The New Church That Is Today Being Established With and In Man - Part 4
By Rev. Paul Booth
By Rev. Paul Booth
Doctrinal truths of the New Church continue being implanted from the Lord in man. When followed, the affection of truth from good, by which one has true intelligence from which flows love and mercy, charity is in act and is seen in the good of life and, thus, a conscience in man is developed and there is conjunction through such love with Heaven. In addition to the good of life, which is Divine Good from truth and the truth of Good -there is celestial conjugial love or the love of good and truth through one's life on earth. It is the conjugial love of good and truth that is the marriage of good and truth in man making the New Church in man. Thus, the doctrine of good and truth is developed and, at last, the life of truth from Good is in man.
Since Good and Truth are the Lord's with the man of the New Church and these two make the Church, and since the Lord has united these and has become the Divine Human, it is He who is the essential of the Church in man. And, is from which the Lord is loved and from which there is love towards the neighbor, or as said, charity. These two essentials of the Church are spiritual and come from the Lord within man. However, because of the evils in a man these essentials were attacked and would have been destroyed if not for the Lord's mercy. Thus, we learn that the New Church, which is a spiritual Church, was taken up into Heaven where it could not be destroyed. One can learn of this in reading the story of the two prophets, the two witnesses, mentioned in the book of Revelation where the beast came out of the abyss and makes war with those goods and trues - the essentials of the New Church. This can also be seen in the story of the woman clothed with the sun standing on the moon who bare a son - a man child - and who was taken up to God and His throne where the doctrine could not be destroyed.
What all this signifies is the preservation of the doctrine of the New Church that would have been destroyed until a time on earth could come that it could descend into peoples hearts and minds, into their will and understanding. This was seen in the spiritual world and is where there was the Last Judgment and is when the Lord fought the evils and overcame them, subjugating them in hell. Here, it can be pointed out that in subjugating evils that such a battle was not here on this world, as many people believe that it will, in the future, take place. It was in the spiritual world and is a spiritual battle of good and truth against evil and falsity and takes place within, that is, in the internal of man and not on earth or in one's natural state.
The Word in Revelation does not reveal the establishment of the Church on earth, but it does show its insertion into Heaven. We learn that this New Church descends in doctrine to man from the Word Divine in the Third Testament. In this way, the truths of the Word are made open to one's natural understanding. And, as such, in a person's affection for such truths, when lived accordingly, learns to love the Lord and the neighbor. The New Church develops, first within and then 'as it were' it flows into one's natural mind, that is, it descends to the natural man where a new rational from the Lord is made.
Now, we have pointed out in prior lectures that the Word pertains to the Lord, Heaven, and the Church. The Word is not meant to reveal the knowledge of natural history of various nations and peoples, but these things signify spiritual things - truths and goods and their qualities, thus the Lord, Heaven, and the Church. However, these are true histories of various nations and peoples from the time of Abraham on. In fact, every scientific investigation of the validity of the events and peoples spoken of in the Word has shown it to be accurate. And, when secular history, where available, is compared it has shown Biblical history to be true. Thus, from the Third Testament are seen dates of the end of the Last Judgment spoken of in Revelation, which is the year 1757 and these events are reported in the Word of the Divine Human in the book 'True Christian Religion' and the 'Last Judgment'.
This Judgment is seen as the Second Coming of the Lord, which was to the spiritual world where evil can be separated from good, and that those in good are there saved, who are they who have believed and who believe on the Lord. Thus, the Lord came to save the spiritual Church, for that is where a man can be in conjunction and there is communication from the Lord in man - in a new will and understanding. This means that from the time of the Lord's First Advent up to His Second, which we saw was in the year 1757, those who died during this period and who had the qualities already mentioned, were taken 'as it were' up into Heaven. There they formed a New Heaven, which, we can read of in Revelation 21: 1 and 2. There it is reported, "I saw a new Heaven and a new earth, for the former earth were passed away"; and "I John, saw the Holy city the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven." From this, when understood in its spiritual sense, we learn that a New Church is instituted within man here on earth from the Truth that is revealed and followed in the Third Testament as written by Emanuel Swedenborg inspired from the Lord.
It can be seen - understood - now that a New Church person comes to accept and believe that the Word has an internal - a spiritual - sense and that there is understood a conjunction between Heaven and spiritual things with the external - natural - things; that there is a correspondence between them. Thus, in this, one understands how it is that the New Church is to be a spiritual Church that the Lord has come to save. Yet, its beginning on earth or with a man may be seen by some in the natural state, but overtime becomes spiritual when such live according to the truth in the Word. Such a person learns that there is an internal sense that corresponds to their natural understanding. What is understood here is that the New Church that develops within a person's new will and understanding is his or her regeneration or salvation?
Truth is conceived in a man's spiritual mind that is born in his natural mind. It is through acknowledgment of truth, that is, its reception is in man's thoughts and is seen in those in their love and hence faith that a person is led by the Lord into the New Church. In the understanding of the spiritual sense the Lord comes with His Kingdom into man and there reigns. So, within this man no other god rules. A New Church person understands God as the Divine and - Christ as the Divine Human - the Son of God, and these two as one body and soul. In the New Church, a person lives according to the commandments and, so, is reformed by them. He first, removes his false reasoning and, then, second, truths are derived from good from the Lord. The process is the end of the present Church in man and the establishment or the beginning of a new Church in man. Therefore, there ensues within a battle or war in the person's spiritual state. As this occurs, the person learns spiritual truths. Here, compare the story of Adam and Eve as told in Genesis with what is written in Revelation where it is said, "Behold, I come as a thief; happy is he that is awake and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame" (16: 15). Walking naked, of course, signifies living without truth and one's shame is unclean loves or infernal loves. The Most Ancient Church person was depicted as naked until evil entered and they were on longer living in truth.
Since Good and Truth are the Lord's with the man of the New Church and these two make the Church, and since the Lord has united these and has become the Divine Human, it is He who is the essential of the Church in man. And, is from which the Lord is loved and from which there is love towards the neighbor, or as said, charity. These two essentials of the Church are spiritual and come from the Lord within man. However, because of the evils in a man these essentials were attacked and would have been destroyed if not for the Lord's mercy. Thus, we learn that the New Church, which is a spiritual Church, was taken up into Heaven where it could not be destroyed. One can learn of this in reading the story of the two prophets, the two witnesses, mentioned in the book of Revelation where the beast came out of the abyss and makes war with those goods and trues - the essentials of the New Church. This can also be seen in the story of the woman clothed with the sun standing on the moon who bare a son - a man child - and who was taken up to God and His throne where the doctrine could not be destroyed.
What all this signifies is the preservation of the doctrine of the New Church that would have been destroyed until a time on earth could come that it could descend into peoples hearts and minds, into their will and understanding. This was seen in the spiritual world and is where there was the Last Judgment and is when the Lord fought the evils and overcame them, subjugating them in hell. Here, it can be pointed out that in subjugating evils that such a battle was not here on this world, as many people believe that it will, in the future, take place. It was in the spiritual world and is a spiritual battle of good and truth against evil and falsity and takes place within, that is, in the internal of man and not on earth or in one's natural state.
The Word in Revelation does not reveal the establishment of the Church on earth, but it does show its insertion into Heaven. We learn that this New Church descends in doctrine to man from the Word Divine in the Third Testament. In this way, the truths of the Word are made open to one's natural understanding. And, as such, in a person's affection for such truths, when lived accordingly, learns to love the Lord and the neighbor. The New Church develops, first within and then 'as it were' it flows into one's natural mind, that is, it descends to the natural man where a new rational from the Lord is made.
Now, we have pointed out in prior lectures that the Word pertains to the Lord, Heaven, and the Church. The Word is not meant to reveal the knowledge of natural history of various nations and peoples, but these things signify spiritual things - truths and goods and their qualities, thus the Lord, Heaven, and the Church. However, these are true histories of various nations and peoples from the time of Abraham on. In fact, every scientific investigation of the validity of the events and peoples spoken of in the Word has shown it to be accurate. And, when secular history, where available, is compared it has shown Biblical history to be true. Thus, from the Third Testament are seen dates of the end of the Last Judgment spoken of in Revelation, which is the year 1757 and these events are reported in the Word of the Divine Human in the book 'True Christian Religion' and the 'Last Judgment'.
This Judgment is seen as the Second Coming of the Lord, which was to the spiritual world where evil can be separated from good, and that those in good are there saved, who are they who have believed and who believe on the Lord. Thus, the Lord came to save the spiritual Church, for that is where a man can be in conjunction and there is communication from the Lord in man - in a new will and understanding. This means that from the time of the Lord's First Advent up to His Second, which we saw was in the year 1757, those who died during this period and who had the qualities already mentioned, were taken 'as it were' up into Heaven. There they formed a New Heaven, which, we can read of in Revelation 21: 1 and 2. There it is reported, "I saw a new Heaven and a new earth, for the former earth were passed away"; and "I John, saw the Holy city the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven." From this, when understood in its spiritual sense, we learn that a New Church is instituted within man here on earth from the Truth that is revealed and followed in the Third Testament as written by Emanuel Swedenborg inspired from the Lord.
It can be seen - understood - now that a New Church person comes to accept and believe that the Word has an internal - a spiritual - sense and that there is understood a conjunction between Heaven and spiritual things with the external - natural - things; that there is a correspondence between them. Thus, in this, one understands how it is that the New Church is to be a spiritual Church that the Lord has come to save. Yet, its beginning on earth or with a man may be seen by some in the natural state, but overtime becomes spiritual when such live according to the truth in the Word. Such a person learns that there is an internal sense that corresponds to their natural understanding. What is understood here is that the New Church that develops within a person's new will and understanding is his or her regeneration or salvation?
Truth is conceived in a man's spiritual mind that is born in his natural mind. It is through acknowledgment of truth, that is, its reception is in man's thoughts and is seen in those in their love and hence faith that a person is led by the Lord into the New Church. In the understanding of the spiritual sense the Lord comes with His Kingdom into man and there reigns. So, within this man no other god rules. A New Church person understands God as the Divine and - Christ as the Divine Human - the Son of God, and these two as one body and soul. In the New Church, a person lives according to the commandments and, so, is reformed by them. He first, removes his false reasoning and, then, second, truths are derived from good from the Lord. The process is the end of the present Church in man and the establishment or the beginning of a new Church in man. Therefore, there ensues within a battle or war in the person's spiritual state. As this occurs, the person learns spiritual truths. Here, compare the story of Adam and Eve as told in Genesis with what is written in Revelation where it is said, "Behold, I come as a thief; happy is he that is awake and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame" (16: 15). Walking naked, of course, signifies living without truth and one's shame is unclean loves or infernal loves. The Most Ancient Church person was depicted as naked until evil entered and they were on longer living in truth.