EU 49 - Ancient Times; EU 54 - The Face

EU 49

. . .  the most ancient people on this earth
lived in like manner, namely,
that they were distinguished into
nations, families, and houses
that all at that time were content with their own possessions
that it was a thing altogether unknown
for one person to enrich himself from the goods of another,
and to have dominion from self-love;
and that on this account the ancient times,
and especially the most ancient,
were more acceptable to the Lord than succeeding times:
and such being the state of the world,
innocence also then reigned,
and with it wisdom;
every one then did what was good from good,
and what was just from justice.
To do what is good and just
with a view to their own honor, or gain, was unknown.
At the same time they spoke nothing but what was true,
and this not so much from truth as from good,
that is,
not from the understanding separate from the will,
but from the will conjoined with the understanding.
Such were the ancient times . . ..

EU 54

. . . that the face was formed for portraying
what a person thinks and wills,
and thence also the face was called
the image and index of the mind;
also because in the most ancient or earliest times
there was sincerity,
and a person neither thought nor wished to think
anything else than
what he was willing should shine forth from his face.

EU 38 - Philosophical Things; EU 40 - The Sun of Heaven

EU 38

. . . philosophical things are
a means of becoming insane
rather than a means of becoming wise;
and so they have darkness instead of light.

EU 40

The sun of heaven, which is the Lord,
is seen only by those
who are in the inmost or third heaven;
others see the light derived from it.

EU 18 - Knowledges

EU 18

. . . knowledges have respect to uses,
and uses ought to be the ends of knowledges . . ..

~ I Am the Lord Your God ~

"I am the Lord your God;
follow My decrees
and be careful to keep My laws.
Keep My Sabbaths holy,
that they may be a sign between us.
Then you will know that I am the Lord your God."

(Ezekiel 20:19-20)
 

EU 12 - Those Who Know and Believe

EU (Earths in the Universe) 12

For those who know of a certainty,
and believe in the life after death,
are concerned about heavenly things,
as being eternal and happy,
but not about worldly things,
only so far as the necessities of life require.

~ "I Will Judge You" ~

"Therefore, O house of Israel,
I will judge you,
each one according to his ways,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
Repent!
Turn away from all your offenses;
then sin will not be your downfall.
Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed,
and get a new heart and a new spirit.
Why will you die, O house of Israel?
For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
Repent and live!"

(Ezekiel 18:30-32)
 

WH 12 - Correspondences and Representatives

WH 12

All things which correspond likewise represent,
and thereby signify,
so that correspondences and representations are one.

Representations are more beautiful,
and more perfect,
in proportion as they are more interior in the heavens.
Representatives there are real appearances,
because they are from the light of heaven
which is Divine truth,
and which is the very essential
of the existence of all things.

 

~ The Trees ~

"'This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
I myself will take a shoot
from the very top of a cedar and plant it;
I will beak off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots
and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it;
it will produce branches and bear fruit
and become a splendid cedar.
Birds of every kind will nest in it;
they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.
All the trees of the field will know
that I the Lord bring down the tall tree
and make the low tree grow tall.
I dry up the green tree 
and make the dry tree flourish.

"'I the Lord have spoken,
and I will do it.'"

(Ezekiel 17:22-24)
 

WH 11 - The Word

WH 11

In the Word, particularly in the prophetical parts,
there are two expressions
which seem to signify the same thing:
but one has relation to good,
and the other to truth.

The Word in the literal sense is as a cloud,
and in the internal sense it is glory,
where these words are explained:
"The Lord shall come in the clouds of heaven with glory."
"Clouds" also in the Word
signify the Word in the sense of the letter,
and glory the Word in its internal sense.

In the spiritual world
those who desire and acknowledge
only the sense of the letter of the Word,
are represented by a deformed old woman;
but those who desire and acknowledge
the internal sense at the same time,
are represented by a virgin beautifully clothed.

 

WH 1 - The White Horse in Revelation 19

WH (White Horse) 1

In the Apocalypse of John
the Word is thus described 
as to its spiritual or internal sense:

I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse,
and He that sat upon him was called faithful and true,
and in justice He does judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire;
and upon His head were many diadems;
and He has a name written that no one knew but He Himself.
And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood;
and His name is called the Word of God.
And the armies which were in the heavens
followed Him upon white horses,
clothed in fine linen white and clean.
And He has upon His vesture and upon His thigh
a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
(Revelation 19:11-14, 16)

No one can know what each of these expressions involves,
except from the internal sense.
It is manifest that every expression
is in some respect representative and significative:
. . . "The horse," which was white,
represents and signifies the understanding of the Word
as to its interiors;
that this is the signification of "a white horse," . . ..
That "He that sat upon him"
is the Lord as to the Word, thus the Word, is clear,
for it is said, "His name is called the Word of God;"
who, from good, is called "faithful and judging in justice;"
and from truth, is called
"true, and who makes war in justice;"
for the Lord Himself is justice.
"His eyes, as a flame of fire," signify the Divine truth,
from the Divine good of His Divine love.
"The many diadems upon His head,"
signify all the goods and truths of faith.
"Having a name written that no one knew but He Himself,"
signifies that the quality of the Word in the internal sense
is seen by no one but Himself,
and those to whom He reveals it.
"Clothed in a vesture dipped in blood,"
signifies the Word in the letter,
to which violence has been offered.
. . .

~ Repent! ~

Some of the elders of Israel came to me
and sat down in front of me.
Then the word of the Lord came to me:
"Son of man,
these men have set up idols in their hearts
and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.
Should I let them inquire of Me at all?
Therefore speak to them and tell them,
'This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart
and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face
and then goes to a prophet,
I the Lord will answer him myself
in keeping with his great idolatry.
I will do this
to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel,
who have all deserted Me for their idols.'

"There say to the house of Israel,
'This is what the Sovereign Lord Says:
Repent!
Turn from your idols
and renounce all your detestable practices!'"

(Ezekiel 14:1-6)

LJ 67, 73 - The Change With the Last Judgment

LJ 67

. . . a Last Judgment has been effected
upon the inhabitants of this planet twice before,
and now for the third time;
thus also a heaven and an earth
have twice passed away before,
and a new heaven and a new earth have been created;
for the heaven and the earth
are the church in either world . . ..

LJ 73

The state of the world hereafter
will be altogether similar to what it has been heretofore,
for the great change
which has taken place in the spiritual world,
does not induce any change in the natural world
as to the external form;
so that after this there will be civil affairs as before,
there will be peace, treaties, and wars as before,
with all other things
which belong to societies in general and in particular . . ..
. . .  for the Word in its prophecies does not treat
of the kingdoms on earth, nor of the nations there,
thus neither concerning their wars, nor of famines,
pestilences, and earthquakes there,
but of such things as correspond to them
in the spiritual world . . ..
As to the external appearance
divided churches will exist as heretofore,
their doctrines will be taught as heretofore;
and the same religions as now
will exist among the Gentiles.
But henceforth a person of the church will be in
a more free state of thinking on matters of faith,
thus on the spiritual things which relate to heaven,
because spiritual freedom has been restored to him.
For all things in the heavens and in the hells
are now reduced into order,
and all thought concerning Divine things
and against the Divine
inflows from there;
from the heavens all thought
which is in harmony with Divine things,
and from the hells all which is against Divine things.
But a person does not observe
this change of state in himself,
because he does not reflect upon it,
and because he knows nothing
of spiritual freedom and of influx;
nevertheless it is perceived in heaven,
and also by the person himself after his death.
Because spiritual freedom has been restored to man,
therefore the spiritual sense of the Word
has now been disclosed,
and by it interior Divine truths have been revealed;
for man in his former state
would not have understood them,
and he who would have understood them,
would have profaned them.

~ The Lord Promises a Return of Israel ~

"Therefore say:
'This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
I will gather you from the nations
and bring you back from the countries
where you have been scattered,
and I will give you back the land of Israel again.'

"They will return to it and remove
all its vile images and detestable idols.
I will give them an undivided heart
and put a new spirit in them;
I will remove from them their heart of stone
and give them a heart of flesh.
They they will follow My decrees
and be careful to keep My laws.
They will be My people,
and I will be their God.
But as for those whose hearts are devoted
to their vile images and detestable idols,
I will bring down on their own heads what they have done,
declares the Sovereign Lord."

Then the cherubim,
with the wheels beside them,
spread their wings,
and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
The glory of the Lord went up from within the city
and stopped above the mountain east of it.
the Spirit lifted me up
and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia
in the vision given by the Spirit of God.

Then the vision I had seen went up from me,
and I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.

(Ezekiel 11:17-25)

LJ 59 - "Prophets" and "False Prophets"

LJ 59

False prophets, who come in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly are ravening wolves.
(Matthew 7:15)

By "prophets," in the internal sense of the Word,
are meant those who teach truth,
and by it lead to good;
and by "false prophets," those who teach falsity,
and seduce by it.

 

~ The Cherubim and the Glory of the Lord Departing ~

I looked, and I saw beside the cherubim four wheels,
one beside each of the cherubim;
the wheels sparkled like chrysolite.
As for their appearance,
the four of them looked alike;
each was like a wheel intersecting a wheel.
As they moved,
they would go in any one of the four directions 
the cherubim faced;
the wheels did not turn about as the cherubim went.
the cherubim went in whatever direction the head faced,
without turning as they went.
Their entire bodies,
including their backs, their hands and their wings,
were completely full of eyes,
as were their four wheels.
I heard the wheels being called "the whirling wheels."
Each of the cherubim had four faces:
One face was that of a cherub,
the second the face of a man,
the third the face of a lion,
and the fourth the face of an eagle.

Then the cherubim rose upward.
These were the living creatures
I had seen by the Kebar River.
When the cherubim moved,
the wheels beside them moved;
and when the cherubim spread their wings
to rise from the ground,
the wheels did not leave their side.
When the cherubim stood still,
they also stood still;
and when the cherubim rose,
they rose with them,
because the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

Then the glory of the Lord
departed from over the threshold of the temple
and stopped above the cherubim.
While I watched,
the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground,
and as they went,
the wheels went with them.
they stopped at the entrance to the east gate
of the Lord's house,
and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

These were the living creatures I had seen
beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River,
and I realized that they were cherubim.
Each had four faces and four wings,
and under their wings
was what looked like the hands of a man.
their faces had the same appearance
as those I had seen by the Kebar River.
Each one went straight ahead.

(Ezekiel 10:9-22)

LJ 54 - Dominion by Religion; LJ 55 - Acknowledging the Lord

LJ 54

To have dominion by religion,
is to have dominion over men's souls,
thus over their very spiritual life,
and to use the Divine things,
which are in their religion, as the means.
All those who have dominion for an end,
and religion for the means
are in general Babylon.

LJ 55

. . . the acknowledgment of the Lord,
faith in Him,
and love to Him,
are the way to heaven;
and the Word is what teaches the way:
so it is, that without the Lord,
by means of the Word,
there is no salvation.

 

~ By Their Standards and Judgments the Lord Will Judge ~

"Outside is the sword,
inside are plague and famine;
those in the country will die by the sword,
and those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague.
All who survive and escape will be in the mountains,
moaning like doves of the valleys,
each because of his sins.
Every hand will go limp,
and every knee will become as week as water.
They will put on sackcloth and be clothed with terror.
their faces will be covered with shame
and their heads will be shaved.
They will throw their silver into the streets,
and their gold will be an unclean thing.
Their silver and gold will not be able to save them
in the day of the Lord's wrath.
They will not satisfy their hunger
or fill their stomachs with it,
for it has made them stumble into sin.

. . . "When terror comes,
they will seek peace,
but there will be none.
Calamity upon calamity will come,
and rumor upon rumor.
They will try to get a vision from the prophet;
the teaching of the law by the priest will be lost,
as will the counsel of the elders.
the king will mourn,
the prince will be clothed with despair,
and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.
I will deal with them according to their conduct,
and by their own standards I will judge them.
Then they will know that I am the Lord."

(Ezekiel 8:15-20,25-27)

LJ 48 - "Ways" and "Walking"

LJ 48

. . . the ways in which every one walks in the spiritual world
are actual determinations of the thoughts of the mind;
so it is, that "ways," "walking," and the like,
in the spiritual sense of the Word,
signify the determinations and progressions of spiritual life. 

~ The Lord Sends Ezekiel to the Exiles at Tel Abib ~

Then He said to me,
"Son of man, listen carefully
and take to heart all the words I speak to you.
Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to them.
Say to them,
'This is what the Sovereign Lord says,'
whether they listen or fail to listen."

Then the Spirit lifted me up,
and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound --
May the glory of the Lord be praised in His dwelling place! --
the sound of the wings of the living creatures
brushing against each other
and the sound of the wheels beside them,
a loud rumbling sound.
The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away,
and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit,
with the strong hand of the Lord upon me.
I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib
near the Kebar River.
And there, where they were living,
I sat among them for seven days -- overwhelmed.

(Ezekiel 3:10-15)

LJ 39 - Charity

LJ 39

To know truths,
to will truths,
and to be affected by truths for the truth's sake,
that is, because they are truths,
is charity.

. . . charity consists in performing uses for the sake of uses,
and its kind is according to uses.

To do good and truth for the sake of good and truth,
is to love the neighbor.
thpse who do this, love the Lord,
who in the supreme sense, is the neighbor.
A life of charity is a life according to the Lord's precepts;
so that to live according to Divine truths,
is to love the Lord.