AE 43 - The Lord's Power in the Heavens

AE 43

. . . no one except the Lord alone 
has any power in the heavens; 
therefore the angels are powers, or are powerful, 
in the measure of their reception from the Lord, 
and they receive
in the measure in which they are in 
Divine good united with Divine truth; 
for this is the Lord in Heaven. 
From this it is clear 
that the Lord alone is powerful, 
and no one else in heaven 
except from the Lord. 
The reason is that the Divine of the Lord 
is the All in all things in heaven, 
for this makes heaven in general, 
and with each one in particular.

 

AE 41 - The Lord's Divine Human, Jesus Christ

AE 41

I am the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and End, 
(Revelation 1:8)

signifies that He governs all things 
from firsts through ultimates, 
and thus all things of heaven to eternity. 
. . . and He who is in firsts and in ultimates 
also governs intermediates, thus all things. 
These things are said of the Lord's Divine Human, 
for they are said of Jesus Christ, 
by which name His Divine Human is meant. 
. . . in order that He might thus govern all things, 
the Lord came into the world that even to ultimates, 
that is, even to flesh and bones, 
He might assume the Human and glorify it, 
that is, make it Divine. 
That the Lord put on such a Human, 
and took it with Him into heaven, 
is known in the church from this, 
that He left nothing of His body in the sepulcher; 
also from His own words to His disciples:

See My hands and My feet, 
that it is I Myself; 
handle Me and see, 
for a spirit has not flesh and bones 
as you see Me having.
(Luke 24:39)

By this Human, therefore, the Lord is in ultimates; 
and by making even these ultimates Divine, 
He put Himself into the Divine power 
of governing all things from firsts through ultimates. 
If the Lord had not done this, 
the human race on this earth 
would have perished in eternal death.

 

AE 36 - Clouds Mean the Divine Truth In the Letter

AE 36

Behold, He comes with the clouds, 
(Revelation 1:7)

signifies that the Lord is about 
to reveal Himself in the Word 
through the internal sense. 
This is evident from the signification of "coming," 
as being, in reference to the Lord, 
to reveal Himself; 
and from the signification of "clouds," 
as being Divine truths in ultimates, 
thus the Word in the letter; 
for the Word as to the sense of the letter 
is Divine truth in ultimates; 
and since each thing therein 
contains an internal or spiritual sense,
"coming with clouds" means 
revealing Himself through that sense. 
That "clouds" signify Divine truths in ultimates 
is from appearances in the spiritual world. 
There clouds appear in various kinds of light; 
in the inmost or third heaven in a flaming light, 
in the middle or second heaven 
in a bright white light, 
and in the outmost or first heaven 
in a light more dense; 
and everyone there knows 
that they signify Divine truth 
from the Lord through the angels; 
for when Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, 
which is the very light of heaven, 
passes through the angels, 
it appears as a cloud, 
purer or denser according to their intelligence.

AE 33 - "Glory Be to God"

AE 33

It is believed in the world 
that "Glory be to God" means 
that God for His own sake 
desires glory from a person, 
and that He is moved by it, 
and imparts blessings in return for it. 
But this is a mistake. 
God desires glory from a person 
for the person's sake; 
for so a person ascribes 
all things to the Divine and nothing to himself, 
and when he does this, 
the Divine can flow in with Divine truth, 
and give him intelligence and wisdom. 
So it is and no otherwise 
that the Lord is glorified in people; 
for the Lord loves everyone, 
and, from love, desires that His glory, 
that is, Divine truth, may be in people. 
This, moreover, the Lord teaches in John:

If you abide in Me, 
and My words abide in you, 
you shall ask whatever you will, 
and it shall be done unto you. 
Herein is My Father glorified, 
that you bear much fruit, 
and that you be made My disciples.
(John 15:7-8)

 

AE 30 - Flesh and Blood

AE 30 [2-3]

"Flesh" and "blood" are mentioned 
in the literal sense of the Word, 
in order that corresponding spiritual things 
may be perceived in heaven; 
for all spiritual things terminate in natural things; 
in them they have their outermost plane, 
therefore the Divine 
passing through the heavens 
terminates in that plane, 
and thereon subsists, 
comparatively like a house on its foundation, 
and is then in its fullness. 
This is why the Word is such as it is in the letter, 
and why "flesh" and "blood" are there mentioned; 
the angels, however, are astonished 
that a person of the church, 
who might also be made spiritual from the Word,
does not allow himself 
to be elevated above the sense of the letter, 
and thinks not spiritually 
but materially of the Lord, 
and of His flesh and blood. 
But because they so wondered, 
and it was told them that many, 
especially the simple, 
do think spiritually about these things, 
they explored whether it was so; 
and they discovered that many, 
and almost all the simple, 
when they come to the holy supper 
do not think at all about flesh and blood, 
but only of that which is holy 
which they then have from the Lord. 
The angels perceived 
that this is continually provided by the Lord, 
in order that the person of the church 
may then be in a spiritual and not in a material idea.

The reason why material eating 
is understood and adopted in doctrines, 
is because people have thought 
of the Human of the Lord 
as of the human of another person, 
and have not thought then, at the same time 
of the Divine in His Human, 
rejecting the expression, "Divine Human;" 
and those that so thought of the Lord's Human 
could not think otherwise than materially 
of His flesh and blood. 
It would have been different 
if they had thought of the Lord 
according to the universal doctrine of the church, 
which is, 
that His Divine and Human is one person, 
the two being united as soul and body.
. . . "blood" is signified truth from the Lord, 
and in an opposite sense falsity 
that offers violence to that truth.

 

AE 23 - HE Is and Was and Is to Come . . . Eternity to Eternity

AE 23 [1, 2]

From Him who is, and who was, and who is to come;
(Revelation 1:4) 

signifies from Him who is 
the All in all things 
of heaven and of the church 
from eternity to eternity. 
This is evident from the signification of 
"who is, and who was, and who is to come," 
as being from eternity to eternity, 
also the All in all things of heaven and of the church. 
From eternity to eternity is meant, 
because all times in the Word 
signify not times but states of life.
Of eternity, which is of the Lord alone, 
many things might be said; 
but such things are not understood 
by the natural person, 
whose thoughts are chiefly based 
on time, space, and matter, 
while, nevertheless, eternity, in itself, 
does not include such things.

If, indeed, a person could think of eternity
as the angels of heaven do, 
he might arrive at some idea of it, 
and thus might comprehend what from eternity is, 
which is signified by "who was;" 
also what the Divine foresight is, 
that it is in the most particular things from eternity; 
and what Divine Providence is, 
that it is in the most particular things to eternity; 
consequently, 
that whatsoever proceeds from the Lord 
is from eternity to eternity; 
and unless it were so 
heaven and the universe would not subsist. 
. . . let it be known, 
that the like is meant by "Jehovah" 
as by "who is, who was, and who is to come," 
since "Is," which is the meaning of Jehovah, 
involves what precedes, that is, "who was," 
and also what is future, that is, "who is to come," 
and thus signifies from eternity to eternity.

. . . For the whole heaven is heaven not from 
the angels' proprium [selfhood, or what is their own], 
but from the Divine of the Lord; 
nor is the church the church 
from the proprium of people, 
but from the Divine of the Lord; 
for all the good of love and the truth of faith 
are from the Lord, 
and it is the good of love and the truth of faith 
that make heaven and the church. 
Angels and men are only recipients, 
and so far as they receive, 
heaven and the church are in them.

 

AE 22 - Divine Grace

AE 22 [1, 2]

Grace to you and peace, 
(Revelation 1:4)

. . . In general, Divine grace is all 
that is given from the Lord; 
and as all that is so given 
has relation to faith and love, 
and faith is the affection of truth from good, 
this is meant in particular by Divine grace: 
for to be gifted with faith and love, 
or with the affection of truth from good, 
is to be gifted with heaven, 
thus with eternal blessedness.