The New Church That Is Today Being Established With and In Man - Part 3
By Rev. Paul Booth
By Rev. Paul Booth
The doctrine of the New Church began to develop from the love of truth within such persons, which spiritually speaking is from the good of life. Good of life flows from one's will and consist of doing good from good within, that is, from the Lord within. The love of truth and of good enter or flow into a person as falsities are remove, that is, as the doctrines of the prior Christian Churches as understood from the natural or literal sense of the Word are removed and, as new doctrines are learned, known, and acknowledged. In this process there is a temptation and a judgment. Anyone may see that between the old doctrines and the new there is a battle. One can and should also understand that spiritual temptations are meant here.
What this shows is that the Divine truth proceeds from the Lord to man through knowledge and through his or her acknowledgement of the Word. This is only the beginning of a new Church in man. With this acknowledgment, there is new life conjoining man with Heaven, which is, conjoining the natural of him with his spiritual. Now, when and where did this beginning of the New Church take place that has been described? Where is it written that those of the New Church have such a doctrine that has just been related? Any student of the Bible knows of the Lord's or the Word's announcement of His Coming. "Behold, He comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him &…;. ." (Revelation 1:7), and "You have said, 'I am; and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of Heaven" (Matt. 26:63, 64). "And shall appear the sign of the Son of man; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and glory" (Matt. 26:30).
If these truths remain only understood in their literal sense, than the New Church is not seen at all, for they have not come to understand their genuine or spiritual sense. Yet, theologians and Biblical teaches of the First Christian Churches know that hidden within these words, and especially, in the book of Revelation, that there are Divine truths of the Lord's second coming. So, they have attempted to explain what the prophet John has wrote in the book Revelation concerning the Lord's Second Coming. Herein are the necessary ingredients of the doctrines in the prior Churches and in the New Church. The prior Church person lives in the natural sense and have rejected their internal or spiritual; they claim that only after death do they live a spiritual life. Some even reject this entirely and believe they are reunited with their natural bodies and are to live here on this world. They continue to live in the natural circle of life. The New Church person, however, has understood that the truths of the Word have an internal and spiritual sense, because truths and goods are spiritual and celestial; they are of God and proceed from Him. They accept the revelation of the Third Testament that has come from the Lord to them as the Lord's coming again. The cycle of life with them is spiritual. And, from that Divine Word the clouds mentioned in these verses we read are not just meant literal clouds seen in the natural world. In the Third Testament it is learned what clouds correspond to in the spiritual sense - the obscurity of Divine truth. Thus, it becomes possible to know the spiritual sense and to know the genuine truth. Up until the Lord had glorified himself and had became the Divine Human this was not possible. He has made the Truth Divine or the Word in Ultimate became 'flesh'. It is in this Word of the Divine Human that the spiritual sense is revealed. One can understand, here, what is meant by, "coming on the clouds of Heaven with power and glory". The Word in the literal sense could now be seen in its spiritual sense.
It is when Divine Truth is revealed that not only are genuine truths made known, but falsities are revealed too. So, there comes both a judgment and an end or a consummation to those who have rejected the Lord, but also through temptations there comes an establishment of a new Church in Heaven, which is a New Christian Heaven in those who accept and who turn to Him in love. This is revealed in the book Revelation, but until its internal and spiritual sense was made known it could not be understood. We have seen that something had happened at the end of the Most Ancient Church era, and also in the beginning of the Ancient Church in the story of the flood. There in that story, not only ended the Most Ancient Church in the flood of water, that is, in a flood of falsities that drowned or destroyed them, but there was the beginning of a new Church - the Ancient - as seen in Noah and his sons. Here, perhaps one can begin to understand how man from being natural becomes spiritual, for he begins to see that truth and good, themselves, are spiritual things from the Lord. They are God's life with man.
Now, in the lecture about the Most Ancient Church it was seen that that Church was established from the Lord and was celestial / spiritual and that its development was toward or in a person's natural. It is the same with all following Churches; we see the internal is formed and made first and then its external or natural is made. Thus, like the Ancient Church, the Israelitish and Jewish Churches, even the Christian there is revealed the development of the Church in man. Here in the Apocalypse Revealed and Explained the establishment of the New Church is literally revealed, and this is understood, in the book Revelation, as the seven Churches spoken of in chapters 2 and 3, and in the 144,000 - the twelve tribes of Israel - chapter 7. The mistake that is made by the posterity of the First Christian Churches is that they understand the activities forecast by John as happening here on this earth. That is done, because they only understand the literal sense of the Word and believe that these things are to literally happen here on earth in some future time. Nonetheless, even from the literal sense, when it is examined closely, a person can come to understand that this sense does not reveal the genuine truth. Nonetheless, it can be known that John himself says that he was in the spirit just as were the prophets of old, who told what he heard and wrote what they saw when in the spirit when the Word or Lord came to them. Of course, this means they were in a spiritual state and not in body or a natural state. They were in spirit, seeing with their spiritual eyes, not with their natural eyes. Therefore, the seven Churches are not actual seven natural Churches on earth, but are the true Church in aggregate described in all its various states within man. The point is, here, what was saw by John, when he was in the spiritual world and in Heaven when he saw the seven stars in the Lord's right hand, is what he learns. He is told that they represent the New Church that was about to be taken up into Heaven, becoming the New Christian Heaven. The seven lamp stands represent the Church on earth that is about to descend to mankind.
From this we see the formation of the New Church is from those whose qualities are mentioned as those who acknowledge the Lord as the one only God of Heaven and earth. And, whose doctrine is from the good of love from the Lord through the Word. In examination of the 144,000, the twelve tribes of Israel, one learns that what is significance is the New Church. The Doctrine of the New Church is a doctrine of love and charity and a person is regenerated by the truths of faith, that is, by such knowledge as has been made of use. A New Church person feels, in himself or herself, what is good and understands what is true. As such, such knowledge by a New Church person is turned into use and this from a perception of what is true. We learn that there are three things with those who are of the New Church. One, love to the Lord; two, wisdom from the Lord, and three, use through an internal understanding or perception. The first is according to one's natural love. The second is according to one's understanding and is spiritual, and the third is according to one's act or actions and is celestial.
The revealing of these New Church qualities are understood as spiritual qualities that come from the Lord into a man's internal and from there descend, as it was, into his natural and, thus into the ultimate. So, we understand that in the New Church there is spiritual love, which is love to the neighbor, or charity and these are developed in the following order in man making a New Church in him. It is first, through providence, than through love to the neighbor or charity, then in one's obedience or in hearing the Word, next through perception of use (this is the power of the Divine Human with man). Than, finally, the development is in the spiritual sense where there is temptation and victory, while in the natural sense there is resistance of the natural man, but finally there is victory - the will of the Lord becomes man's will serving and acting.
What this shows is that the Divine truth proceeds from the Lord to man through knowledge and through his or her acknowledgement of the Word. This is only the beginning of a new Church in man. With this acknowledgment, there is new life conjoining man with Heaven, which is, conjoining the natural of him with his spiritual. Now, when and where did this beginning of the New Church take place that has been described? Where is it written that those of the New Church have such a doctrine that has just been related? Any student of the Bible knows of the Lord's or the Word's announcement of His Coming. "Behold, He comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him &…;. ." (Revelation 1:7), and "You have said, 'I am; and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of Heaven" (Matt. 26:63, 64). "And shall appear the sign of the Son of man; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and glory" (Matt. 26:30).
If these truths remain only understood in their literal sense, than the New Church is not seen at all, for they have not come to understand their genuine or spiritual sense. Yet, theologians and Biblical teaches of the First Christian Churches know that hidden within these words, and especially, in the book of Revelation, that there are Divine truths of the Lord's second coming. So, they have attempted to explain what the prophet John has wrote in the book Revelation concerning the Lord's Second Coming. Herein are the necessary ingredients of the doctrines in the prior Churches and in the New Church. The prior Church person lives in the natural sense and have rejected their internal or spiritual; they claim that only after death do they live a spiritual life. Some even reject this entirely and believe they are reunited with their natural bodies and are to live here on this world. They continue to live in the natural circle of life. The New Church person, however, has understood that the truths of the Word have an internal and spiritual sense, because truths and goods are spiritual and celestial; they are of God and proceed from Him. They accept the revelation of the Third Testament that has come from the Lord to them as the Lord's coming again. The cycle of life with them is spiritual. And, from that Divine Word the clouds mentioned in these verses we read are not just meant literal clouds seen in the natural world. In the Third Testament it is learned what clouds correspond to in the spiritual sense - the obscurity of Divine truth. Thus, it becomes possible to know the spiritual sense and to know the genuine truth. Up until the Lord had glorified himself and had became the Divine Human this was not possible. He has made the Truth Divine or the Word in Ultimate became 'flesh'. It is in this Word of the Divine Human that the spiritual sense is revealed. One can understand, here, what is meant by, "coming on the clouds of Heaven with power and glory". The Word in the literal sense could now be seen in its spiritual sense.
It is when Divine Truth is revealed that not only are genuine truths made known, but falsities are revealed too. So, there comes both a judgment and an end or a consummation to those who have rejected the Lord, but also through temptations there comes an establishment of a new Church in Heaven, which is a New Christian Heaven in those who accept and who turn to Him in love. This is revealed in the book Revelation, but until its internal and spiritual sense was made known it could not be understood. We have seen that something had happened at the end of the Most Ancient Church era, and also in the beginning of the Ancient Church in the story of the flood. There in that story, not only ended the Most Ancient Church in the flood of water, that is, in a flood of falsities that drowned or destroyed them, but there was the beginning of a new Church - the Ancient - as seen in Noah and his sons. Here, perhaps one can begin to understand how man from being natural becomes spiritual, for he begins to see that truth and good, themselves, are spiritual things from the Lord. They are God's life with man.
Now, in the lecture about the Most Ancient Church it was seen that that Church was established from the Lord and was celestial / spiritual and that its development was toward or in a person's natural. It is the same with all following Churches; we see the internal is formed and made first and then its external or natural is made. Thus, like the Ancient Church, the Israelitish and Jewish Churches, even the Christian there is revealed the development of the Church in man. Here in the Apocalypse Revealed and Explained the establishment of the New Church is literally revealed, and this is understood, in the book Revelation, as the seven Churches spoken of in chapters 2 and 3, and in the 144,000 - the twelve tribes of Israel - chapter 7. The mistake that is made by the posterity of the First Christian Churches is that they understand the activities forecast by John as happening here on this earth. That is done, because they only understand the literal sense of the Word and believe that these things are to literally happen here on earth in some future time. Nonetheless, even from the literal sense, when it is examined closely, a person can come to understand that this sense does not reveal the genuine truth. Nonetheless, it can be known that John himself says that he was in the spirit just as were the prophets of old, who told what he heard and wrote what they saw when in the spirit when the Word or Lord came to them. Of course, this means they were in a spiritual state and not in body or a natural state. They were in spirit, seeing with their spiritual eyes, not with their natural eyes. Therefore, the seven Churches are not actual seven natural Churches on earth, but are the true Church in aggregate described in all its various states within man. The point is, here, what was saw by John, when he was in the spiritual world and in Heaven when he saw the seven stars in the Lord's right hand, is what he learns. He is told that they represent the New Church that was about to be taken up into Heaven, becoming the New Christian Heaven. The seven lamp stands represent the Church on earth that is about to descend to mankind.
From this we see the formation of the New Church is from those whose qualities are mentioned as those who acknowledge the Lord as the one only God of Heaven and earth. And, whose doctrine is from the good of love from the Lord through the Word. In examination of the 144,000, the twelve tribes of Israel, one learns that what is significance is the New Church. The Doctrine of the New Church is a doctrine of love and charity and a person is regenerated by the truths of faith, that is, by such knowledge as has been made of use. A New Church person feels, in himself or herself, what is good and understands what is true. As such, such knowledge by a New Church person is turned into use and this from a perception of what is true. We learn that there are three things with those who are of the New Church. One, love to the Lord; two, wisdom from the Lord, and three, use through an internal understanding or perception. The first is according to one's natural love. The second is according to one's understanding and is spiritual, and the third is according to one's act or actions and is celestial.
The revealing of these New Church qualities are understood as spiritual qualities that come from the Lord into a man's internal and from there descend, as it was, into his natural and, thus into the ultimate. So, we understand that in the New Church there is spiritual love, which is love to the neighbor, or charity and these are developed in the following order in man making a New Church in him. It is first, through providence, than through love to the neighbor or charity, then in one's obedience or in hearing the Word, next through perception of use (this is the power of the Divine Human with man). Than, finally, the development is in the spiritual sense where there is temptation and victory, while in the natural sense there is resistance of the natural man, but finally there is victory - the will of the Lord becomes man's will serving and acting.