AC 2362 - "I Have Two Daughters" ; AC 2367 - Lot and Under the Shadow of His Roof

AC 2362 [5]

From the things contained in this verse

it can be seen how pure is the Word

in the internal sense,

although it may not so appear in the letter;

for when these words are read:

"Behold I pray I have two daughters

who have not known man;

let me I pray bring them out unto you,

and ye may do unto them as is good in your eyes,

only unto these men do not anything,"

(Genesis 19:8)

nothing but what is impure enters the ideas,

especially the ideas of those who are in a life of evil.

And yet how chaste these words are

in the internal sense,

is manifest from the explanation,

by which it is shown that they signify

the affections of good and of truth,

and the blessedness which they

who do no violence to the Lord's Divine and Holy

perceive from the enjoyment of them.

AC 2367

While a man is in corporeal things

(that is, while he is living in the body),

the affections, like the perceptions,

are of a very general nature,

and consequently are very obscure,

no matter how much the man may suppose

that such is not the case.

There are myriads of myriads of particulars

in every little affection,

and even in every idea of his perception,

that appear to him as all one,

as of the Lord's Divine mercy

will be shown hereafter,

when affections and ideas are treated of.

Sometimes it is possible for a man

by reflection 

to explore and describe 

a few of the things that are in him,

but there lie hidden innumerable other things,

things without limit or measure,

that never come to his knowledge,

nor can come

so long as he is living in the body,

but which become manifest after

corporeal and worldly things have been abolished --

as may be sufficiently evident from the fact

that when a man who has been

in the good of love and of charity

passes into the other life,

he passes from an obscure life into a clearer one,

as from a kind of night into day;

and in proportion as he passes into the Lord's heaven,

in the same proportion does he pass into a light

that is more and more clear,

until he arrives at the light in which are the angels,

a light of intelligence and wisdom that is unutterable.

In comparison with this the light in which is man,

is darkness.

Hence it is here said that they

"came under the shadow of his roof;"

by which is signified that those signified by "Lot"

are in their obscure general [perception];

that is, that they know but little

concerning the Lord's Divine and Holy;

but that nevertheless they acknowledge

and have faith in the existence of these,

and that these are in the good of charity,

that is, present with those who are in this good.

If Anyone Is Thirsty

On the last and greatest day of the Feast,

Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,

"If anyone is thirsty,

let him come to Me and drink.

Whoever believes in Me,

as the Scripture has said,

streams of living water will flow from within him."

By this He meant the Spirit,

whom those who believed in Him

were later to receive.

Up to that time

the Spirit had not been given,

since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

(John 7:37-39)

** The Woman on the Beast **

One of the seven angels

who had the seven bowls came and said to me,

"Come, I will show you

the punishment of the great prostitute,

who sits on the many waters.

With her the kings of the earth committed adultery

and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated

with the wine of her adulteries."

Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit

into a desert.

There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast

that was covered with blasphemous names

and had seven heads and ten horns.

The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet,

and was glittering with 

gold, precious stones and pearls.

She held a golden cup in her hand,

filled with the abominable things

and the filth of her adulteries.

This title was written on her forehead:

MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT

THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES

AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

I saw that the woman was drunk

with the blood of the saints,

the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

Then the angel said to me:

"Why are you astonished?

I will explain to you the mystery of the woman

and of the beast she rides,

which has the seven heads and ten horns.

The beast, which you saw,

once was, now is not,

and will come up out of the Abyss

and go to his destruction.

The inhabitants of the earth

whose names have not been written

in the book of life from the creation of the world

will be astonished when they see the beast,

because he once was, 

now is not, and yet will come.

"This calls for a mind with wisdom.

The seven heads are seven hills

on which the woman sits.

They are also seven kings.

five have fallen, one is,

the other has not yet come;

but when he does come,

he must remain for a little while.

The beast who once was,

and not is not,

is an eighth king.

He belongs to the seven

and is going to his destruction.

"The ten horns you saw are ten kings

who have not yet received a kingdom,

but who for one hour will receive

authority as kings along with the beast.

They have one purpose

and will give their power and authority to the beast.

They will make war against the Lamb,

but the Lamb will overcome them

because He is Lord of lords and King of kings --

and with Him will be

His called, chosen and faithful followers."

Then the angel said to me,

"The waters you saw,

where the prostitute sits,

are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.

The beast and the ten horns you saw

will hate the prostitute.

They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked;

they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

For God has put it into their hearts

to accomplish His purpose

by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule,

until God's words are fulfilled.

The woman you saw is the great city

that rules over the kings of the earth."

(Revelation 18)

AC 2356 - A "Door"

AC 2356

. . .  a "door" signifies

truth itself,

good itself,

and also the Lord Himself;

for truth leads to good,

and good to the Lord. 

The First Time Jesus Clears the Temple

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,

Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

In the temple courts He found men selling 

cattle, sheep and doves,

and others sitting tables exchanging money.

So He made a whip out of cords,

and drove all from the temple area,

both sheep and cattle;

He scattered the coins of the money changers

and overturned their tables.

To those who sold doves He said,

"Get these out of here!

How dare you turn My Father's house into a market!"

His disciples remembered that it is written:

"Zeal for Your house will consume Me." (Ps. 69:9)

(John 2:13-17)

** The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath **

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple

saying to the seven angels, "Go,

pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth."

The first angel went

and poured out his bowl on the land,

and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people

who had the mark of the beast

and worshiped his image.

The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea,

and it turned into blood like that of a dead man,

and every living thing in the sea died.

The third angel poured out his bowl

on the rivers and springs of water,

and they became blood.

Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

"You are just in these judgments,

You who are and who were, the Holy One,

because You have so judged;

for they have shed the blood

of your saints and prophets,

and You have given them blood to drink

as they deserve."

And I heard the altar respond:

"Yes, Lord God Almighty,

true and just are Your judgments."

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun,

and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire.

They were seared by the intense heat

and they cursed the name of God,

who had control over these plagues,

but they refused to repent and glorify Him.

The fifth angel poured out his bowl

on the throne of the beast,

and his kingdom was plunged into darkness.

Men gnawed their tongues in agony

and cursed the God of heaven

because of their pains and their sores,

but they refused to repent of what they had done.

The sixth angel poured out his bowl

on the great river Euphrates,

and its water was dried up

to prepare the way for the kings from the East.

then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs.

They came out of the mouth of the dragon,

out of the mouth of the beast,

and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

They are spirits of demons

performing miraculous signs,

and they go out to the kings of the whole world,

to gather them for the battle

on the great day of God Almighty.

"Behold, I come like a thief!

Blessed is he who stays awake

and keeps his clothes with him,

so that he may not go naked

and be shamefully exposed."

Then they gathered the kings together

to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,

and out of the temple

came a loud voice from the throne,

saying, "It is done!"

Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings,

peals of thunder and a severe earthquake.

No earthquake like it has ever occurred

since man has been on earth.

so tremendous was the quake.

The great city split into three parts,

and the cities of the nations collapsed.

God remembered Babylon the Great

and gave her the cup

filled with the wine of the fury of His wrath.

Every island fled away

and the mountains could not be found.

From the sky

huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each

fell upon men.

And they cursed God

on account of the plague of hail,

because the plague was so terrible.

(Revelation 16)