The Lord's New Chapel
A Sermon on the New Christian Heaven
By Rev. Paul Booth

Psalms 102:13-16. 21, 22  |  Revelation 14: 1-6, 12, 13  |  Apocalypse Revealed 613
    And I looked, and saw a Lamb standing on the Mount of Zion, and with him a hundred forty-four thousand: a "Lamb" is the Lord as to the Divine Human; "Mount Zion" is Heaven, where are those who love the Lord; and "a hundred forty-four thousand" signify all who acknowledge the Lord alone as God of Heaven and earth.                                (Apocalypse Revealed 612)

Probably every New Church person knows that the city "New Jerusalem" seen by John descending from God out of Heaven signifies the doctrine of the Lord's New Church. Probably, every New Church person knows that Emanuel Swedenborg wrote the Word from the Lord - the Word of the Divine Human - and that the Lord has now established His New Church on earth. Yet, before the Lord's New Church can be within us there must be a New Heaven from which its doctrine descends forming in us that New Church. This is of Divine order, in that before there was a man's natural, there must be his spiritual and even before the spiritual a celestial, both which is of Divine Love and Wisdom, proceeding from the Lord.

If the Word of the Old and New Testaments foretells of the Lord's coming again to set up a New Church on earth, then does it also tell us of a New Heaven? It does and this is mentioned in Revelation chapter 21 where the city - the new Jerusalem - of doctrine is seen descending down to man. Let us turn to Revelation 14 for there is where we find the description of that New Heaven being formed taught; there is also where the Lord's coming is mentioned, where the gospel is proclaimed to that New Church. We Read.
    And I looked and saw a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty-four thousand, having His name and His Father's name written on their foreheads. (v 1)
A lamb, all Christianity, has no difficulty understanding that the Lord is meant. However it may be only the New Church that knows that the Lord, who was glorified, became the Divine Human and, that thus He is God alone. Therefore when the Word is understood only in its natural sense or according to its literal sense, then many people believe that what John saw will happen on earth; they understand "Mount Zion" as a historical city in the land of Canaan, which is now called Israel. Thus, the "hundred forty-four thousand" is believed to be a literal number of 144,000 people.

"Mount Zion" is meant a new Heaven where there are those who love the Lord. It can be seen that the land where Mount Zion is represents the Church. With a little thought one can understand that the Church is within man and is from the Lord and, so, is also within angels in Heaven. Also, since Zion was on a mountain and Jerusalem likewise, both being the center of the Israelitish religion and Church, it therefore reveals that the Lord, seen here in His Divine Human as a "Lamb", is standing in this new Heaven, for it is the 144,000 who have the truth of doctrine that comes from love through the Word from the Lord. These who have this doctrine within their hearts and minds formed the New Heaven. They are those taken from all the Christians from the time the Lord was in the world to the Last Judgment. They are those who had looked to the Lord alone, lived according to His precepts taught in the Word, and who avoided evils as sins against God. From them the New Jerusalem, that is, the doctrine of the New Church now descends to earth. Thus the 144,000 is in Heaven, not here on earth; the New Church is formed in earth today as that descending doctrine is developed within men.

The Names here written on their foreheads, as it were, are in their wills, that is, within their love and is the Divine Good and Divine Truth; these, being Divine from whom all things are, are called "Father" and the Divine Human, which is called the "Son", are in one Person; as the soul and the body are one. Therefore, by "Father" is meant the Divine Good of the Lord's Divine Love and by the Lord as "Son" is meant the Divine Truth of the Divine Wisdom. These two, Divine Wisdom and Divine Love are united in one Person. Thus we read in Revelation 22: 4 that "The love of God and of the Lamb (was) on their foreheads". It is this that makes the New Church a spiritual Church in that it flows from the angels of the highest heaven - from those who are in the good of celestial love - into a man's spirit.

We continue with our description of those who are in the New Heaven.
    And I heard a voice from Heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. And the sound that I heard was like the harpers playing on their harps.
Haven't we heard a priest or minister or someone, lighten by the Lord, in the Church, or perhaps while we were reading the Word were ourselves enlightened and we saw that the increase of the New Church is from the New Heaven? In other words, as the New Heaven increases, the New Church on earth grows. Here, in this verse is understood the Lord speaking from both His Divine Truth and His Divine Love through the New Heaven to the New Church here on earth. By "water", of course, we know that truth is meant, for even in the literal sense one can apprehend its meaning. "The earth is full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11: 9). But the phrase, "a sound of loud thunder" is not as easily understood as meaning love. The Lord's speaking is through the whole heavens, that is, His voice permeates throughout all of heaven and is heard as "thunder". Thunder assails the ears and in hearing there can be perception. These truths are perceived and are not understood, that is, they are learned through studying the scientifics and cognitions from the Word. Here the Lord speaks from His Divine Love through His Divine Wisdom, thus, from the highest Heavens, which are referred to as the third heaven from which is His Divine Love. The second heaven is of His Divine Wisdom.

Those in the New Christian Heaven receive the Divine Truth and Divine Love, gave glory, that is, they sang to the Lord 'as it were' as the harpers played. What they attribute to the Lord in particular is acknowledging Him as God of Heaven and earth as does the Ancient heavens. From the Word in Revelation we learn that it is only the "hundred forty-four thousand" out of all those in the world of spirits when the last judgment  came that were able to understand and perceive that there is One God of Heaven and earth and which were able to learn the song. We read of this.
    And they sang as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song, but the 144,000 purchased from the earth.
You might be wondering about why only 144,000 are said to believe that God is one. Don't all Christians believe that there is one God? The answer is found in their doctrine where it is said, "There is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit," likewise: "the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God." Their doctrine does say that these are one, yet their thought is divided into three, and therefore they divide the Divine Essence, which never could nor can be divided. So, they pray directly to the Father and so to an invisible God. Often they pray that the Father send the Holy Spirit for the sake of the Son. This, of course, confirms the idea of three. Thus it is only those who worship one God, who are regenerated, that is, redeemed in the world. They are conjoined with the Lord, thus saved. This is how they came to be in the New Heaven. We read of this in verse 4.

    These are those who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins: These are they who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were purchased from among men. The first-fruits unto God and the Lamb 

We remember here that the word 'Church' in the Word signifies 'woman' because of the "affection of truth or conversely the affection of falsity."  Here, in this case, because they were not defiled or had adulterated and falsified the Word was the true Church. Now, doesn't the bride, who is a virgin, want to be wife and don't true Christians love truth or the Lord because they are the truths and the Lord? The end is that one who loves and lives according to truth are conjoined to the Lord. To see that this is meant one only need look into the Old Testament and see that 'Israel', 'Zion', and 'Jerusalem' mentioned there are in many place called "virgins" and "daughters" and that they signify the Church. Indeed, such are those who live by His Commandments and do not falsify them. These are those who have been conjoined with the Lord through love and faith in Him. The reason they are called the "first-fruits" unto God and the Lamb are because they are those Christians who are the beginning of the New Heaven. By God and the Lamb is meant also the Divine Itself. The Divine Human signifies the Lamb who is the Divine and the Human united as one. From them proceeds the Divine, thus here is understood a Trinity in one God in one Person.

Finally, we see the New Heaven standing, as it were, before God. For in them are no falsities, only truths. Their doctrine does not persuade by guile nor does it have and premeditation to evil. These are they who are led and kept by the Lord in that good from which proceeds only truth; although sometimes falsity does appear, though it is only an apparent falsity, for there is good within it. We read in verse 6:
    And I saw another angel flying in the mid Heaven, having an eternal gospel to proclaim unto those who dwell on earth, saying with a loud voice: Fear God. And give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come.   
These are those who dwell in the ultimate of the world of spirits who become the New Heaven. Here, we see two things that were about to happen: a last judgment and after, the coming of the Lord again in Word. Doesn't the proclamation of the gospel mean an announcement of the Lord's coming and His Kingdom? What is proclaimed to men on this earth or to the New Church is: Fear God, that is, love God and fear to do evil because it is against God.

Today the New Church is admonished as they in heaven were that were raised form the world of spirits to give glory to the Lord and glory is given when we acknowledge and confess that all truth is from the Lord. A Church is a Church from truths which it appropriates from the Word. And, aren't we judged according to the truth of the Word? In other words, doesn't the Word judge everyone and the Lord moderate all things according to justice? This is seen from the Word in John 5: 22, 27. "The Father judges no one, but He has committed all judgment to the Son, and He gives him the authority, because He is the Son of Man." And in another place He said, "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12: 47, 48). To clarify the meaning between these two statements we need to remember that the Son of Man is the Lord as the Word. Therefore, the Word judges, the Lord moderates.

Those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus are those who from spiritual temptation search their life to see if there is any evil in their selves. It was said earlier that two things would happen - judgment, which we just spoke of and the coming of the Lord. The book of Revelation foretold what John saw and heard and he wrote of it. Let us see if we can understand what is meant. We read: "And I looked and saw a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sitting like the Son of Man." (verse 14) To understand this we must see what is signified here. We had just seen that the "Son of Man" signifies the Word. How is the Word seen by men on earth? Isn't it through its literal sense? Anyone, who with sincerity, can see that when reading the Word of the Divine Human which is sometimes known as the Latin Word that there is revealed to him an internal sense within all the Word. From this a person can substantiate the Word, that is, the Truth.

Let us recall from that New Word that internal sense. "And because He has now come, He has appeared in the Word by revealing that there is a spiritual sense in every particular of the literal sense; that He alone is treated of it; and that He alone is the God of Heaven and earth" (Apocalypse 642). And with that New Word now come on earth the New Church was and is now being instituted, for there is now a communication through it from the Lord through the New Heaven and with all those who hear and who follow the Lord's commandments.

Amen.
| About |
Site Content Copyright 2001 by The Lord's New Chapel All Rights Reserved
Site Concept and Creation Copyright 2001 by Stealth Media Solutions All Rights Reserved