The Announcement of the Lord's Coming Concerning the New Church
A Doctrinal Study
Revealing the Establishment of the Lord's New Church on earth
By Rev. Paul Booth
Revelation 19: 5-10 | Apocalypse Revealed § 809-819
Part 4
A Doctrinal Study
Revealing the Establishment of the Lord's New Church on earth
By Rev. Paul Booth
Revelation 19: 5-10 | Apocalypse Revealed § 809-819
Part 4
Then in the next verse the Lord spoke directly to John through an angel; "And he said unto me, write, "Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb's wedding, and he said, These are the true words of God" (Revelation 19: 9).
The first thing we note, here, is that there is only one angel who speaks to John, for we see before that it was the voice of many. From what was said of the many that John heard who spoke it was shown that it was from the Lord through the Heavens, and thus, it was the Lord speaking, for He was on the throne and a 'voice' came out of the throne. So, too, was it the Lord speaking through the one angel who spoke to John in this verse. Next, we note why only one angel spoke to John directly. It was because John was still a natural person and living on earth; he was only raised up 'as it were' into the spiritual world so that he could write the truths that is the Lord's Word that was now being revealed to him, just as were others who wrote what they heard and was to be revealed as the Word. In particular, what he wrote to us on earth was that man could know and acknowledge the Only Lord as the God of Heaven and earth and that they adore Him Only. And, further, that the New Church was to set up on earth as in Heaven by the Lord as has been shown in this work through the knowledge of the spiritual sense of the Word that is now revealed in a New Word, which is signified by that 'city' of 'New Jerusalem' by which is meant its doctrine or its truths from God out of Heaven. That Doctrine is the New Word that came through Emanuel Swedenborg even as the book 'Revelation' was revealed to John who then wrote it for mankind.
When the Lord speaks to man it is through Heaven through angels, but is never out of Heaven, thus the voice or the Word is heard from the Lord through Heaven. Now, when an angel is granted to speak to a man, then the angels in Heaven from the Lord speak through that angel who is granted. Here, then, we see that an angel speaks to John. Now, we know that John wrote the book of 'Revelation' and that it is published for all mankind for the purpose of telling mankind that a New Church was going to be established in Heaven and descend out of God from Heaven, for John was at the time in the Spiritual world where he saw those who were call 'sheep' were taken into Heaven and those called 'goats' ended in hell. What else is meant by the 'wedding supper of the Lamb' then an eternal life of those 'sheep' in Heaven with the Lord and thus, such conjunction with God and man is the New Church that was established in Heaven when He came again as He promised.
We have shown that John was told to write in order that these things can be know on earth. Now, if man on earth receives the thing of this New Church that is in Heaven he receives eternal life and, then, is in the New Church on earth that is from Heaven descending from the Lord through that new Heaven. And, this is what we read, "Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lord's wedding." It is that the Lamb's wedding that signifies the New Church. Here, we see that 'all are called' to this New Church, but we know that all do not come, for many reject that call.
One might wonder why it is called the 'supper of the Lamb's wedding'. This is because suppers take place in the evening and evening is compared to the late state of a Church on earth. In other words, the old Christian Church had come to its end, which the Lord had foretold to His disciples would come. As a contrast, we see that it was in the 'morning' that the Lord 'as it were' called for the Christian Church to begin. We see that the end of the Jewish Church was the evening before, where the Lord's Holy Supper was given to the disciples for the Christian Church was to begin the next morning when the Lord's resurrection occurred. Its establishment is a conjunction of the Lord with man and, so, a New Church is effected on earth. In other words, there is a wedding resulting in a marriage, but only if the man does the work of repentance and approaches the Lord directly; otherwise he is like the five foolish virgins who were not prepared when the Bridegroom came. After all, the bride approaches her husband after the wedding and not his father. So, it is that when we come to the Lord's Holy Supper or the Eucharist the Lord is conjoined with us if we have repented of our sins against God, however, if we have not repented there is only presence with the Lord, but not conjunction.
We can understand, then, from this that with some people on earth there is the Lord's presence, but until they prepared themselves for the 'wedding supper of the Lamb' there is no conjunction or marriage 'as it were' with them and the Lord, that is, of the church and the Lord within them. By the 'Lamb' was shown that the Lord was in His Divine Human, but those who see Him still 'slain' do not see Him as the Divine Human and, in fact, they understand the Son or the 'Lamb' as only one God of the Trinity, which they believe consists in three, each being a separate person.
John is asked to believe this because truths come from God and not from any angel that spoke with him. This has already been explained and, so it is that those who receive these thing are called into the 'Lamb's wedding', that is, into the New Church to those who receive these words as those did who were in the spiritual world and who had waited for the Lord's return and were conjoined 'as it were' in a marriage with the Lord and, so, they came into the Heavenly marriage of good and truth and into a Heavenly Church.
We now come to the final verse in our text of the Lord's Coming concerning the New Church and we read,
"And I fell down before his feet to adore him, and he said unto me, See thou, do it not, I am thy fellow-servant and of your brothers having the testimony of Jesus; adore God" (Revelation 19: 10).
When these words are examined we see that one is not to evoke and adore angels, because nothing Divine belongs to them. And, that they are associated with men as brothers with brothers with those who worship the Lord. Angels are servants in fellowship with those who worship the Lord. Thus, one is not to adore and evoke those saints who have died, for they cannot answer one's prayer. Only the Lord can. By 'having the testimony of Jesus' is understood that angels are in conjunction with the Lord as are men on earth and that such conjunction comes through acknowledgement of the Lord's Divine in His Human and through a life lived in accordance with the Lord's Word, that is, to His precepts.
Everyone should see from this that angels are not superior to men, but equal to men, for, here, the angel tells John that he is a 'fellow-servant'. The reason is a 'fellow-servant' of the Lord is that he was a man born with the ability to receive the Lord's love and wisdom as is a man, and as far as a man receives that love he is a heaven and an angel. You may confirm this by the words "He measured the wall of the holy Jerusalem, a hundred and forty-four cubits. The measure of a man, that is of an angel" (Revelation 21: 17). 'Measure' is meant the quality in which a man in whom those qualities are, which are all goods and truths in general. It is seen from this that an angel, who also has such qualities, as does a man who receives them. It is true that angels excel in wisdom, but that is because they are in the spiritual and celestial states and in the light of Heaven, while man is in the natural state and in the light or the understanding of this world. Man is not in conjunction with angels, but he is in association with angels. Basically, that what fills men are the truths and goods and these are from the Lord who is the Word, both here on earth and in Heaven. Thus, as a man and an angel receives these truths and goods, the wisdom and the love of the Lord, and they are conjoined with Him and are, thereby associated with one another and are as brothers with brothers.
Thus, both angels and men are to acknowledge that the Lord is the God of Heaven and earth, and to live a life in accordance with His precepts or laws, thus everything of the Word and of a doctrine from the Word. The Lord bares witness in Heaven that He is with them in Heaven. That witness cannot be given to anyone except he is in conjunction with Him, and lives according to the Word. We learn that in Matthew 28: 18 He taught this. ". . . all power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth." Thus, the testimony of Jesus is the 'spirit of prophecy', for everything is of the Word and of doctrine coming from the Word which treats of the Lord and of a life in accordance with His precepts. From this we understand why the Lord is the Word. It comes from Him, teaches Him only, and tells how He is to be acknowledged and worshipped. Lastly, we read, "That the Spirit of Truth, Who is the Holy Spirit, is going to bear witness concerning the Lord, and that He is not going to speak of Himself, but He is going to take the things that are the Lord's and announce them" (John 15: 26; 16: 13, 15).
That 'power' given unto the Lord is seen in a New Word that now has come on earth to man given through Emanuel Swedenborg that reveals the spiritual sense of the Word so that man can now become conjoined spiritually and not just be in the Lord's presence as man was before His second coming and as he is when he only aware naturally. This, then, is the Lord's Coming in Word and Truth, first to those in Heaven who had been held there until He returned to them, and bringing them to their 'new' home in Heaven, and, thus, establishing a New Heaven. Then, next, from that New Heaven, which is the new Church in Heaven, there is established a New Church of the Lord on earth through a new Word that reveals the spiritual sense of the Word to man wherein there is the power that leads man to his eternal life.
The Lord spoke to John through Heaven in a vision and John wrote what he was told would happen to the Church, and that a new Heaven and earth would come, but because the Word on earth is only understood naturally and not spiritually such truth was not revealed to man until the Lord came and established that New Heaven or New Church in Heaven from those who had followed Him on earth. Thus, those truths are now revealed that the Lord has come, and His coming again has taken place in the spiritual world and is now revealed to man on earth in a new Word through Emanuel Swedenborg who was told to write much like John was told to write the Word 'Revelation'. This new Word reveals the internal or spiritual sense of the Word to those who follow the Lord in love and truth, but not to those who would have such spiritual knowledge and not willingly follow the precepts taught in love to the Lord.
End.
The first thing we note, here, is that there is only one angel who speaks to John, for we see before that it was the voice of many. From what was said of the many that John heard who spoke it was shown that it was from the Lord through the Heavens, and thus, it was the Lord speaking, for He was on the throne and a 'voice' came out of the throne. So, too, was it the Lord speaking through the one angel who spoke to John in this verse. Next, we note why only one angel spoke to John directly. It was because John was still a natural person and living on earth; he was only raised up 'as it were' into the spiritual world so that he could write the truths that is the Lord's Word that was now being revealed to him, just as were others who wrote what they heard and was to be revealed as the Word. In particular, what he wrote to us on earth was that man could know and acknowledge the Only Lord as the God of Heaven and earth and that they adore Him Only. And, further, that the New Church was to set up on earth as in Heaven by the Lord as has been shown in this work through the knowledge of the spiritual sense of the Word that is now revealed in a New Word, which is signified by that 'city' of 'New Jerusalem' by which is meant its doctrine or its truths from God out of Heaven. That Doctrine is the New Word that came through Emanuel Swedenborg even as the book 'Revelation' was revealed to John who then wrote it for mankind.
When the Lord speaks to man it is through Heaven through angels, but is never out of Heaven, thus the voice or the Word is heard from the Lord through Heaven. Now, when an angel is granted to speak to a man, then the angels in Heaven from the Lord speak through that angel who is granted. Here, then, we see that an angel speaks to John. Now, we know that John wrote the book of 'Revelation' and that it is published for all mankind for the purpose of telling mankind that a New Church was going to be established in Heaven and descend out of God from Heaven, for John was at the time in the Spiritual world where he saw those who were call 'sheep' were taken into Heaven and those called 'goats' ended in hell. What else is meant by the 'wedding supper of the Lamb' then an eternal life of those 'sheep' in Heaven with the Lord and thus, such conjunction with God and man is the New Church that was established in Heaven when He came again as He promised.
We have shown that John was told to write in order that these things can be know on earth. Now, if man on earth receives the thing of this New Church that is in Heaven he receives eternal life and, then, is in the New Church on earth that is from Heaven descending from the Lord through that new Heaven. And, this is what we read, "Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lord's wedding." It is that the Lamb's wedding that signifies the New Church. Here, we see that 'all are called' to this New Church, but we know that all do not come, for many reject that call.
One might wonder why it is called the 'supper of the Lamb's wedding'. This is because suppers take place in the evening and evening is compared to the late state of a Church on earth. In other words, the old Christian Church had come to its end, which the Lord had foretold to His disciples would come. As a contrast, we see that it was in the 'morning' that the Lord 'as it were' called for the Christian Church to begin. We see that the end of the Jewish Church was the evening before, where the Lord's Holy Supper was given to the disciples for the Christian Church was to begin the next morning when the Lord's resurrection occurred. Its establishment is a conjunction of the Lord with man and, so, a New Church is effected on earth. In other words, there is a wedding resulting in a marriage, but only if the man does the work of repentance and approaches the Lord directly; otherwise he is like the five foolish virgins who were not prepared when the Bridegroom came. After all, the bride approaches her husband after the wedding and not his father. So, it is that when we come to the Lord's Holy Supper or the Eucharist the Lord is conjoined with us if we have repented of our sins against God, however, if we have not repented there is only presence with the Lord, but not conjunction.
We can understand, then, from this that with some people on earth there is the Lord's presence, but until they prepared themselves for the 'wedding supper of the Lamb' there is no conjunction or marriage 'as it were' with them and the Lord, that is, of the church and the Lord within them. By the 'Lamb' was shown that the Lord was in His Divine Human, but those who see Him still 'slain' do not see Him as the Divine Human and, in fact, they understand the Son or the 'Lamb' as only one God of the Trinity, which they believe consists in three, each being a separate person.
John is asked to believe this because truths come from God and not from any angel that spoke with him. This has already been explained and, so it is that those who receive these thing are called into the 'Lamb's wedding', that is, into the New Church to those who receive these words as those did who were in the spiritual world and who had waited for the Lord's return and were conjoined 'as it were' in a marriage with the Lord and, so, they came into the Heavenly marriage of good and truth and into a Heavenly Church.
We now come to the final verse in our text of the Lord's Coming concerning the New Church and we read,
"And I fell down before his feet to adore him, and he said unto me, See thou, do it not, I am thy fellow-servant and of your brothers having the testimony of Jesus; adore God" (Revelation 19: 10).
When these words are examined we see that one is not to evoke and adore angels, because nothing Divine belongs to them. And, that they are associated with men as brothers with brothers with those who worship the Lord. Angels are servants in fellowship with those who worship the Lord. Thus, one is not to adore and evoke those saints who have died, for they cannot answer one's prayer. Only the Lord can. By 'having the testimony of Jesus' is understood that angels are in conjunction with the Lord as are men on earth and that such conjunction comes through acknowledgement of the Lord's Divine in His Human and through a life lived in accordance with the Lord's Word, that is, to His precepts.
Everyone should see from this that angels are not superior to men, but equal to men, for, here, the angel tells John that he is a 'fellow-servant'. The reason is a 'fellow-servant' of the Lord is that he was a man born with the ability to receive the Lord's love and wisdom as is a man, and as far as a man receives that love he is a heaven and an angel. You may confirm this by the words "He measured the wall of the holy Jerusalem, a hundred and forty-four cubits. The measure of a man, that is of an angel" (Revelation 21: 17). 'Measure' is meant the quality in which a man in whom those qualities are, which are all goods and truths in general. It is seen from this that an angel, who also has such qualities, as does a man who receives them. It is true that angels excel in wisdom, but that is because they are in the spiritual and celestial states and in the light of Heaven, while man is in the natural state and in the light or the understanding of this world. Man is not in conjunction with angels, but he is in association with angels. Basically, that what fills men are the truths and goods and these are from the Lord who is the Word, both here on earth and in Heaven. Thus, as a man and an angel receives these truths and goods, the wisdom and the love of the Lord, and they are conjoined with Him and are, thereby associated with one another and are as brothers with brothers.
Thus, both angels and men are to acknowledge that the Lord is the God of Heaven and earth, and to live a life in accordance with His precepts or laws, thus everything of the Word and of a doctrine from the Word. The Lord bares witness in Heaven that He is with them in Heaven. That witness cannot be given to anyone except he is in conjunction with Him, and lives according to the Word. We learn that in Matthew 28: 18 He taught this. ". . . all power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth." Thus, the testimony of Jesus is the 'spirit of prophecy', for everything is of the Word and of doctrine coming from the Word which treats of the Lord and of a life in accordance with His precepts. From this we understand why the Lord is the Word. It comes from Him, teaches Him only, and tells how He is to be acknowledged and worshipped. Lastly, we read, "That the Spirit of Truth, Who is the Holy Spirit, is going to bear witness concerning the Lord, and that He is not going to speak of Himself, but He is going to take the things that are the Lord's and announce them" (John 15: 26; 16: 13, 15).
That 'power' given unto the Lord is seen in a New Word that now has come on earth to man given through Emanuel Swedenborg that reveals the spiritual sense of the Word so that man can now become conjoined spiritually and not just be in the Lord's presence as man was before His second coming and as he is when he only aware naturally. This, then, is the Lord's Coming in Word and Truth, first to those in Heaven who had been held there until He returned to them, and bringing them to their 'new' home in Heaven, and, thus, establishing a New Heaven. Then, next, from that New Heaven, which is the new Church in Heaven, there is established a New Church of the Lord on earth through a new Word that reveals the spiritual sense of the Word to man wherein there is the power that leads man to his eternal life.
The Lord spoke to John through Heaven in a vision and John wrote what he was told would happen to the Church, and that a new Heaven and earth would come, but because the Word on earth is only understood naturally and not spiritually such truth was not revealed to man until the Lord came and established that New Heaven or New Church in Heaven from those who had followed Him on earth. Thus, those truths are now revealed that the Lord has come, and His coming again has taken place in the spiritual world and is now revealed to man on earth in a new Word through Emanuel Swedenborg who was told to write much like John was told to write the Word 'Revelation'. This new Word reveals the internal or spiritual sense of the Word to those who follow the Lord in love and truth, but not to those who would have such spiritual knowledge and not willingly follow the precepts taught in love to the Lord.
End.