AC 5704 - the Sun

AC 5704 [2]
. . . the Lord is nothing but Divine good;
Divine truth is not in the Lord,
but proceeds from Him . . ..
That the Lord is nothing but Divine good,
and that Divine truth is not in Him,
but proceeds from Him,
may be illustrated by comparison with the sun of the world.
The sun is nothing but fire,
and light is not in it,
but proceeds from it;
and likewise the things that are of light in the world,
such as vegetable forms,
are set in order by the heat
which proceeds from the sun's fire and is in its light,
as is evident in the time of spring and summer.
As universal nature is a theater
representative of the Lord's kingdom,
so also is this universal.
The sun represents the Lord,
the fire of it His Divine love,
and the heat from it the good which flows therefrom,
and the light the truths which are of faith;
and because they are representative,
therefore in the Word in the spiritual sense
by the "sun" is meant the Lord.

Revelation 3:1,7,16,19-22

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of Him
who holds the seven spirits of God
and the seven stars.

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of Him
who is holy and true,
who holds the key of David.
What He opens
no one can shut,
and what He shuts
no one can open.

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen,
the faithful and true witness,
the ruler of God's creation.

Those whom I love
I rebuke and discipline.
So be earnest, and repent.
Here I am!
I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice
and opens the door,
I will come in and eat with him,
and he with Me.
To him who overcomes,
I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,
just as I over came
and sat down with My Father on His throne.
He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

(Revelation 3:1,7,16,19-22)

AC 5670 - giving provender; AC 5682 - bending and bowing

AC 5670
And he gave their asses provender.
(Genesis 43:24)
That this signifies instruction concerning good,
is evident from the signification of "giving provender,"
as being to instruct in good;
for by "provender" is signified
the good of the truths of memory-knowledge
and by "giving provender," which is "feeding,"
is signified to instruct in this good.


AC 5682
And they bent themselves and bowed themselves down.
(Genesis 43:28)
That this signifies outward and inward humiliation,
is evident from the signification of "bending themselves,"
as being outward humiliation;
and from the signification of "bowing themselves down,"
as being inward humiliation;
for bending is a less degree of bowing down,
and therefore it denotes outward humiliation;
and bowing down is a greater degree,
and therefore it denotes inward humiliation.
Moreover, "bending" denotes the humiliation of truth,
that is, of those who are in truth,
thus of the spiritual;
and "bowing down" denotes the humiliation of good,
that is, of those who are in good,
thus of the celestial.
In this case also "bending" is outward humiliation,
and "bowing down" inward;
for they who are in good
are more interior men than those who are in truth.

Revelation 2:1,8,12,18

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of Him
who holds the seven stars in His right hand
and walks among the seven golden lampstands . . ..

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of Him
who is the First and the Last,
who died and came to life again . . ..

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of Him
who has the sharp, double-edged sword . . ..

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God,
whose eyes are like blazing fire
and whose feet are like burnished bronze . . .."

(Revelation 2:1,8,12,18)

AC 5657 - doubt; AC 5662 - peace; AC 5664 - a heavenly proprium

AC 5657
. . .  when anyone is in a state of doubt,
he feels doubtful also about the truths which confirm.


AC 5662
And he said, Peace be to you, fear not.
(Genesis 43:23)
That this signifies that it is well, let them not despair,
is evident from the signification of "peace,"
as being to be well;
and from the signification of "fear not,"
as being let them not despair.
For the internal sense treats of a change of state,
in that they no longer procure truths
and through them good
by their own power;
but are presented with them from the Lord.
And because they supposed
that they would thus lose their own (proprium), thus freedom,
and consequently all the delight of life,
they were in despair . . ..

That "peace" denotes it is well,
is because it is the inmost,
and consequently the universally reigning thing,
in each and all things in heaven;
for peace in heaven is like spring on earth,
or like the dawn,
which does not affect us by sensible changes,
but by a universal pleasantness
that flows into everything that is perceived . . ..
At the present day
scarcely anyone knows the meaning of "peace"
where mentioned in the Word,
as in the benediction,
"Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee,
and give thee peace"
(Numbers. 6:26); and in other places.
Almost everyone believes peace to be security from enemies,
and also tranquility at home and among companions.
Such peace is not meant in this passage,
but a peace which immeasurably transcends it -
the heavenly peace just now spoken of.
This peace can be bestowed on no one
unless he is led by the Lord and is in the Lord,
that is, in heaven where the Lord is all in all;
for heavenly peace flows in
when the cupidities arising from the love of self
and the love of the world are taken away.
These are what take peace away,
for they infest a person's interiors,
and at last cause him to make rest consist in unrest,
and peace in annoyances,
because his delight is in evils.
So long as a person is in these
he cannot possibly know what peace is,


AC 5664 [4]
. . . in order that a heavenly proprium
and heavenly freedom
may be bestowed on person,
he must needs do good
as of himself
and think what is true
as of himself;
but when he reflects
he should acknowledge
that these are from the Lord.
 

Revelation 1: 1-8

The revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God gave Him
to show His servants what must soon take place.
He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,
who testifies to everything he saw -
that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Blessed is the one who reads the words of the prophecy,
and blessed are those who hear it
and take to heart what is written in it,
because the time is near.

John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you
from Him who is,
and who was,
and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits before His throne,
and from Jesus Christ,
Who is the faithful witness,
the first-born from the dead,
and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To Him who loves us
and has freed us from our sins by His blood,
and has made us to be a kingdom and priests
to serve His God and Father -
to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! 
Amen.

Look, He is coming wiht the clouds,
and every eye will see Him,
even those who pierced Him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn
because of Him.
So shall it be!  Amen.

I am the Alpha and the Omega,"
says the Lord God,
"Who is,
and who was,
and who is come,
the Almighty."

(Revelation 1:1-8)

AC 5639 - what the spiritual is relative to the natural

AC 5639 [2]
What the spiritual is relatively to the natural
must be further told in a few words . . ..
In its essence with a person
the spiritual is the very affection of good and truth
for the sake of good and truth,
and not for the sake of self,
and also the affection of what is just and fair
for the sake of what is just and fair,
and not for the sake of self.
When a person feels in himself delight and pleasantness,
and still more if he feels happiness and blessedness,
from these affections,
this is the spiritual in him,
which comes not from the natural,
but from the spiritual world or from heaven,
that is, through heaven from the Lord.
This then is the spiritual,
which when it reigns in a person,
affects and as it were tinges
all that he thinks, wills, and does,
and causes the thoughts and the acts of his will
to partake of the spiritual,
until at last these also become spiritual in him,
as when he passes out of the natural into the spiritual world.
In a word, the affection of charity and faith,
that is, of good and truth,
and the delight and pleasantness,
and still more
the happiness and blessedness derived from there,
which are felt inwardly in a person
and make him a person truly Christian,
are the spiritual.

Psalm 89:1,14-18,52

I will sing of the Lord's great love forever . . ..

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
love and faithfulness go before You.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You,
who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.
They rejoice in Your name all day long;
they exult in Your righteousness.
For You are their glory and strength,
and by Your favor You exalt our horn.
Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.

(Psalm 89:1,14-18,52)

AC 5623 - capacity, ability

AC 5623
. . . the capacities or abilities for receiving truth
are wholly according to good,
because the Lord adjoins them to good;
for when the Lord flows in with good
He also flows in with capacity.

Psalm 86: 11-13

Teach me Your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in Your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear Your name.
I will praise You, O Lord my God,
with all my heart;
I will glorify Your name forever.
For great is Your love toward me;
You have delivered me
from the depths of the grave.

(Psalm 86: 11-13)

AC 5598 - birth; AC 5608 - innocence

AC 5598
And unto our birth.
(Genesis 43:7)
. . . in heaven no other birth is understood
than that which is called regeneration,
which is effected by means of the truth of faith
and the good of charity.
By this birth,
from being sons of man 
men become sons of the Lord;
these are they who are said to be "born of God" (John 1:13).

AC 5608 [3,4,5]
. . . just as the end, cause, and effect
are distinct from one another,
so in the spiritual world are
love to the Lord,
charity toward the neighbor,
and the works of charity. 

. . . And also as in the works of charity:
unless charity from affection or the heart is within them,
they are not works of charity;
and unless love to God is within charity, 
it is not charity.
Therefore if you take away that which is interior,
the exterior falls;
for the exterior comes into existence and subsists
from its interiors in order.
So is it with innocence.
This makes one with love to the Lord,
and unless it is within charity it is not charity;
consequently unless charity in which there is innocence
is within the works of charity
they are not works of charity.
So it is that innocence must be within all
who are in the heavens.

That this is so,
and that innocence is signified by "little children,"
is evident in Mark:

Jesus said to the disciples,
Suffer the little children to come unto me,
and forbid them not; 
for of such is the kingdom of God.
Verily I say unto you,
whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God
as a little child,
he shall not enter therein.
And taking them up in His arms,
He put His hand upon them,
and blessed them.
(Mark 10:14-16; Luke 18:15-17; Matt. 18:3)

It is evident that by "little children" is here signified innocence,
because with little children there is innocence,
and because those who are innocent
appear in heaven as little children.

No one can enter heaven
unless he has somewhat of innocence;
and moreover
little children suffer themselves to be governed by angels
who are forms of innocence,
and not as yet by what is their own,
as is the case with adults
who govern themselves by their own judgment and will.
That little children suffer themselves to be governed by angels
is evident from the Lord's words in Matthew:

See that ye despise not one of these little ones;
for I say to you,
that their angels in the heavens
do always behold the face of My Father.
(Matthew 18:10)

no one can "see the face" of God except from innocence.

Psalm 85:10-13

Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
Righteousness goes before Him
and prepares the way for His steps.

(Psalm 85:10-13)

AC 5586, 5585 - Benjamin the intermediary

AC 5586
The intermediary which Benjamin represents
is the intermediate between the internal and the external,
or between the spiritual and the natural person,
and is the truth of good
which proceeds from the truth from the Divine
which is represented by Joseph.
This truth of good
is called the spiritual of the celestial,
and this is "Benjamin".
A person's internal and external
are most distinct from each other,
for his internal is in the light of heaven,
and his external in the light of the world;
and because they are most distinct,
they cannot be conjoined
except by means of an intermediary 
that partakes of both.


AC 5585
. . . 'face', when used in reference to a person,
(signifies/means) as his interiors, that is to say,
his affections and consequent thoughts.
But when used in reference to the Lord,
for the Lord is represented in the highest sense by 'Joseph',
'face' means mercy and compassion,
and therefore 'not seeing his face'
means a lack of mercy or absence of compassion.
Not that the Lord lacks any compassion,
for He is pure mercy;
but when the intermediary
that effects the joining to Him
is not present
it does seem to a person
as though there is no compassion in the Lord.
The reason for this is
that if no intermediary effecting the joining together is present,
no acceptance of good takes place.
And if there is no acceptance of good,
evil is present instead.
If the person then cries to the Lord,
and because he cries from evil
and thus for himself against all others,
is not heard,
it appears to him 
as if there were no compassion.

Psalm 84:1-7,10-12

How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young -
a place near Your altar,
O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
they are ever praising You.  Selah.

Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

Better is a one day in Your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does He withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

O Lord Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in You.

(Psalm 84:1-7,10-12)

AC 5563 - headaches

AC 5563
Pains are sometimes felt in the skull,
now in one part, now in another . . ..
Experience has taught me that things of this nature
are caused by falsities originating in evil desires.
And what is a marvel,
the genera and species of falsities
have their own particular locations in the skull . . ..
In the case of people undergoing reformation
such nodules, which are pieces of hardness,
are broken down and made soft;
and this is done in a variety of ways.
In general it is done
by means of instruction in what is good and true,
by means of incisive inroads made by truths,
an activity accompanied by pain inwardly,
and also by means of actual tearings apart,
an activity accompanied by pain outwardly.
For falsities originating in evil desires
are of such a nature as to cause hardness;
they are the opposite of truths.

Psalm 80: 3, 7, 19

Restore us O God;
make Your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

Restore us, O God Almighty;
make Your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

Restore us, O Lord God Almighty
make Your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

(Psalm 80: 3, 7, 19)

AC 5531 - sacks are receptacles

AC 5531
A person's natural is divided into receptacles;
and in each receptacle is some general thing,
in which things less general
or relatively particular
are set in order,
and in these
single (or specific) things.
Each such general thing,
together with its particulars and singulars,
has its own receptacle 
within which it can operate,
or vary its forms and change its states.
With the person who has been regenerated
these receptacles are as many in number
as there are general truths in him,
and each receptacle corresponds to some society in heaven.
Such is the setting in order with the person
who is in the good of love
and consequently in the truth of faith.

Psalm 77:16-19

The waters saw You, O God,
the waters saw You and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down water,
the skies resounded with thunder;
Your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
Your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
Your path led through the sea,
Your way through the mighty waters,
though Your footprints were not seen.

(Psalm 77:16-19)

AC 5508 - providence, miracles, human freedom

5508 [2,3,5]
. . . everything that befalls or happens,
which in other words is called accidental,
and is ascribed to chance or fortune,
is of providence.
Divine providence works thus invisibly and incomprehensibly
in order that a person may in freedom attribute an event
either to providence or to chance;
for if providence acted visibly and comprehensibly,
there would be danger of a person's believing,
from what he sees and comprehends,
that it is of providence,
and afterward changing into the contrary.
Thus truth and falsity would be conjoined in the interior man,
and truth would be profaned,
which profanation is attended with eternal damnation.
Therefore it is better for such a person
to be kept in unbelief
than to be in faith and then recede from it.
 
Say to this people,
Hearing hear ye, but understand not;
and seeing see ye, and know not.
Make the heart of this people fat,
and make their ears heavy,
and besmear their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and their heart should understand,
and they should turn again, and be healed.
(Isaiah 6:9-10; John 12:40).

It is for this reason also
that miracles do not take place at this day,
for these, like all visible and comprehensible things,
would compel men to believe,
and whatever compels takes away freedom;
when yet all the reformation and regeneration of a person
is effected in his freedom.
That which is not implanted in freedom does not stay.
It is implanted in freedom when the person
is in the affection of good and truth.

That a person at this day ought to believe
what he does not see,
is evident from the Lord's words to Thomas, in John:

Because thou hast seen Me, Thomas,
thou hast believed:
blessed are they who do not see, and yet believe.
(John 20:29)

Psalm 75

We give thanks to you, O God,
we give thanks, for your Name is near;
men tell of your wonderful deeds.

You say, "I choose the appointed time;
it is I who judge uprightly.
When the earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm. 
Selah.

To the arrogant I say, 'Boast no more,'
and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horns.
Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak with outstretched neck.'"

No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt a man.
But it is God who judges:
He brings one down,
He exalts another.
In the hand of the Lord is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed with spices;
He pours it out;
and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.

As for me, I will declare this forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

(Psalm 75)