues moment by moment
in one who is being reformed and regenerated,
that is to say,
he experiences a free state
when truth is being joined to good.

Everyone may know, if he merely stops to think,
that nothing ever exists as a person's own
unless it forms part of his will.
That which belongs solely to the understanding
does not become a person's own
until it belongs also to his will,
for what belongs to the will
constitutes the essential being of a person's life,
whereas what belongs to the understanding
constitutes the manifestation of that essential being.
Consent flowing from the understanding alone
is not consent,
but all consent springs from the will.
Unless therefore the truth of faith
which belongs to the understanding
is received by the good of love
which belongs to the will
it is in no sense truth that has been acknowledged,
and so is not faith.
In order that it may be received
by good that belongs to the will
it is necessary that a free state should exist.
Everything that belongs in the will looks to be free.
The state itself of the will is freedom,
for what I will, I choose and desire
since that is what I love and acknowledge
as that which is good.
From this it becomes clear
that the truth of faith in no sense
becomes a person's own
until it has been accepted by the will,
that is, introduced and joined
to the good there,
which cannot happen except in a free state.

AC 4131 - Sweeping; AC 4137 - Washing

AC 4132 [1, 3]

The reason "to sweep" means to prepare and to be filled,
is that nothing else is required of a person
than to sweep the house;
that is, to reject the cupidities of evil
and the derivative persuasions of falsity;
for he is then filled with goods,
because good is continually flowing in from the Lord --
but into "the house," that is, into the person
who is purified from such things as impede the influx,
that is, which reflect, or pervert, or suffocate
the inflowing good.
So it was common with the ancients
to speak of sweeping or cleaning the house,
and of sweeping and preparing the way;
and by sweeping the house was meant
to purify one's self from evils,
and thereby to prepare one's self for goods to enter;
but by sweeping the way
was meant to prepare one's self
so that truths might be received.

In the opposite sense "to sweep the house"
is said also of the person
who deprives himself of all goods and truths,
and thus is filled with evils and falsities . . ..

AC 4137 [1-3, 7]

The unclean things of the natural person
are all those things which are of
the love of self and of the love of the world;
and when these unclean things have been washed away,
then goods and truths flow in,
for it is solely these unclean things
that hinder the influx of good and truth from the Lord.

For good is continually flowing in from the Lord,
but when it comes through
the internal or spiritual person
to his external or natural person,
it is there either perverted, turned back, or suffocated.
But when the things which are of
the love of self and of the love of the world
are removed,
then good is received there and is made fruitful;
for then man practices the works of charity.
This is evident from many considerations;
as when in misfortune, distress, and sickness,
the things that belong to the external or natural person
are merely lulled,
the person immediately begins to think piously
and to will what is good,
and also to practice works of piety insofar as he is able;
but when the state is changed,
there is a change also in all this.

These things were meant by
the washings in the Ancient Church,
and the same were represented in the Jewish Church.
The reason why they were meant in the Ancient Church,
but represented in the Jewish church,
was that the person of the Ancient Church
regarded the rite as a something external in worship,
and did not believe
that he was purified by that washing,
but by the washing away
of the impurities of the natural person,
which as before said are the things
which are of the love of self and of the world.
But the person of the Jewish Church
believed that he was purified by that washing;
neither knowing nor desiring to know
that the purification of the interiors was meant.

. . . unless the things that are of
the love of self and of the world
have been removed,
the internal things
which are of love to the Lord
and toward the neighbor
cannot possibly flow in,
as before said.

AC 4131 - The Process - for the Lord, for Us

AC 4131

The Lord's Divine rational was born
of the Divine truth itself conjoined with the Divine good.
The Divine rational is Isaac,
who was born to Abraham (who here is the Divine good)
of Sarah who here is the Divine truth . . ..
The rational of the Lord alone was thus born Divine,
and indeed from Himself;
for the veriest being of the Lord was Jehovah
or the Divine good itself;
and the veriest being of the Lord from this
was of Jehovah or was the Divine truth itself.
The Divine good in the rational, which is "Isaac,"
was thus born;
and this was not good separate from truth,
but was Divine good with Divine truth;
and yet both together are called good in the rational,
with which was to be conjoined truth
from the natural man, which truth is "Rebekah."
In order that the Lord might make His human Divine,
both as to good and as to truth,
and this by the ordinary way,
it could not be done otherwise;
for such is the Divine order,
according to which is all regeneration,
and thus according to which
was the Lord's glorification.

. . . For the ordinary way
is that instruction must precede,
and that influx takes place
to the degrees of instruction;
and that truth
continually comes into existence from there,
which is initiated,
and is afterwards conjoined
with the good of the rational.
From all this it may be seen
what is the nature of the arcana (secrets)
that are contained in the internal sense of the Word;
and that these arcana are such
as to be scarcely understood by a person
even as to their most general things;
and yet that they are evident to the angels,
together with innumerable particulars
which can never be uttered in words.

AC 3128 - Our Life Impacts Enlightenment

AC 3128 [2, 3]

. . . all good flows in by an internal way
(that is, by the way of the soul)
into a person's rational,
and through this into his faculty of knowing,
even into that which is of the senses;
and by enlightenment there
it causes truths to be seen.

. . . if the life of the natural person is such
that it does not receive the Divine good,
but either repels it, or perverts it, or suffocates it,
then the Divine good cannot be fitted in,
thus it cannot form for itself truths;
and consequently
the natural can no longer be enlightened;
for enlightenment in the natural person
is effected from good through truths;
and when there is no longer enlightenment,
there can be no reformation.