AC 10291 - The Celestial Kingdom and the Spiritual Kingdom: AC 10310 - Who Has the Church Within?

AC 10291 [2, 3]

It has often been stated that heaven is divided into
the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom.
The two kingdoms have different kinds of truth,
as they do of good,
the good of the celestial kingdom
being the good of love to the Lord,
and the good of the spiritual kingdom
the good of charity towards the neighbor.
All good has its own truths;
celestial good has its own
and spiritual good its own,
and these are entirely different from each other.

The reason why all good has its own truths
is that good is given form by truths,
and also reveals itself through truths.
Such good and truths
are like a person's will and understanding,
in that his will is given form by
and also reveals itself through his understanding.
What belongs to the will is called good,
and what belongs to the understanding is called truth.

AC 10310

. . . only those are true members of the Church
who have the Church within them,
and they have the Church within them
who have an affection for truth for its own sake
and an affection for good for its own sake,
thus who are governed by
love towards the neighbor and love to God.
For good and truth are the neighbor,
and so is God
since good and truth are God's
and so are God as He exists with such people.
Those who are not like this
are not true members of the Church,
even though they may be within the Church.

 

Advent Reading - December 10

Behold, the days come, says the LORD,
that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch,
and a King shall reign and prosper,
and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

In his days Judah shall be saved,
and Israel shall dwell safely:
and this is his name whereby He shall be called,
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

(Jeremiah 23:5-6)

AR 815

Righteous acts are the practices of good lives
in the case of people governed by truths,
because no one can be called righteous
unless he lives in accordance with truths.
For in the natural sense
a righteous person is everyone who lives rightly
in accordance with civil and moral laws.
But in the spiritual sense
that person is called righteous
who lives rightly in accordance with Divine laws,
and Divine laws are truths from the Word.
Someone who believes that he is righteous
and so living a good life
without living in accordance with truths
is much deceived.
For a person cannot be reformed and regenerated
and so become good,
except by means of truths
and by a life in accordance with those truths.

AC 10284 - The Lord's Goal (or End) vs. a Person's Goal (or End)

AC 10284 [2]

Everything that is from the Lord is good and true.
But the good and truth in imitation of this by a person
is not good and true,
for the reason that everything good and true
has life in it from its end.
An end from a person
is merely for the sake of himself;
whereas that which is good and true from the Lord
is for the sake of good itself and truth itself as ends . . ..

Advent Reading - December 9

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
and the calf, and the young lion,
and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed;
and their young ones shall lie down together.
(Isaiah 11:6-7)

AC 430

A "little one" or "little child" in the Word,
means innocence, and also charity,
for true innocence cannot exist without charity,
nor true charity without innocence.
There are three degrees of innocence,
distinguished in the Word by the terms
"sucklings" "infants" and "little children;"
and as there is no true innocence
without true love and charity,
therefore also by
"sucklings" "infants" and "little children"
are meant the three degrees of love:
namely, tender love,
like that of a suckling toward its mother or nurse;
love like that of an infant toward its parents;
and charity, similar to that
of a little child toward its instructor.
Thus it is said in Isaiah:

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
and the calf, and the young lion,
and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
(Isaiah 11:6)

AC 3696 [2-3, 4]

. . . with the new life
in the person who is being regenerated:
at first he is in a state of tranquillity;
but as he passes into a new life,
he also passes at the same time
into an untranquil state;
for the evils and falsities
with which be had before become imbued
emerge and come forth,
and disturb him,
and this at last to such a degree
that he is in temptations and vexations
inflicted by the diabolical crew,
who are continually striving to destroy
the state of his new life.
Yet inmostly the person is in a state of peace,
for unless this were with him inmostly,
he would not combat,
for in his battlings he is continually looking
to this state as the end,
and unless he had such an end,
he would in no wise
have power and strength to combat.
This moreover is the reason why he overcomes;
and because this is the end in view,
he also comes into this state
after the combats or temptations.
This is like the state of spring,
which succeeds the state of autumn and winter;
or it is like the state of dawn,
which succeeds evening and night.

That in the Word "to lie down"
means a state of tranquillity . . .

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
and the calf and the young lion together;
and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed;
their young ones shall lie down together.
(Isaiag 11:6-7);

where the Lord is treated of,
and the state of peace in His kingdom;
that they shall "lie down together"
means that they cannot be infested
by any evil and falsity.

AC 10269, 10270 - The Lord As to His Divine Human

AC 10269

. . . anointing represented
the Lord as to the Divine Human;
for the Lord as to His Divine Human
was alone the anointed of Jehovah,
because in Him, from conception,
and consequently in His Human,
there was the Divine of the Father.
It is possible to know
that the human body proceeds from
the being of the father
which is called his soul;
for the likeness of the father in respect
to the various affections which are of love
appears in the children even in their faces.
From this each family derives
its own peculiarities
by which it is distinguished from others.
What then must have been the case with the Lord,
in whom the Divine Itself was His being
which is called the soul?
So it is that the Lord says,

"He that has seen Me has seen the Father.
Believe Me that I am in the Father,
and the Father in Me."
(John 14:9, 11)

AC 10270

The Lord inflows immediately from His Divine Human
into the celestial good which is of the inmost heaven.
The Lord inflows from the Divine Human
into the spiritual good
which is of the second heaven,
and also mediately through celestial good.
And the Lord inflows from the Divine Human
into the spiritual natural good,
which is of the ultimate heaven,
and again also mediately.
It is said "also mediately,"
because the Lord not only
flows into the goods of these heavens mediately,
but also immediately.

Advent Reading - December 8

A Shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him --
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord --
and He will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes,
or decide by what He hears with His ears;
but with righteousness He will judge the needy,
with justice He will give decisions
for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth;
with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be His belt
and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

. . . It shall be in that day that a Root of Jesse,
which shall stand for a sign of the people,
the nations shall seek,
and His place of rest will be glorious.
(Isaiah 11:1-5, 10)

AE 175 [6]

It shall be in that day that a Root of Jesse,
which shall stand for a sign of the people,
the nations shall seek.
(Isaiah. 11:10).

"The root of Jesse" is the Lord;
"to stand for a sign of the people"
means that it may be seen by those
who are in truths;
 "the nations which shall seek,"
are those who are in the good of love.
It is believed that "nations" here mean
the nations that are to approach
and acknowledge the Lord,
from which is to be the church
that is called the church of the Gentiles;
but these are not meant by "nation"
but all who are
in love to the Lord and faith in Him,
whether within the church or out of it.

AC 10262 - Two Measures for Holy Use; AC 10268 - Heaven

AC 10262 [2, 5]

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

But in Ezekiel, where the new temple is treated of,
there appears a different division
of the ephah and the bath;
the ephah and the bath
not being there divided into ten, but into six;
and the hin there corresponds to the ephah . . ..
The reason is that the subject there treated of
is not celestial good and its conjunction,
but spiritual good and its conjunction;
and in the spiritual kingdom
the corresponding numbers are twelve, six, and three,
because by these numbers are meant all things,
and when they are predicated of truths and goods,
all things of truth and of good in the complex.

AC 10269

For heaven is not haven from the angels
as regarded in what is their own;
but from the Divine of the Lord with them.

Advent Reading - December 7

The Lord Himself gives you a sign,
Behold a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a Son,
and shall call His name, Immanuel (God with us.)
(Isaiah 7:14)

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,
and the government shall be upon His shoulder;
His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace:
of the increase of His government
there shall be no end.
(Isaiah 9:6, 7)

AC 10154

And I will be to them for God.
(Exodus 29:45)

That this means the presence of the Lord
and His influx into the truth in the church,
is evident from the meaning of "to be for God,"
as being the presence of the Lord
and His influx into truth.
It is into truth,
because in the Word of the Old Testament
the Lord is called "God" where truth is treated of,
and "Jehovah" where good is treated of.
From this also it is
that angels are called "gods"
by virtue of their reception of Divine truth
from the Lord.
From this also it is that in the original tongue
God is called "Elohim" in the plural,
for truths are many, but good is one
That the Lord is called "the Father from eternity,"
and also "God," is clear in Isaiah:

Unto us a Child is born,
unto us a Son is given;
and the government shall be upon His shoulder,
and His name is called God, Hero,
Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:5)

A virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and His name shall be called Immanuel,
which is, God with us.
(Isaiah. 7:14; Matthew 1:23)

That by "I will be to them for God"
is here meant the presence and influx
of the Lord into truth,
is evident also from the fact that by
"I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel"
is meant the presence of the Lord
and His influx through good.
For in the Word where good is treated of,
truth also is treated of,
on account of the heavenly marriage,
which is that of good and truth,
in every detail of the Word.

AC 10258 - "Cassia"

AC 10258

That "cassia" denotes truth from good
is because inmost truth
proceeds immediately from good,
and in lower things acts in conjunction with good.
This takes place when the understanding
acts wholly as a one with the will,
so that it is not known
whether the act is from the one or from the other.
Moreover the more interior heavenly things are,
the more perfect they are,
for all perfection increases toward the interiors,
and all perfection is from good,
that is, through good from the Lord.
__________
"Cassia" - a principle spice used in anointing oil,
extracted from the inner bark of a tree,
like cinnamon but not cinnamon(according to Google).

Advent Reading - December 6

It shall come to pass in that day
that Jehovah shall hiss for the fly
that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt,
and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
And they shall all come and rest
in the river of desolations
and in the clefts of the rocks,
and in all shrubs.
(Isaiah 7:18, 19)

The subject here treated of is the coming of the Lord,
and the state of the church at that time.
"The fly in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt"
denotes falsity in the extremes, that is,
in a person's external sensuous;
"the bee in the land of Assyria"
denotes the falsity which perverts
the reasonings of the mind,
for "Assyria" denotes reasoning;
"the river of desolations"
denotes falsity reigning everywhere;
"the clefts of the rock"
denote the truths of faith in obscurity,
because removed from the light of heaven;
the "shrubs" denote nascent (newly developing)
truths of a similar kind.

AC 10252 - Doing Truths From the Lord's Word Is Celestial Good

AC 10252 [3-4]

Celestial good is the good of the love of doing truths
from the Word for the sake of good,
thus for the Lord's sake;
for the Lord is the source of good, thus is good;
and this is the generation of this good.
From this it is evident
that this good comes forth
by means of truths from the Word,
first in the most external or sensuous person,
next by their elevation into the internal person,
and finally into the very inmost person,
where they become celestial good.
And as this good comes forth in this way
by means of truths in their order,
so it afterward subsists in a like order
by means of the same truths,
for subsistence is a perpetual coming-forth.
And when it so subsists,
as it had come forth,
it is complete,
for then the higher things subsist, rest,
and store up themselves in order,
upon the lower ones as upon their planes;
and upon their outermosts or ultimates,
which are sensuous memory-truths,
as upon their foundation.

These truths are described by John in Revelation
as the precious stones
forming the foundation of the wall
of the holy Jerusalem
that came down out of heaven (Rev. 21:19, 20).
By "precious stones" are meant truths Divine
received in good.

Advent Reading - December 5

(Note:  Several prophecies from Psalms.)

I anoint My king upon Zion.
I will proclaim concerning the statute,
Jehovah said to Me,
You are My Son, this day have I begotten Thee;
ask of Me, and I will give the nations
for Your inheritance,
and the ends of the earth for Your possession.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
and you perish in the way;
Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.
(Psalms 2:6-12)

Jehovah our Lord,
how magnificent is Your Name in all the earth,
giving to it honor above the heavens.
You hast caused Him to be a little less than the angels,
but You hast crowned Him with glory and honor;
You have made Him
to have dominion over the works of Your hands,
You have put all things under His feet.
(Psalms 8:1, 5, 6, 9)

Jehovah God said, Lo, I come;
in the roll of the Book it is written of Me.
(Psalms 40:7)

Out of Zion God shall shine forth;
our God shall come,
and shall not keep silence.
(Psalms 50:2, 3)

God shall come down like rain upon the herb.
He shall have dominion also from sea even to sea,
and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
The barbarians shall bow themselves down before Him,
and His enemies shall lick the dust;
the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
shall bring their present;
the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer their gift.
All kings shall bow themselves down to Him,
all nations shall serve Him;
for He shall deliver the miserable,
who has no helper.
He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence.
His Name shall be to eternity
He shall have the name of a Son before the sun,
and they shall be blessed in Him.
Blessed be God, the God of Israel;
blessed be the Name of His glory;
the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
(Psalms 72:1-19)

I have made a covenant with My Chosen.
Your seed will I establish even to eternity,
and I will build up Your throne
to generation and generation;
and the heavens shall confess Thy wonders.
(Psalms 89:3-5)

AC 10234, 10239 - Regeneration and Purification

AC 10234

And Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying.
(Exodus 30:17)

That this means perceptivity
from enlightenment through the Word by the Lord,
is evident from the meaning of
"Jehovah speaking unto Moses,"
as being enlightenment
through the Word by the Lord;
and from the meaning of "saying" as being perception.
Be it known that when anything new,
distinct from what goes before,
is to be set forth,
it is said that "Jehovah spoke unto Moses,"
as in this chapter and also in other passages.
The new thing now set forth
is about purification from evils and falsities.

AC 10239 [1-2]

. . . "washing from the laver" is meant
a representative of
the purification of a person by the Lord.
That it is also a representative of regeneration,
is because regeneration was also
represented by washing,
but by the washing of the whole body,
which washing was called "baptizing"
("baptizing," or "baptism," means regeneration).

But regeneration differs from purification
in that regeneration precedes,
and purification follows;
for no one can be purified from evils and falsities
except the person who is being regenerated,
and after he has been regenerated;
for he who has not been regenerated
is indeed withdrawn from evils insofar as he allows;
but he is not purified from them,
for he is always impure.
It is otherwise with the regenerate person,
who is being purified from day to day,
which is meant by the Lord's words to Peter:

He that has been washed
needs not save to be washed as to his feet,
and so is wholly clean.
(John 13:10)

"He who has been washed"
means one who is regenerate.

Advent Reading - December 4

(Note:  In Deuteronomy, Moses reminded
the Children of Israel of everything
that the Lord had done for them. 
Moses also reviewed all the commands
that the Lord required them to follow. 
This prophecy is part of the warning
to avoid sorcery and divination. 
However, they were to listen
to the prophet the Lord raised up.)

AC 2534

In the Word we frequently read of a "prophet;"
and in the sense of the letter
"prophet" means those to whom revelation is made,
also abstractedly, revelation itself;
but in the internal sense a "prophet"
means one who teaches,
and also abstractedly doctrine itself;
and as the Lord is doctrine itself, that is,
the Word which teaches,
He is called a "Prophet," as in Moses:

The Lord your God will raise up for you
a prophet like unto Me
from among your brothers;
Unto Him shall you be obedient.
. . . I will put My words in His mouth,
and He will tell them everything I command Him.
(Deuteronomy 18:15, 18)

AC 10227 - The Rich and the Poor; And In the Sight of Angels

AC 10227 [2-3, 24]

All have the capacity to understand and to be wise;
but the reason one person is wiser than another
is that they do not in like manner
ascribe to the Lord all things of intelligence and wisdom,
which are all things of truth and good.
Those who ascribe all to the Lord
are wiser than the rest,
because all things of truth and good,
which constitute wisdom,
flow in from heaven, that is, from the Lord there.
The ascription of all things to the Lord
opens the interiors of a person toward heaven,
for thus it is acknowledged
that nothing of truth and good is from himself;
and in proportion as this is acknowledged,
the love of self departs,
and with the love of self
the thick darkness from falsities and evils.
Also, in the same proportion
the person comes into innocence,
and into love and faith to the Lord,
from which comes conjunction with the Divine,
influx from there, and enlightenment.
From all this it is evident from where it is
that one is more wise, and another less;
and also why the rich should not give more
and the poor less --
namely, that all alike have the capacity of being wise;
not indeed an equal capacity of being wise,
but they are alike in having the capacity to be so,
because both the one and the other can be wise.

By the capacity to be wise
is not meant the capacity to reason
about truths and goods from memory-knowledges,
nor the capacity to confirm whatever one pleases;
but the capacity to discern what is true and good,
to choose what is suitable,
and to apply it to the uses of life.
Those who ascribe all things to the Lord
do thus discern, choose, and apply;
while those who do not ascribe to the Lord,
but to themselves,
know merely how to reason about truths and goods;
nor do they see anything
except what is from others;
and this not from reason,
but from the activity of the memory.
As they cannot look into truths themselves,
they stand outside,
and confirm whatever they receive,
whether it be true or false.
Those who can do this in a learned way
from memory-knowledges
are believed by the world to be wiser than others;
but the more they attribute all things to themselves,
thus the more they love
what they think from themselves,
the more insane they are;
for they confirm falsities rather than truths,
and evils rather than goods,
and this because they have light
from no other source
than the fallacies and appearances of the world,
and consequently from their own light,
which is called natural light,
separated from the light of heaven;
and which light when thus separated
is mere thick darkness
in respect to the truths and goods of heaven.

The meaning of "wealth" and of "riches"
as being what belongs to intelligence and wisdom,
is also from correspondence;
for among the angels in heaven
all things appear as if they shone
with gold, silver, and precious stones,
and this because they are in the intelligence of truth
and in the wisdom of good;
for the interiors of the angels
are presented to view in this way
from the correspondence.
Moreover, with the spirits who are below the heavens
there is an appearance of riches
according to the state of the reception
of truth and good from the Lord.

Advent Reading - December 3

(Note:  Balack son of Zippor,
who was king of the Moabites,
sent for Balaam, prophet,
to put a curse on the army of Israel. 
At the command of the Lord,
Balaam gave this prophecy in his Fourth Oracle.)

I see Him, but now now;
I behold Him, but not near.
A Star shall rise out of Jacob,
and a Scepter shall rise up out of Israel.
(Numbers 24:17)

AC 9293 [3]

For it was known to the ancients
that all things correspond and are representative,
and consequently have a signification (meaning);
as is also evident from the most ancient books
and monuments of the Gentiles.
Consequently they knew
that gold, frankincense, and myrrh
signify the goods which are to be offered to God.
They also knew from their prophetic writings,
which were of the Ancient Church,
that the Lord was to come into the world,
and that a star would then appear to them,
of which star moreover Balaam,
who also was one of the sons of the East,
prophesied (Numbers 24:17; n. 3762, see below);
for a "star" signifies the knowledges
of internal good and truth,
which are from the Lord.

AC 3762 [5]

That the wise men from the east
who came to Jesus at His birth
were of those who were called the "sons of the east,"
is evident from the fact
that they were in the knowledge
that the Lord was to be born,
and that they knew of His advent by a star
which appeared to them in the east,
concerning which things we read in Matthew:

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
behold there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying,
Where is He that is born King of the Jews?
for we have seen His star in the east,
and are come to worship Him.
(Matthew 2:1-2)

That from ancient times
such a prophetic knowledge had existed
among the sons of the east,
who were of Syria,
is evident from Balaam's prophecy
concerning the Lord's advent, in Moses:

I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not nigh
there shall arise a star out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise up out of Israel.
(Numbers 24:17).

That Balaam was from the land of the sons of the east,
that is, from Syria, is evident from these words:

Balaam uttered his enunciation and said,
Balak hath brought me from Syria,
out of the mountains of the east.
(Numbers 23:7)

Those wise men who came to Jesus at His birth
are called magi,
but wise men were so called at that time,
as is evident from many passages;
such as Gen. 41:8; Exod. 7:11; Dan. 2:27; 4:6, 7;
1 Kings 4:30; and from the Prophets throughout.

 

AC 10225 - The Four States of a Person's Life

  AC 10225 [1, 3-6]

. . . from earliest infancy to extreme old age
a person passes through
a number of states in respect to his interiors
that belong to intelligence and wisdom.
The first state is from
birth to his fifth year;
this is a state of ignorance
and of innocence in ignorance,
and is called infancy.
The second state is from
the fifth year to the twentieth;
this is a state of instruction
and of memory-knowledge,
and is called childhood and youth.
The third state is from
the twentieth year to the sixtieth,
which is a state of intelligence,
and is called adolescence,
young manhood, and manhood.
The fourth or last state is from
the sixtieth year upward,
which is a state of wisdom,
and of innocence in wisdom.

That the first state is a state of ignorance
and also of innocence in ignorance is plain.
During the continuance of this state,
the interiors are being formed for use,
consequently are not manifest,
but only those most external,
that belong to the sensuous person;
and when these alone are manifest,
there is ignorance;
for whatever a person understands and perceives
is from the interiors;
from which it can also be seen
that the innocence which exists at that time
and is called the innocence of infancy,
is innocence most external.

That the second state is a state of
instruction and of memory-knowledge is also plain;
this state is not as yet a state of intelligence,
because at that time
the child or youth does not form
any conclusions from himself,
neither does he from himself discriminate
between truths and truths,
nor even between truths and falsities,
but from others;
he merely thinks and speaks things of memory,
thus from mere memory-knowledge;
nor does he see and perceive whether a thing is so,
except on the authority of his teacher,
consequently because another has said so.

But the third is called a state of intelligence,
because the person then thinks from himself,
and discriminates and forms conclusions;
and that which he then concludes is his own,
and not another's.
At this time faith begins,
for faith is not the faith of the person himself
until he has confirmed what he believes
by the ideas of his own thought.
Previous to this, faith was not his,
but another's in him,
for his belief was in the person,
not in the thing.
From this it can be seen
that the state of intelligence commences with a person
when he no longer thinks from a teacher,
but from himself;
which is not the case
until the interiors are opened toward heaven.
Be it known that the exteriors with a person
are in the world,
and the interiors in heaven;
and that in proportion as light flows in from heaven
into what is from the world,
the person is intelligent and wise;
and this according to the degree and quality
of the opening of his interiors,
which are so far opened
as the person lives for heaven
and not for the world.

But the last state is a state of wisdom
and of innocence in wisdom;
which is when the person is no longer concerned about
understanding truths and goods,
but about willing and living them;
for this is to be wise.
And a person is able to will truths and goods,
and to live them,
just insofar as he is in innocence,
that is, insofar as he believes
that he has nothing of wisdom from himself,
but that whatever he has of wisdom is from the Lord;
also insofar as he loves to have it so;
so it is that this state is also
a state of innocence in wisdom.

Advent Reading - December 2

(Note:  At the end of Genesis, Jacob blesses his sons,
and this prophecy is part of what he says of Judah.)

The scepter shall not be removed from Judah,
nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh come
and to Him is the obedience of the peoples.
(Genesis 49:10)

AC 3881 [2]

That in the internal sense
"Judah" means the Lord's celestial church;
in the universal sense His celestial kingdom;
and in the supreme sense the Lord Himself . . ..

AC 6371

The scepter shall not be removed from Judah.
 
That this means that sovereignty
shall not depart from the celestial kingdom,
is evident from the meaning of "being removed,"
as being to depart;
from the meaning of "scepter,"
as being sovereignty,
and indeed the sovereignty of truth from good,
for a scepter is a badge of royal power,
and by royalty is meant truth;
and from the representation of Judah,
as being the celestial kingdom.

AC 6372

And a lawgiver from between his feet.

It is said a "lawgiver from between his feet"
in order that
the spiritual of the celestial may be meant,
or the truth which is from good,
for at that time the spiritual kingdom was not such
as it was after the Lord's coming --
distinct from the celestial kingdom --
but was one with the celestial kingdom,
being merely its external . . ..

AC  6373

Until Shiloh come.

That this means the coming of the Lord,
and the tranquillity of peace then . . ..
"Shiloh" is derived from a word which means tranquillity.
The reason why the Lord is here called "Shiloh"
is plain from what was said above (n. 6371, 6372)
about the celestial kingdom and its sovereignty;
for when the Divine was presented to view
through that kingdom
there was in tranquillity,
because the things in heaven,
and the things in hell,
could not thereby be reduced into order,
for the Divine which flowed through that kingdom
could not be pure,
because heaven is not pure;
thus neither was that kingdom so strong
that all things could by means of it
be kept in order;
and therefore also the infernal and diabolical spirits
were then raising themselves up from the hells
and were ruling over the souls
who were arriving from the world.
The result was that none could be saved
but the celestial; and at last scarcely they,
unless the Lord had taken on the Human
and had made this in Himself Divine;
whereby the Lord reduced all things into order,
first those in heaven,
and afterward those in the hells;
thus producing the tranquillity of peace.

AC 6374

And to him is the obedience of the peoples.

That this means
that from His Divine Human should proceed truths
which could be received,
is evident from the meaning of "obedience,"
as being the reception of truths
which proceed from the Lord;
and from the meaning of "peoples,"
as being those who are in truths, thus also truths,
and so those who are of the spiritual church.

AC 10218 - From the Lord Alone Come All Goods and Truths

AC 10218 [4]

. . . all the goods and truths of faith and love
are from the Divine and not at all from a person,
is also known in the church,
and likewise
that it is evil for a person to attribute them to himself;
and that those are delivered from this evil
who acknowledge and believe
that these are from the Lord,
for so they claim for themselves
nothing which is Divine and from the Divine.
But see what has been shown above
on this subject, namely,
-- that those who believe
that they do good of themselves
and not from the Lord,
believe that they merit heaven (n. 9974);
-- that goods from self and not from the Lord
are not good,
because those who do goods from themselves
do them from evil (n. 9975, 9980);
-- that such despise the neighbor,
and are angry with God Himself
if they do not receive a reward (n. 9976);
-- that such persons cannot receive
heaven into themselves (n. 9977);
-- that they cannot possibly fight against the hells;
but that the Lord fights for those
who acknowledge and believe
that all goods and truths are from Him (n. 9978);
-- and that the Lord alone is merit and righteousness
(n. 9486, 9715, 9809, 9979-9984, 10019, 10152).

Advent Reading - December 1

(Note:  This first prophecy comes
at the fall of the Most Ancient Church.)

And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your seed and her seed.
He will tread down your head,
and you will bruise His heel.
(Genesis 3:15)


AC 250 - 251

Everyone is aware that this is the first prophecy
concerning the Lord's Coming into the world;
indeed it is quite clear from the words themselves.
From them and from the Prophets
the Jews also know that a Messiah is going to come.
But nobody as yet knows
what the serpent, the woman,
the seed of the serpent, the seed of the woman,
the head of the serpent which He will tread down,
and the heel which the serpent will bruise,
are used to mean in particular.
Therefore these must be explained.
'The serpent' is here used to mean in general all evil,
and in particular self-love.
'The woman' is used to mean the Church,
'the seed of the serpent 'all faithlessness,
 'the seed of the woman' faith in the Lord,
'He' the Lord Himself,
'the head of the serpent' the reign of evil in general,
and of self-love in particular.
'Treading down' is used to mean forcing down
so that it goes on its belly and eats dust,
and 'the heel' the lowest part of the natural
which is the bodily,
which the serpent will bruise.

The reason 'the serpent' is used to mean
all evil in general and self-love in particular
is that all evil has originated in sensory evidence
and also factual knowledge,
which are what the serpent meant first.
Consequently it now means evil itself, of every kind,
and in particular self-love,
 or hatred of the neighbor and the Lord,
which is the same as self-love.
Because this evil or hatred is manifold,
there being many genera of it
and even more species, i
t is referred to in the Word
by means of different kinds of serpents,
such as snakes, adders, asps, haemorrhes,
presters or fiery serpents,
flying as well as creeping serpents, and vipers.

AC 10216 - What the Angels Understand

AC 10216

The angels of heaven are spiritual,
and apprehend whatever occurs
according to its essence, that is, spiritually.
That in heaven
instead of the sons of Israel
they understand the church,
is because in the inmost heaven,
where the Lord is more present
than in the heavens beneath,
by the names in the Word,
in a good sense, is understood the Lord Himself;
as by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron,
David, Joseph, Judah, and Israel.
And as by these names is there understood the Lord,
therefore the Divine things
of heaven and of the church,
which are from the Lord,
are perceived by the same names
in accordance with
the connection of the things in the Word.

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

AC 10201 - Intelligence, Wisdom; Faith; AC 10214 - The Rich and the Poor

AC 10201 [3, 5]

By intelligence and wisdom is not meant
the capacity to think and reason on every subject,
for this exists equally with the evil as with the good,
but there is meant
the capacity to see and perceive the truths and goods
which are of faith and charity,
and of love to the Lord.
This capacity exists solely
with those who are in enlightenment from the Lord,
and they are so far in enlightenment
as they are in love to Him
and in charity toward the neighbor.
For the Lord enters through good,
thus through the love and charity
that are with the person,
and leads into truths corresponding to the good;
but when the loves are alien,
as are those which are turned away
from the Lord and the neighbor
to self and the world,
then these loves lead him,
but from truths into falsities,
while the capacity to think and reason still remains.

. . . the faith of everyone is such as is his love . . ..

AC 10214

. . . "the rich shall not give more,
and the poor shall not give less,
from the half of the shekel,
to give an uplifting to Jehovah,"
(Exodus 30:15)

means that all, of whatever ability they may be,
must ascribe all things of truth and good to the Lord . . .

AC 10199 - Spices Denote What Is Grateful

AC 10199

It is from their odor
that spices denote what is grateful,
for "odor" means perceptivity;
consequently a sweet odor
means a grateful perceptivity,
and an offensive odor an ungrateful perceptivity.
For all things which are perceived by a person
through the organs of sense mean spiritual things,
which bear relation
to the good of love and to the truths of faith,
 as do smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch;
for this reason "smell" means
 the perceptivity of interior truth from the good of love;
"taste" means the perception and affection
of knowing and of being wise;
"sight," the understanding of the truths of faith;
"hearing," perceptivity from the good of faith,
and from obedience;
and "touch" in general,
communication, transfer, and reception.
____________

The definition of perceptivity - an insight;
the ability to understand inner qualities or relationships.

AC 10194, AC 10196 - The Truth and Good with People and Angels

AC 10194

And shalt overlay them with gold.
(Exodus 30:5)

That this means
the foundation of all things upon good,
is evident from the meaning of "overlaying with gold,"
as being to found upon good.
What is meant by being founded on good
shall be briefly told.
It is believed by some
that truth is that on which all things are founded;
but they are very much mistaken;
for no truth is possible with a person
unless he is in good.
The truth with a person which is devoid of good
is an external without an internal,
thus a shell without a kernel,
residing only in the memory.

AC 10196 [2]

A few words may here be said
about Divine good and Divine truth.
The Lord as to the Divine Itself
which is called "the Father,"
and as to the Divine Human
which is called "the Son,"
is the Divine love itself, thus Divine good itself;
but the Lord as heaven,
which is beneath the Lord as a Sun,
is the Divine truth;
yet this Divine truth has within it
the Divine good accommodated to
the reception of angels and spirits.
This Divine is what is called
"the Spirit of Jehovah" and "the Holy."
The reason why this is called Divine truth,
and not Divine good,
is that angels and spirits are created,
and from this are receptions of the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Divine good.
They, like people, enjoy two faculties,
namely, understanding and will,
and the understanding has been formed
to receive Divine truth,
and the will to receive Divine good.
The understanding serves them for reception,
and also for perception.

AC 10187 - Being in Good

AC 10187

. . . good cannot be approached by evils,
because evils cannot by any means
endure the sphere of good;
when evils, that is, those who are in evils,
or those who are from hell,
come unto this sphere,
which is the sphere of heaven,
they are direfully tortured,
and insofar as they enter into this sphere,
so far they feel infernal torments within them,
and consequently become like those
who are lying in the death agony;
and therefore they instantly
cast themselves down into hell,
and no longer dare to lift up their heads.
This is the reason why
those who are in heaven are in safety
from the infestation of evils from the hells;
and this is meant by
the words of Abraham
to the rich man who was in hell:

Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed,
so that those who want to go from here to you cannot,
nor can anyone cross over from there to us.
(Luke 16:26);

and by these words:

They shall say to the mountains and to the rocks,
Fall on us, and hide us
from the face of Him that sits on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb.
(Revelation 6:6; Hosea 10:8)

But as regards truth,
this can be approached by the evil,
because the evil pervert truths
by wrong interpretations,
and so apply them to favor their own evil desires;
but in proportion as good is present in truths,
truths cannot be approached.
From this it can be seen
what kind of protection is possible in the other life
to those who are solely in truths,
which are called the truths of faith,
and not at the same time in good.
By good is meant
charity toward the neighbor and love to the Lord,
for all goods are from this source.

** Let Your Light **

Let the light of Your face shine upon us, O Lord.
You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

(Psalm 4:6.5-8)
 

AC 10178 - The Lord's Merit and Righteousness

AC  10178

Of shittim wood shalt thou make it.
(Exodus 30:1)

That this signifies from love Divine,
is evident from the signification of "shittim wood,"
as being the good of merit and of righteousness
that belongs to the Lord alone;
that it also signifies love,
is because when the Lord was in the world,
He from Divine love
fought against all the hells and subjugated them,
and thereby saved the human race,
and as a consequence
alone had merit and was made righteousness.
Therefore the good of the Lord's merit
is His Divine love.
That "shittim wood" has such
and so great a signification
is because all things which are in
the threefold kingdom of the earth,
animal, vegetable, and mineral,
signify spiritual and celestial things,
and also their opposites;
for all nature is a theater representative
of the Lord's kingdom;
also that "wood" in general signifies the good of love,
and specifically the good of merit.
From this it is that in the supreme sense
"wood" signifies Divine good,
because all things which in the internal sense
signify such things
as belong to the church and heaven,
in the supreme sense signify Divine things.

AC 10177 - The Hearing and Receiving of the Lord

AC 10177 [5]

And because love to the Lord
and charity toward the neighbor are from the Lord,
and because love is spiritual conjunction,
therefore whatever proceeds from this source
is heard and received by the Lord.
Whereas the holiness and piety
that are not from this source are indeed heard,
but are not gratefully received,
for they are a hypocritical holiness and piety,
because they are a mere external without an internal;
and a holy external without an internal
penetrates no further than
to the first threshold of heaven,
and is there dispersed.
Whereas a holy external from a holy internal
penetrates even into heaven,
according to the quality of the internal,
thus to the Lord.
For a holy external without an internal
is merely from the mouth and the gestures,
whereas a holy external from an internal
is at the same time from the heart.

AC 10160 - What More?

AC 10160 [1,2]

What more do people need . .
than to have food and clothing,
and thus to dwell
content and quiet under themselves?

. . . they then had inward peace,
and at the same time outward peace,
and from this heaven among people.

 

AC 10156 - When We Can Know Good from Evil

AC 10156 [4]

. . . when a person cares solely for the world,
heaven is closed with him;
whereas
when he suffers himself to be raised by the Lord,
then heaven is opened with him,
and the world is subjected to him.
And when this is the case,
hell is separated and removed from him;
and then for the first time
the person knows what good is and what evil is;
but not before.

AC 10453 - "Dwelling in the Midst"

 AC 10153 [2, 4]

That by "dwelling in the midst,"
when said of the Lord,
is meant His presence and influx
through Divine good,
is because the Lord flows in
and is present with a person
in the person's good
which he receives from the Lord;
for good makes the person himself,
because everyone is such as is his good.
By good is meant love,
for everything that is loved is called good.

As therefore the whole person
is such as is his love,
it is evident that the Lord
cannot be present with a person
who is in an evil love,
but only with a person who is in a good love,
thus in his good.
It is believed
that the Lord is present in the truth
which is called the truth of faith,
but He is not present in truth without good.
But where good is,
there the Lord is present
in the truth through the good,
and He is present in the truth
insofar as it leads to good,
and as it proceeds from good.
Truth without good
cannot be said to be within a person,
it being merely in his memory
as so much memory-knowledge,
which does not enter the person and form him
until it becomes of the life;
and it becomes of the life when he loves it,
and from love lives according to it.
When this is the case,
then the Lord dwells with him,
as He Himself also teaches in John:

He that has My commandments,
and does them, he it is that loves Me,
and I will love him,
and will manifest Myself to him,
and My Father will love him,
and We will come unto him,
and make Our abode with him.
(John 14:21, 23)

"to manifest Himself" denotes
to enlighten in the truths of faith from the Word;
"to come unto him" denotes
to be present;
and "to make abode with him" denotes
to dwell in his good.

AC 10143 - Living Worship

AC 10143 [3]

. . . purification from evils and falsities
consists in desisting from them,
and in shunning and turning away from them;
and the implantation of good and of truth
consists in thinking and willing
what is good and what is true,
and in speaking and doing them;
and the conjunction of both
consists in living from them;
for when good and truth
have been conjoined with a person,
he then has a new will and a new understanding,
consequently a new life.
When a person is of this character,
there is Divine worship in every work he does,
for he then looks to the Divine in everything;
he venerates it, and he loves it;
consequently he worships it.

AC 10137 - The Divine Word Unites Angels and People

AC 10137 [2, 8]

He who believes that the Word is Divine
and spiritual throughout,
must necessarily believe
that some secret of heaven lies hidden
in every detail of it.
But the reason why it has not been known before
wherein this secret lies,
is that it has not been known
that there is an internal sense
which is spiritual and Divine
in every detail of the Word;
and that there are angels with every person,
who perceive his thoughts,
and who apprehend the Word spiritually
while he is reading it,
and that through them what is holy
then flows in from the Lord,
and thus that through them
there is conjunction of heaven with a person,
consequently conjunction of the Lord
through the heavens with him.
This is the reason why a Word of this nature
was given to humankind,
by means of which,
and not in any other way,
his salvation can be provided for by the Lord.

. . . the meat-offering which was bread,
and the drink-offering which was wine,
mean such things as are of the church and heaven,
namely, heavenly food and drink,
like what is meant by
the bread and wine in the Holy Supper,
for the purpose above mentioned --
that heaven may conjoin itself with a person
by means of the Word,
consequently the Lord through heaven
by means of the Word as a medium.
As the Divine of the Word consists in such things,
it nourishes not only human minds,
but also angelic minds,
and causes heaven and the world to be one.

AC 10134 - Lambs & Morning, Angels & People

 AC10134 [1-2, 4, 6]

The one lamb you shall offer in the morning.
(Exodus 29:39)

By "offering," or "sacrificing, a lamb"
is meant the removal of evils
through the good of innocence from the Lord,
because by burnt-offerings and sacrifices
was signified purification from evils
and the derivative falsities,
or what is the same, their removal,
and the implantation of good and truth,
and their conjunction by the Lord.

That the removal of evils,
and the implantation of good and truth,
and their conjunction,
are effected through
the good of innocence by the Lord,
is because in all good there must be innocence
in order that it be good,
and because without innocence
good is not good.
For innocence is not only
the plane in which truths are sown,
but is also the very essence of good;
so far therefore as a person is in innocence,
so far good becomes good,
and truth lives from good;
consequently so far the person becomes alive,
and so far the evils with him are removed;
and insofar as they are removed,
goods and truths are implanted
and conjoined by the Lord.
This is the reason why the continual burnt-offering
was made by means of lambs.

That by "morning" is meant a state of love
and of the consequent light in the internal person,
is because when an angel
is in a state of love and light,
he is then in his internal person;
but when he is in a state of light and love in obscurity,
he is then in the external person.
For the angels have an internal and an external,
and when they are in the internal,
the external is almost quiescent;
but when they are in the external,
they are in a more gross and obscure state.
Consequently when they are in a state of love and light,
they are in their internal, thus in their morning;
and when they are in a state of light and love in obscurity,
they are in the external, thus in their evening;
from which it is plain
that variations of states are made by elevations
toward more interior things,
thus into a higher sphere of heavenly light and heat,
consequently nearer to the Lord;
and by lowerings toward more exterior things,
into a lower sphere of heavenly light and heat,
and thus more remote from the Lord.

The person who is being regenerated,
and likewise the person who has been regenerated,
also undergo variations of state
as to love and as to faith,
by means of elevations toward more interior things,
and by lowerings toward more exterior things;
but there are few who are able to reflect upon this,
because they do not know what it is
to think and to will in the internal person,
and in the external;
nor indeed what the internal person is,
and what the external.
To think and to will in the internal person
is to think and to will in heaven,
for the internal person is there;
but to think and to will in the external person
is to think and to will in the world,
for the external person is there;
and therefore when a person is in love to God
and in the consequent faith,
he is in the internal person, because in heaven;
but when he is in obscurity
as to love and the consequent faith,
he is in the external man, because in the world.

AC 10133 - Worship and the Word

AC 10133 [1, 2]

. . . the good of innocence must be in all good,
and from this in all truth,
in order that it may be good and truth
in which there is life from the Divine;
thus it must be in all worship,
for all worship must be from the good of love
and from the truths of faith,
in order that it may be worship.

. . . in order that the spiritual sense of the Word
may be understood,
everything from its natural sense
that relates to time and place,
and likewise everything that relates to person,
must be rejected,
and instead thereof states must be thought of;
from all which it can be seen
how pure is the Word in the internal sense,
thus how purely it is perceived
by the angels in the heavens,
consequently how superior
are the wisdom and intelligence of the angels
to the intelligence and wisdom of people,
who think only from the natural
fixed upon things most finite
in the world and the earth.

AC 10129 & AC 10131 - The Lord Flows In and We Receive

AC 10129 [2, 9-10]

It is said "flows in,"
because the Lord is above the heavens,
and flows in from there;
and yet He is still as One present in the heavens.

By celestial good is meant
the good of love from the Lord to the Lord,
and by spiritual good is meant the good of charity
toward the neighbor from the Lord.
The very good of love to the Lord from the Lord
is "holy of holies,"
because through it
the Lord conjoins Himself immediately;
but the good of charity toward the neighbor is "holy,"
because through it
the Lord conjoins Himself mediately,
and He conjoins Himself
insofar as it has in it the good of love from the Lord.

The good of love to the Lord from the Lord
is in all the good of charity which is genuine,
and likewise in all the good of faith
which is genuine,
because it flows in from the Lord;
for no one can love the neighbor,
and from love do good to him, from himself,
but only from the Lord;
and no one can believe in God from himself,
but only from the Lord.
Therefore when the Lord is acknowledged,
and the neighbor is loved,
then the Lord is in the love toward the neighbor,
however little the person may know it.

(AC 9812 [3] - . . . inmostly in natural good
there must be celestial good,
that is, the good of love to the Lord,
which also is the good of innocence.)

AC 10131

. . . by "lambs" is meant the good of innocence,
and the good of innocence is the only thing
that receives the Lord,
because without the good of innocence
love to the Lord is not possible,
nor charity toward the neighbor,
nor faith that has life in it,
nor in general any good
in which is the Divine.

. . . It is the Word which conjoins;
in the Word is the Lord,
and the Lord is the Word
(John 1:1, and following verses).
 

AC 10125 - What Was Anointed and Why

AC 10125 [2]

All things were anointed
that were to represent the Lord
and the Divine things which are from the Lord,
as the altar, the Tent of meeting,
the tables which were therein, the lampstand, the ark,
Aaron himself, his sons, and their garments;
and when these were anointed,
they were called holy.
Not that the oil induced any holiness,
but because they thus represented
Divine things from the Lord,
which alone are holy.

AC 10112 - The First of Religion; AC 10114 [2] - A New State; AC 10119 - The Lord's Commands

AC 10112 - The First of Religion

. . . to acknowledge one's God is the first of religion . . .

For whatever a person calls true, and believes,
and whatever he calls good, and loves,
cannot be called true and good
unless it is from the Divine,
that is unless it is from the Lord;
it is also known that of himself
a person cannot believe and do what is good;
but that all truth and all good come from above.

AC 10114 [2] - A New State

A new state is every state
of the conjunction of good and truth
which exists when the person
who is being regenerated acts from good,
thus from the affection which is of love,
and not as before from truth,
or from mere obedience.
There is also a new state
when those who are in heaven
are in the good of love,
which state is there called morning,
for the states of love and of faith vary there,
like noon, evening, twilight, and morning on earth.
And there is also a new state
when an old church is ceasing,
and a new one is beginning.
All these new states in the Word
are meant by "morning,"

AC 10119 - The Lord's Commands

. . . whatever the Lord commands
is according to Divine order,
thus according to its laws,
because the divine truth that proceeds from
the Lord's Divine good in the heavens,
thus the Lord there,
is order itself;
and therefore
everything that the Lord commands is a law of order.

AC 10110 - "To fill their hand"; AC 10111 "To sanctify them"

AC 10110

To fill their hand.
(Exodus 28:33)

That this means to receive Divine truth . . ..

The case herein is this.
The first of all that is appropriated to a person is good,
and successively truth.
The reason is that good is the ground,
and truth is the seed;
just so in like manner does good adopt truth
and conjoin it with itself,
because it loves it like a parent.
For there is a heavenly conjugial relation
between good and truth;
and good is that which makes the life with a person,
because good is of the will,
and the will of a person is the person himself;
whereas truth does not make the life with a person
except insofar as it partakes of good, 
because truth is of the understanding,
and the understanding without the will
is not the person himself,
but only an entrance to the person,
for entrance is made through the understanding.

A person may be compared to a house
in which are a number of rooms,
one of which leads into another.
Those who are in truths as to the understanding only,
are not in any room of the house, but only in the court;
but insofar as through the understanding
truth enters into the will,
so far the person enters into the rooms
and dwells in the house.
Moreover, in the Word
a person is compared to a house,
and the truth which is of the understanding alone
is compared to a court;
but the truth which has been made also of the will,
and has there become good,
is compared to an inhabited room
and to the very bedchamber.

That good is that which is first of all
appropriated to a person from the Lord
is evident from his infancy and early childhood;
when, as is well known,
he has the good of innocence
and the good of love toward his parents,
and toward his nurse,
and the good of charity toward his infant companions.
This good flows in from the Lord with infants
so that it may serve in advancing age
for the first of the Lord's life with a person,
and thus for a plane to receive truths.
This good is also preserved with a person
when he grows up,
if he does not destroy it by a life of evil
and derived from that a faith of falsity.
When we speak of good,
charity toward the neighbor is meant,
and love to the Lord,
for all that which is of love and charity is good.

AC 10111

To sanctify them.
(Exodus 28:33)

That this means that they may be
in truths from good from the Lord
. . . in a spiritual sense it denotes to be led by the Lord,
because the Lord alone is holy,
and everything holy proceeds from Him.
From this it is evident
that to receive truths through good from the Lord,
thus faith through love from Him to Him,
is to be "sanctified."
This does not mean
that regarded in himself
a person is on this account holy,
but the Lord with him;
for faith and love are the Lord with a person,
because they are continually from Him.

AC 10099 - Soul and Body

AC 10099 [3-5]

The ancients also knew
that when a person is withdrawn from
the sensuous things that belong to the body,
he is withdrawn or raised into the light of his spirit,
thus into the light of heaven.
For this reason the learned ancients also knew
that when the body was dispersed,
they would live an interior life
which they called their spirit;
and as they regarded that life
as the very human life itself,
they also knew from this
that they should live under the human form.
Such was the idea which they had
of the soul of a person;
and as that life was akin to life Divine,
they consequently perceived
that their soul was immortal;
for they knew that
that part of a person which was akin to life Divine,
and thus conjoined with it,
could not possibly die.

But after those ancient times
this idea of the soul and of the spirit of a person
disappeared, by reason, as said above,
of the want of a just idea of successive order.
It is from this also,
that they who think from modern learning
do not know that there is what is spiritual,
and that this is distinct from what is natural.
For they who have an idea of successive order
as of what is continuous,
cannot conceive of the spiritual otherwise
than as of a purer natural,
when yet they are as distinct from each other
as are the prior and the posterior,
thus as that which begets and that which is begotten.
From this it is
that the distinction between
the internal or spiritual person,
and the external or natural,
thus between a person's internal thought and will,
and his external thought and will,
is not apprehended by such learned people.
As a consequence
neither can they comprehend anything
of faith and love,
of heaven and hell,
and of the life of a person after death.

But those who have
a just and distinct idea of successive order
are able in some degree to comprehend
that with a person who is being regenerated
the interiors are successively opened,
and that as they are opened
they are also raised into interior light and life,
and nearer to the Divine;
and that this opening and consequent elevation
is effected by means of truths Divine,
which are vessels recipient of
the good of love from the Divine.
The good of love is that which immediately
conjoins a person with the Divine,
for love is spiritual conjunction.
For this reason it follows
that a person can thus be
more and more interiorly opened
and raised in proportion
as he is in the good of love from the Divine;
and that conversely
there is no opening and consequent elevation
with the person who does not receive truths Divine;
as is the case if a person is in evil.

AC 10097 - Worship From Freedom

AC 10097

It is said "from the peace sacrifices,"
(Exodus 29:28)
because by these is meant
worship which is from freedom;
. . . and those things which are voluntary
are from a person's freedom.
That is called free which is done from love,
thus which is from the will,
for that which a person loves, he wills.
The Lord flows in with a person into his love,
thus into his will,
and causes that what a person receives
he receives in freedom;
and that which is received in freedom,
also becomes free,
and is loved by him,
consequently it becomes of his life.

AC 10083 - Knowledge, Acknowledgement, Faith; Motion

AC 10083 [2]

Knowledge does indeed precede acknowledgment,
but there is nothing of Divine life in knowledge
until it becomes acknowledgment,
and then faith.

AC 10083 [3]

. . . all motion corresponds to a state of thought;
so progressions, journeying, and the like,
which belong to motion,
in the Word mean states of life.

AC 10067 - Understanding Reciprocal Conjunction

AC 10067 [6, 8]

. . . the Divine good of the Divine love,
which is the "Father,"
was united to the Divine truth,
which is the "Son,"
reciprocally in the Lord;
and so His Human itself is Divine good.

Reciprocal conjunction . . . is not meant
that a person conjoins himself with the Lord,
but that the Lord conjoins with Himself
the person who desists from evils;
for to desist from evils
has been left to the person's decision,
and when he desists,
then is effected the reciprocal conjunction
of the truth which is of faith and of the good
which is of love from the Lord,
and not at all from person;
for that from himself
a person can do nothing of good,
and thus can receive nothing of truth in good,
has been known in the church;
and this also the Lord confirms in John:

Abide in Me, and I In you.
He that abides in Me, and I in him,
the same bears much fruit;
for without Me
you can do nothing.
(John 15:4, 6)

 

AC 10057 - The Circle of Regeneration

AC 10057 [4-5]

 . . . there are two states in the person
who is being regenerated,
the first when the truths of faith
are being implanted and conjoined
with the good of charity,
the second when he speaks from the good of charity
by means of the truths of faith,
and acts according to these;
thus that the first state is from the world
through the natural person into the spiritual,
thus into heaven;
and the second is from heaven
through the spiritual person into the natural,
thus into the world.
As said above,
the spiritual or internal person is in heaven,
and the natural or external person is in the world.
This circle is the circle of the regeneration of a person,
and consequently is the circle of his spiritual life.

From what has been said,
some idea may be formed
of the glorification of the Lord's Human;
for as the Lord glorified His Human,
so He regenerates a person,
and therefore, as already often said,
the regeneration of a person
is an image of the glorification of the Lord.
From this it is evident
that the first state of His glorification
was to make His Human Divine truth,
and to unite it with the Divine good
that was in Him;
and that the second state was to act
from Divine good through Divine truth.
For heaven and the church are founded
through the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord's Divine good;
and through this
are regenerated all who are in the church.

AC 10042, 10025, 10053, 10054 - Glorification Regeneration, Offerings

AC 10042 [6]

To glorify the Human is to make it Divine,
but to regenerate a person is to make him heavenly,
in order that the Divine of the Lord may dwell in him.

AC 10052 [2]

. . . concerning His Human
it cannot be said that it was regenerated,
but that it was glorified,
for His inmost,
which with a person is called the soul from the father,
was the Divine Itself,
as He was conceived of Jehovah.
The Divine Itself is the Divine good of the Divine love;
and as the Lord united His Human with this,
and thus made His Human also Divine,
therefore it cannot be said
that His Human was regenerated,
but glorified, for "to glorify" is to make Divine.
The glorification of His internal man,
or of His internal Human,
is described by representatives in the burnt-offerings
from rams and from lambs.

AC 10053

This is a burnt-offering unto Jehovah.
(Exodus 29:18)

That this means the glorification of the Lord's Human,
is evident from the representation of a burnt-offering,
as being the glorification of the Lord's Human.
Among the Jewish nation
there were sacrifices and burnt-offerings;
the "sacrifices" meant
purification from evils and falsities,
and the implantation of truth,
but the "burnt-offerings" meant
the conjunction of truth with good,
thus full and complete regeneration.
In the supreme sense however,
which treats of the Lord,
the "sacrifices" meant the casting out
of evils and falsities from His Human
that was from the mother,
and the implantation of
Divine truth from the Divine good which was in Him;
and the "burnt-offerings" meant
the union of the Divine truth with the Divine good,
which union is what is meant by "glorification."
For when the Lord was in the world
He made His Human Divine truth,
and successively also by the union
with the Divine good which was in Him
and was the being of His life,
He made His Human Divine good,
thus one with Jehovah.
The being of His life was that which with a person
is called the soul from the father,
and this was the Divine good itself or the Divine love.

AC 10054

The burnt-offering is called
"an odor of rest to Jehovah,"
because by the burnt offering
was represented the union
of the Divine Human of the Lord with the Divine Itself;
and through this union
peace was acquired in the heavens;
for all the hells were subjugated by the Lord
when He was in the world,
and all the heavens were reduced into order.
From this it is plain why it is
that the burnt-offering is called
"an odor of rest to Jehovah,"
as in many other places where
the burnt-offerings and the meat-offerings
are treated of.

AC 10035 - Proprium, or One's Own or Ego or Self

AC 10035 [1-2]

For in a person there are two faculties
called understanding and will.
To the understanding pertain truths or falsities;
but to the will, goods or evils.
Thus to the understanding pertain the things of faith,
and to the will the things of love,
because the things of love are perceived as goods,
and the things of faith are perceived as truths.
Moreover, with those who are in falsities and evils,
falsities are of faith,
and evils are of love.

. . . Be it known further
that all the proprium of the will of a person is evil,
because from himself a person loves nothing
but himself and the world,
and if he loves his neighbor
it is for the sake of himself.
Therefore he must be regenerated,
and through regeneration receive a new will;
but the will which he receives through regeneration
is not of the person,
but of the Lord with the person.

. . . That the Lord's proprium denotes the Divine good,
and from this the good of love to Him
and toward the neighbor,
is because the Lord's proprium is that
which give the life of heaven to a person
when he is being regenerated.

AC 10022, 10026 - Purification, Implanting, Conjunction

AC 10022 [3]

As these three things, namely,
purification from evils and falsities,
the implanting of truth and good,
and the conjunction of these,
were represented by the sacrifices and burnt-offerings,
therefore by them is also meant all worship
from the truth of faith and the good of love;
for all worship has as its end
that a person may be purified from evils and falsities,
consequently that goods and truths from the Lord
may be implanted in him,
and that thus he may be regenerated,
which is effected by their conjunction.
Their conjunction is heaven
or the Lord's kingdom with a person.

AC 10026

. . . in the Word 'blood' means
Divine Truth emanating from the Lord's Divine Good,
and by means of that Truth
all purification is accomplished.
For truth teaches a person what good is
and how he ought to live;
and when the person knows this
an affection for or love of good
can start to be implanted,
and he can thereby be regenerated.
For knowledge must be received
before a person can possess faith
and lead the life of faith,
which is the life of good.

AC 10011, 10019 - The Divine

AC 10011

. . . as the Divine is the inmost of all things,
or what is the same,
the supreme of all things,
it is the only thing from which is the life of all things,
and therefore
in so far as a person receives of the Divine,
so far he lives.

AC 10019 [7]

. . . Divine good has all power through Divine truth,
and the Lord alone has this power . . .
therefore also in the Word of the Old Testament
the Lord is called "Hero," a "Man of War,"
and also "Jehovah Zebaoth," or "of armies."

AC 9990, 9993 - Burnt Offerings or Sacrifices

AC 9990 [2-3]

To know what
each kind of burnt offering or sacrifice represented
one must first know that in a human being
there is the external and the internal,
and that in each
there is that which belongs to truth
and that which belongs to good.
Therefore when a person is to be regenerated
he must be regenerated
as to the external and as to the internal,
and in each as to truth and as to good.
But before a person can be regenerated
he must be purified from evils and from falsities,
for these stand in the way.
Purifications of the external person
were represented by burnt offerings and sacrifices
of oxen, young bulls, and he-goats,
but purifications of the internal person
by burnt offerings and sacrifices
of rams, kids, and she-goats,
and purification of the internal itself,
or that which is inmost,
by those of lambs.
Consequently from the actual animals
offered in sacrifice
one may see what kind of purification or expiation
was being represented.

The reason for saying 'was being represented'
is that burnt offerings and sacrifices
did not purify or expiate a person,
but merely served to represent purification or expiation.
For is there anyone who fails to recognize
that such offerings of animals
do not take away any evil or falsity at all
that is present with a person?

AC 9993  [4]

That "cakes" mean the [middle] celestial
in the internal person,
is because they are in the second rank;
for in the first rank is bread of unleavened things;
in the second are cakes mixed with oil;
and in the third are wafers anointed with oil.
These three were called "meat-offerings,"
and were offered on the altar
together with burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

AC 9987 - "Word"

AC 9987 [1, 5]

In the general sense a "word" means
an utterance of the mouth, or a speech;
and as a speech is a thought of the mind
uttered by means of words,
therefore a "word" means the thing that is being thought;
and from this, in the original tongue,
everything that really exists,
and is anything, is called a "word."
But in an eminent sense the "Word" is Divine truth,
for the reason that everything which really exists,
and which is anything,
is from Divine truth.

That "the word" denotes a law of order,
is because the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord
makes order in the heavens,
insomuch that it is order there.
For this reason
the laws of heavenly order are Divine truths.
The law of order
which is meant by "word" in this chapter (Exodus 29)
is the way in which the Lord glorified His Human,
that is, made it Divine,
for this is the subject here treated of
in the internal sense;
and from this in the relative sense
the regeneration of a person is treated of,
for the regeneration of a person
is an image of the glorification of the Lord.
That why this is the law of order in particular,
is because the Lord as to the Divine Human
is Order in the heavens,
and because everyone who is being regenerated
is brought into this order;
wherefore they who are in this order
are in the Lord.

AC 9959 - Truths Protect; AC 9961 - True Conjugial Love Is the Marriage of Good & Truth

AC 9959 [2]

. . . truths are what protect goods
from evils and falsities, and resist them;
and all the power which good has
is by means of truths.

AC 9961 [3-4, 6] - True Conjugial Love Is
the Marriage of Good & Truth

As regards conjugial love specifically,
whose range is the subject here,
this love is the fundamental of all loves;
for it descends from
the marriage of good and truth in the heavens;
and as the marriage of good and truth
is in the heavens,
and makes the heavens,
therefore love truly conjugial
is heaven itself with a person.
But the marriage of good and truth in the heavens
descends from
the conjunction of the Lord with the heavens;
for that which proceeds from the Lord
and flows into the heavens is the good of love;
and that which is received there by the angels
is the truth springing from it,
thus is the truth which is from good,
or in which is good.
For this reason the Lord is called in the Word
the "Bridegroom" and "Husband;"
and heaven with the church
is called the "bride" and "wife."

From all this it can be seen
how holy marriages are in heaven,
and how profane adulteries are there.
For in themselves marriages are so holy
that there is nothing more holy,
and this also for the reason
that they are the seminaries of the human race,
and the human race is the seminary of the heavens,
for all the people go there
who in the world have lived an angelic life.
And on the other hand
adulteries are so profane
that there is nothing more profane,
because they are destructive
of heaven and the church with a person.

, , , by conjugial love is meant
all celestial and spiritual love,
for the reason, as shown above,
that love truly conjugial is the fundamental of all loves.
Therefore those who are in this love
are also in all other loves of heaven and of the church,
for as before said,
it descends from
the marriage of good and truth in the heavens,
which marriage makes heaven.
From this also it is
that in the Word heaven is compared to a "marriage,"
and is likewise called a "marriage."
From this also it is evident
why a warning was given
that the nakednesses of Aaron and of his sons
should not appear while they were ministering;
for their "nakednesses" signified
all loves contrary to heavenly loves,
which in general,
when they are ends,
are called the loves of self and of the world,
and are filthy and infernal loves.
That this is so
the person of the present day is not aware,
for the reason that he is in these loves,
and perceives no other delight
than that which is from them.
Consequently when spiritual love and celestial love
are mentioned, he is perplexed,
and does not know what they are,
consequently what heaven is;
and perhaps he will be amazed
when he hears and thinks
that in spiritual and celestial love,
separate from the love of self and of the world,
there is eternal happiness which is unutterable.