Reasoning About Redemption
By Rev. Paul Booth
Psalms 97 | John 14: 1-9 | True Christian Religion 134
By Rev. Paul Booth
Psalms 97 | John 14: 1-9 | True Christian Religion 134
"The Christian world is ignorant as yet of the existence of the order, and
more so of the nature of that order which God introduced at the time He
created the world.
"Then with a sigh he said, 'What is to be done?"
(True Christian Religion 134 § 4e, 5)
more so of the nature of that order which God introduced at the time He
created the world.
"Then with a sigh he said, 'What is to be done?"
(True Christian Religion 134 § 4e, 5)
In reading our lesson True Christian Religion 134, one sees Swedenborg while in the spirit in the world of spirits, like John, was in a temple there with a large congregation. In the temple there were no windows in its walls. There was an opening in the center of the roof through which light from Heaven illuminated the temple. All this goes to signify the state of the Church on earth as it was after the Most Ancient Church had closed its mind to God's influx. As you may recall from the some of the sermons and other studies posted on this website, influx from Jehovah God had come into man through an internal way, through perception and not externally as it does today through the senses. So, in such a state that we see in our lesson signifies the beginning of the Ancient Church or what is called the spiritual state. Yet, there can be seen in what fallows in our text, the description of such a Church that is only a few years before the Final Judgment. Usually, Churches are depicted in the Word as having windows and they signify what the Church is to become. Here, we see, this Church has no windows and its walls are four square, which in itself signifies that it is just and is not inclined to one side more than the other. We hope and believe that the Church we follow is also just, but that it has windows so that is followers can understand the truth from the light that comes from the Lord through windows 'as it were' that is, through the senses and thus into the 'Church' within us. We like to believe we have the good of faith, that we love the Lord and that we are in the good of life and that we do good from willing good. For, these two, the good of faith and of life are signified by the East and North walls respectively. We also like to believe that our 'Church' is in the truth of the light and, so, have the light of intelligence and that that light effects us to act well towards the neighbor and to love the Lord. This description we recognize as South and West quarters. We like to think we are just or have righteousness as the Lord willed His Church to be. "Be ye perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect."
We read from our third lesson that the congregation of this Church was reasoning about redemption. Of course, reasoning is predicated on the senses and on scientifics - the things learned and stored in ones memory while on earth. So, the reasoning of this congregation does not understand spiritual things, for we see their reasoning is without light from Heaven and, thus, indicate that their rational is in obscurity. Question: why? It is naturally because there are no windows, and because they cannot understand spiritual things only with their natural senses. Natural senses are ruled by one's love - that is by their proprium. Now, one can relate this to the fact that their understanding was closed that comes from the Lord, which is from within through perception and not by means of one's external senses. Here, we need only recall that the Most Ancient Church as understood in Adam and Eve had rejected Jehovah God's good and His truth that had flowed into that Church's of man of that Church's mind through an internal way, through perception. And, as we see, that Church later, even, lost the ability to understand correspondences - or what things in Heaven corresponded to on earth. Thus, it was that every religious or spiritual idea became falsified with mankind. The result was that Churches that came on earth came into false reasoning about redemption. Now, false reasoning of scientifics concerning the Lord and His essence causes a person to incorrectly understand the Lord and allows evil to enter one's thoughts. Thus, we see, here, a black cloud covers the aperture in the roof signifying that this Church no longer has perception. However, because the Lord is Love, He never keeps His essence, His Divine Love and Divine Wisdom from man. It is the man who rejects the Lord and, so, who destroyed or falsified the truth that now comes from Him through the written Word through the senses.
Now, since the Third Testament has been given to the world and, if we believe it is the Word of God, the Word of the Divine Human, one can know that the 'black cloud' that is seen in the world of spirits signifies man's natural and sensual thoughts. These thoughts separate man from any internal or spiritual understanding. Clouds signify ignorance of natural truths concerning the Lord. Remember, the truths that enter through an internal way the understanding had been closed to man because of his sin. Mankind had become natural and sensual or external; he had become separated from his internal or spiritual self 'as it were'. Of course, we understand from the Word that Jehovah was to come and redeem fallen mankind. The Lord would provide a way for man to again be conjoined and to communicate with Heaven and the Lord. This new way was to be through a man's external senses, such as seeing (reading the Word) hearing (the Word), etc., for man now lived in the natural state, having closed any perception coming from the Lord God within.
This Church seen in our lesson that is in the spiritual world is, now, no longer here on earth and like all who come into the world of spirits are taught by angels there and, so, the angels have come to see and to disperse the clouds, the ignorance they have from the truths that they have believed, so that the light from Heaven is allowed to shine 'as it were' into their midst. In the spiritual state light or Divine Essence is given to those of the Church, that is, to the man who is in such a state, which will be shown later. Let us explain this further. We know that if the Lord had not come into this world man would be forever lost. And, by a 'cloud' causing such darkness so that they could not see each other and scarcely their own hand signifies the degree to which that Church had fallen in their understanding about the Lord and His redemption. So, it is that the light that was now coming to them meant that they could again begin to understand some things about the Lord. Has not the Lord come and brought "a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to thy people Israel?" (Luke 2: 32). Therefore, with such light one can be taught and come to understand those things about the essence of God - the Goodness of Love of God and the Truth there from. Angels, we know are messengers that bring the Gospel of Divine Truth. They are sent to teach those in the spiritual world and thus, to lead them upon coming there. On course, we know that Jesus Christ, the Lord, came into the world and taught the Gospel of repentance to mankind and, now, angels sent from the Lord, the Divine Human, to come and to teach the Gospel of Divine Truth that the Lord has united the Human with the Divine and the Divine with the Human.
One of the angels came and dispersed the black cloud and asked what it was they were discussing that caused such darkness upon their Church. In other words, what is it that they were so ignorant of? When men are discussing they are saying that this or that is true. Therefore, when they were discussing the matter of how redemption was effected from their own understanding there was darkness or ignorance concerning it. So, here, we see that a man's understanding alone without the light or the truths from the Lord in the spiritual world is seen as dark clouds, even though the man it seems very clear to him. So, when the priest in the lesson explained his answer you can understand the angel's reaction and this from the Word of the Third Testament. The priest had said that the Son of God effected redemption through the passion of the cross, that the Son made expiation for the human race. Isn't that what those who are in the same idea as the first Christian Church believes? We see that the angel was astonished and in fact stood silence for a long time. Finally, he exclaimed, 'Can the Christian world be so insane and wander from sound reason into such madness, and establish its fundamental doctrine of salvation on such paradoxes?' (TCR 134: 3). Yet, there are today those who continue to adhere to this same idea of redemption.
So you may assume it was the Christian Church that he was addressing from the doctrine sited by the priest, and I would imagine many 'Christians' today would take offence and dismiss this as rubbish. They are, of course, in their freedom to believe what they want. Nonetheless, the Lord is, today, in His glorification; His resurrection is finished and He has returned to Heaven as predicted in the book Revelation and in that book the Lord finds that the Christian Church has not true to their first love and has come to their end. The whole of Revelation is concerning the Last Judgment upon those Churches. The first thing for us to understand here is: what does the 'Christian world' mentioned signify in our text? First, it represents those who are in works alone and not in any truth of doctrine. However, next, we see they know the Lord and possess the Word, but do not search for truths or do they apply the Lord's teachings to their life. They call themselves Christians, but are not Christians, but are what are called Gentiles. (cf. AR 110). Now, it is to this Church - the Gentile Church - that the angel came to teach truths to and directed them towards the Third Testament as we will soon learn.
Remember, the Christian Church was instituted among the Jews. And, it was to become an internal Church while the Jewish Church was an external Church. (cf. AC 4868). One can learn from Third Testament that the quality of the Christian Church was that of the sons of Shem, which was a spiritual Church. Shem represented the internal Church and their worship as internal from the Lord who they called Jehovah. However, the Churches called Christian in the world and that were now in the world of spirits seen in our lesson, before the Last Judgment, were worshipping God in three persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. So, as we learned, the priest explained how they believed redemption was effected - God the Son making atonement to God the Father. Of course, when the Lord was in the world He founded or laid the foundation of the Christian Church, and we see those who truly were of that Church were later 'built up' in the spiritual world, while those who refused the angels instructions or the Heavenly light from entering their understanding were not and at that time the Third Testament was being written for man on earth. (TCR 764).
Now let us see what the foundation was of the Lord's New Church that was built up in the spiritual world. First, it should be known that the very foundation is Truth itself and, thus, is the Lord Himself. Anyone can see that truth relates to redemption and is based upon the Lord and that the Lord became united with the Divine becoming the Divine Human. The Truth was manifested in the Lord and united His Human to the Divine and thus, became God and Man. So, He, also, established or laid the foundation of the New (Christian) Church first in His Human and then in a man who believes on Him, that is, who is obedient to the Divine as He was. Next, let us see what is meant by being 'built up' in the spiritual of life and thus, in that world. We see in the spiritual sense that to 'build up' refers to what has fallen and, of course, it was seen that the first Christian Church had fallen as has been pointed out in Revelation. Of course, to be 'built up' refers to either good or evil. (cf. AC 153). The Word speaks in many places of building up and, there, often it refers to turning man's life around and toward the Lord. This, of course, is done through scientifics that a man learns through his senses as was pointed out. He is instructed through his senses and when he is conjoined with goods from God he becomes intellectual; thus, he is turned to Heaven and to the Lord. If the opposite, he turns to evil and becomes insane. (cf. AC 4390).
So, in establishing the true Christian Church it was necessary to teach man by opening his mind to understand spiritual truths through the natural senses since man lives in this natural world. Such as the Church, that is seen in our lesson or in the reading, had not confirmed the falsities and evils as had the prior Churches, even those who called themselves 'Christian', but refused to accept what was taught whose fate was revealed in Revelation. Thus, those who were in this state - who had not confirmed falsities - could be led and taught. As was shown the foundation was first laid in the human of the Lord. Then, the Lord introduced the Word of the Divine Human into man's understanding while those they were in the spiritual world. Those who understood and who believed ascended from the world of spirits and became the New Heaven that is mentioned in Revelation 21. Through this New Heaven from the Lord flows goods and truths into man (on earth) making in him a new understanding and will and thus, a New (Christian) Church is instituted on earth. Therefore, it is that a man can be taught, that he can appropriate such truths through his natural senses even as the Lord did while He was on earth. The way now had been opened by the Lord for a man to be conjoined and to communicate with Heaven and the Lord.
Now, let us see in particular the building up of the New (Christian) Church - the Lord's New Church - that now descends from the New Heaven. The lesson in True Christian Religion gives us an illustration. What we learn is that this Church is doing good, but they do not have the truth, and, still they were not in evil. In fact, they could even be taught and led to understand spiritual truths as we can see happened. Let's see how they were taught. In the reading the angel explains to them the fundamental truth about creation being made according to Divine order and that God Himself was Order. We see that there was no explanation about how the Lord came into the Word or even how He glorified Himself and how later had subjugated the hells and brought order to the Heavens. However, we do see that these things were taught later in the Third Testament to those who come to accept it as God's Word. Only the essence of God was explained by the angel and that to think contrary, as they did, was in error and not the true nature of God.
The angel could see their ignorance in spiritual things. Those who are in such a state when they come into the next are recognized by black clouds coming from the north. However, this Church had wished to do good and because of this, they could be led to understand and to acknowledge their ignorance. They wanted to learn the truth, and to understand how redemption was effected, for they did not have the truth about the Lord, but had the love (or will) to do good.
The third lesson has confirmed this. For, we see the priest could understand what the angel said, and 'because the angels who were above shed upon him the light of Heaven' (TCR 134 § 5). The priest understood, not through his natural senses, for it are still under the rule of his proprium. In fact, his proprium would only lead him further astray and into falsities and eventually into evils, but his reasoning was now from the Lord; it was taught to him by the angels. Nonetheless, at that time, the redemption was still not completed, for the hells were not subjugated nor was Heaven brought into order, though the time for the Last Judgment was upon the first Church. However, we are assured because the Word in Revelation has predicted this and, that today the Third Testament has come on earth. The priest understood because of the influx of light from Heaven.
It is the tone and the quality of the priest's voice when he had answered the angel that one sees the quality and the state of this Church, that is, of the man who is in such a state - a state in which one wills to do well (good) but is ignorant of the truth. "With a sigh he said; 'What can be done?'" (TCR 134 § 5). The priest went on to say that all men so preach and pray and believe as he had earlier explained to the angel of his belief about redemption. He was, of course, referring to the Christian Church that was established by the Lord and not to the Church that had turned into a false Church. Now, he could see that they were wrong in their belief. In the priest's voice and words one hears the sincerity, the hopelessness, and the humility. In this, the angel heard the priest's confession and repentance to the Lord. So, the angel recognized and understood because this Church was in ignorance, but sincere in wanting to learn the truth, and in its love for the Lord and the neighbor. The man of this Church wanted to do well (good). The angel explained that their efforts were useless; their understanding and will had been too deep-seated with falsities and evils. The priest questions:
"What is to be done?" and the answer, "Go therefore to him who stands yonder; he will teach you from the Lord." (TCR 134 § 5)
Swedenborg, the chosen of God to write the Word - the Third Testament - had been there in the temple with them in the spiritual world. Here, you can see the significance is to go to the Word of the Divine Human, the Word that comes the glorified Lord, which is know as the Third Testament that has come on earth. A person who is in such a state as was this Church that had come into the spiritual world can be conjoined with the Lord and he can communicate with Heaven. The Arcana - the Secrets of the Word - can now be understood by man through his senses, whereas before a man could scarcely understand anything concerning the Lord or His Church, for he could only see the Word in appearances or apparent truths and not in genuine truths. What is the result of this Church and others like them who have been instructed by angels from Heaven?
We come to see that at last that such a Church has windows on all four sides. Light can enter from the four quarters of the world. This signifies that natural truths can now enter into a man's understanding through his senses and he will be enlightened by the Lord because of the correspondences revealed in the Third Testament in which one may see spiritual or genuine truths. Truths are protection from evils and will make a man free, free from ignorance and evil. Naturally, it can be understood that when there are no windows, a man of the Church is in ignorance of the truth. In fact, he sees only falsity and thinks it is the truth. However, now the scientifics he learns through his senses can be understood because the Third Testament has been revealed. Man is in freedom to either accept it as the Divine Truth or reject it even as he does the Old and the New Testaments. For, that what was predicted in the book Revelation has come to pass and the hells are now subjugated and order has been brought back to Heaven. So, now, when a man reads and believes the Word with a desire to know the truth for truth's sake, the angels with him communicate to him true thoughts and ideas. Influx coming from the Lord through the angels and good spirits can flow into the man and so be conjoined with the scientifics that are in his rational, which is then from the Lord, just as the Jesus, when He was on earth removed the thoughts of mankind He had from His mother which had falsities and evils adhering. From this, a man receives intelligence, which means that he understands spiritually. Though he does not understand as an angel understands, though he understands 'as it were' natural spiritual, which is such as speech is in one's thought. From this we see that the New Church is a spiritual Church. Of course, none of this could have ever happened if not for the Lord becoming Man and if not for the Lord glorifying His Human making it Divine. It is from this that a man is redeemed and can understand spiritually, that is, internally.
Are we examining our own life as the priest did in our lesson when he recounted to the angel his beliefs and actions? Does the Lord's New Church which now descends as a city - the New Jerusalem - out of Heaven from the Lord? Does our Church have windows on its four sides? Are the angels, the truths from Heaven, dispersing our clouds of ignorance? Is our mind, our will and understanding, open to the light from Heaven to flow in and illuminate us? The Lord has accomplished this in Himself by glorifying His Human; He has become the Divine Human and is Omnipotent. He has redeemed us. He has built up or has turned men to Him and has established the New Church. He is continuing to establish it or forming it as it now descends to mankind on earth. May the Lord's will be done on earth as it is in the Heavens.
Amen.
We read from our third lesson that the congregation of this Church was reasoning about redemption. Of course, reasoning is predicated on the senses and on scientifics - the things learned and stored in ones memory while on earth. So, the reasoning of this congregation does not understand spiritual things, for we see their reasoning is without light from Heaven and, thus, indicate that their rational is in obscurity. Question: why? It is naturally because there are no windows, and because they cannot understand spiritual things only with their natural senses. Natural senses are ruled by one's love - that is by their proprium. Now, one can relate this to the fact that their understanding was closed that comes from the Lord, which is from within through perception and not by means of one's external senses. Here, we need only recall that the Most Ancient Church as understood in Adam and Eve had rejected Jehovah God's good and His truth that had flowed into that Church's of man of that Church's mind through an internal way, through perception. And, as we see, that Church later, even, lost the ability to understand correspondences - or what things in Heaven corresponded to on earth. Thus, it was that every religious or spiritual idea became falsified with mankind. The result was that Churches that came on earth came into false reasoning about redemption. Now, false reasoning of scientifics concerning the Lord and His essence causes a person to incorrectly understand the Lord and allows evil to enter one's thoughts. Thus, we see, here, a black cloud covers the aperture in the roof signifying that this Church no longer has perception. However, because the Lord is Love, He never keeps His essence, His Divine Love and Divine Wisdom from man. It is the man who rejects the Lord and, so, who destroyed or falsified the truth that now comes from Him through the written Word through the senses.
Now, since the Third Testament has been given to the world and, if we believe it is the Word of God, the Word of the Divine Human, one can know that the 'black cloud' that is seen in the world of spirits signifies man's natural and sensual thoughts. These thoughts separate man from any internal or spiritual understanding. Clouds signify ignorance of natural truths concerning the Lord. Remember, the truths that enter through an internal way the understanding had been closed to man because of his sin. Mankind had become natural and sensual or external; he had become separated from his internal or spiritual self 'as it were'. Of course, we understand from the Word that Jehovah was to come and redeem fallen mankind. The Lord would provide a way for man to again be conjoined and to communicate with Heaven and the Lord. This new way was to be through a man's external senses, such as seeing (reading the Word) hearing (the Word), etc., for man now lived in the natural state, having closed any perception coming from the Lord God within.
This Church seen in our lesson that is in the spiritual world is, now, no longer here on earth and like all who come into the world of spirits are taught by angels there and, so, the angels have come to see and to disperse the clouds, the ignorance they have from the truths that they have believed, so that the light from Heaven is allowed to shine 'as it were' into their midst. In the spiritual state light or Divine Essence is given to those of the Church, that is, to the man who is in such a state, which will be shown later. Let us explain this further. We know that if the Lord had not come into this world man would be forever lost. And, by a 'cloud' causing such darkness so that they could not see each other and scarcely their own hand signifies the degree to which that Church had fallen in their understanding about the Lord and His redemption. So, it is that the light that was now coming to them meant that they could again begin to understand some things about the Lord. Has not the Lord come and brought "a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to thy people Israel?" (Luke 2: 32). Therefore, with such light one can be taught and come to understand those things about the essence of God - the Goodness of Love of God and the Truth there from. Angels, we know are messengers that bring the Gospel of Divine Truth. They are sent to teach those in the spiritual world and thus, to lead them upon coming there. On course, we know that Jesus Christ, the Lord, came into the world and taught the Gospel of repentance to mankind and, now, angels sent from the Lord, the Divine Human, to come and to teach the Gospel of Divine Truth that the Lord has united the Human with the Divine and the Divine with the Human.
One of the angels came and dispersed the black cloud and asked what it was they were discussing that caused such darkness upon their Church. In other words, what is it that they were so ignorant of? When men are discussing they are saying that this or that is true. Therefore, when they were discussing the matter of how redemption was effected from their own understanding there was darkness or ignorance concerning it. So, here, we see that a man's understanding alone without the light or the truths from the Lord in the spiritual world is seen as dark clouds, even though the man it seems very clear to him. So, when the priest in the lesson explained his answer you can understand the angel's reaction and this from the Word of the Third Testament. The priest had said that the Son of God effected redemption through the passion of the cross, that the Son made expiation for the human race. Isn't that what those who are in the same idea as the first Christian Church believes? We see that the angel was astonished and in fact stood silence for a long time. Finally, he exclaimed, 'Can the Christian world be so insane and wander from sound reason into such madness, and establish its fundamental doctrine of salvation on such paradoxes?' (TCR 134: 3). Yet, there are today those who continue to adhere to this same idea of redemption.
So you may assume it was the Christian Church that he was addressing from the doctrine sited by the priest, and I would imagine many 'Christians' today would take offence and dismiss this as rubbish. They are, of course, in their freedom to believe what they want. Nonetheless, the Lord is, today, in His glorification; His resurrection is finished and He has returned to Heaven as predicted in the book Revelation and in that book the Lord finds that the Christian Church has not true to their first love and has come to their end. The whole of Revelation is concerning the Last Judgment upon those Churches. The first thing for us to understand here is: what does the 'Christian world' mentioned signify in our text? First, it represents those who are in works alone and not in any truth of doctrine. However, next, we see they know the Lord and possess the Word, but do not search for truths or do they apply the Lord's teachings to their life. They call themselves Christians, but are not Christians, but are what are called Gentiles. (cf. AR 110). Now, it is to this Church - the Gentile Church - that the angel came to teach truths to and directed them towards the Third Testament as we will soon learn.
Remember, the Christian Church was instituted among the Jews. And, it was to become an internal Church while the Jewish Church was an external Church. (cf. AC 4868). One can learn from Third Testament that the quality of the Christian Church was that of the sons of Shem, which was a spiritual Church. Shem represented the internal Church and their worship as internal from the Lord who they called Jehovah. However, the Churches called Christian in the world and that were now in the world of spirits seen in our lesson, before the Last Judgment, were worshipping God in three persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. So, as we learned, the priest explained how they believed redemption was effected - God the Son making atonement to God the Father. Of course, when the Lord was in the world He founded or laid the foundation of the Christian Church, and we see those who truly were of that Church were later 'built up' in the spiritual world, while those who refused the angels instructions or the Heavenly light from entering their understanding were not and at that time the Third Testament was being written for man on earth. (TCR 764).
Now let us see what the foundation was of the Lord's New Church that was built up in the spiritual world. First, it should be known that the very foundation is Truth itself and, thus, is the Lord Himself. Anyone can see that truth relates to redemption and is based upon the Lord and that the Lord became united with the Divine becoming the Divine Human. The Truth was manifested in the Lord and united His Human to the Divine and thus, became God and Man. So, He, also, established or laid the foundation of the New (Christian) Church first in His Human and then in a man who believes on Him, that is, who is obedient to the Divine as He was. Next, let us see what is meant by being 'built up' in the spiritual of life and thus, in that world. We see in the spiritual sense that to 'build up' refers to what has fallen and, of course, it was seen that the first Christian Church had fallen as has been pointed out in Revelation. Of course, to be 'built up' refers to either good or evil. (cf. AC 153). The Word speaks in many places of building up and, there, often it refers to turning man's life around and toward the Lord. This, of course, is done through scientifics that a man learns through his senses as was pointed out. He is instructed through his senses and when he is conjoined with goods from God he becomes intellectual; thus, he is turned to Heaven and to the Lord. If the opposite, he turns to evil and becomes insane. (cf. AC 4390).
So, in establishing the true Christian Church it was necessary to teach man by opening his mind to understand spiritual truths through the natural senses since man lives in this natural world. Such as the Church, that is seen in our lesson or in the reading, had not confirmed the falsities and evils as had the prior Churches, even those who called themselves 'Christian', but refused to accept what was taught whose fate was revealed in Revelation. Thus, those who were in this state - who had not confirmed falsities - could be led and taught. As was shown the foundation was first laid in the human of the Lord. Then, the Lord introduced the Word of the Divine Human into man's understanding while those they were in the spiritual world. Those who understood and who believed ascended from the world of spirits and became the New Heaven that is mentioned in Revelation 21. Through this New Heaven from the Lord flows goods and truths into man (on earth) making in him a new understanding and will and thus, a New (Christian) Church is instituted on earth. Therefore, it is that a man can be taught, that he can appropriate such truths through his natural senses even as the Lord did while He was on earth. The way now had been opened by the Lord for a man to be conjoined and to communicate with Heaven and the Lord.
Now, let us see in particular the building up of the New (Christian) Church - the Lord's New Church - that now descends from the New Heaven. The lesson in True Christian Religion gives us an illustration. What we learn is that this Church is doing good, but they do not have the truth, and, still they were not in evil. In fact, they could even be taught and led to understand spiritual truths as we can see happened. Let's see how they were taught. In the reading the angel explains to them the fundamental truth about creation being made according to Divine order and that God Himself was Order. We see that there was no explanation about how the Lord came into the Word or even how He glorified Himself and how later had subjugated the hells and brought order to the Heavens. However, we do see that these things were taught later in the Third Testament to those who come to accept it as God's Word. Only the essence of God was explained by the angel and that to think contrary, as they did, was in error and not the true nature of God.
The angel could see their ignorance in spiritual things. Those who are in such a state when they come into the next are recognized by black clouds coming from the north. However, this Church had wished to do good and because of this, they could be led to understand and to acknowledge their ignorance. They wanted to learn the truth, and to understand how redemption was effected, for they did not have the truth about the Lord, but had the love (or will) to do good.
The third lesson has confirmed this. For, we see the priest could understand what the angel said, and 'because the angels who were above shed upon him the light of Heaven' (TCR 134 § 5). The priest understood, not through his natural senses, for it are still under the rule of his proprium. In fact, his proprium would only lead him further astray and into falsities and eventually into evils, but his reasoning was now from the Lord; it was taught to him by the angels. Nonetheless, at that time, the redemption was still not completed, for the hells were not subjugated nor was Heaven brought into order, though the time for the Last Judgment was upon the first Church. However, we are assured because the Word in Revelation has predicted this and, that today the Third Testament has come on earth. The priest understood because of the influx of light from Heaven.
It is the tone and the quality of the priest's voice when he had answered the angel that one sees the quality and the state of this Church, that is, of the man who is in such a state - a state in which one wills to do well (good) but is ignorant of the truth. "With a sigh he said; 'What can be done?'" (TCR 134 § 5). The priest went on to say that all men so preach and pray and believe as he had earlier explained to the angel of his belief about redemption. He was, of course, referring to the Christian Church that was established by the Lord and not to the Church that had turned into a false Church. Now, he could see that they were wrong in their belief. In the priest's voice and words one hears the sincerity, the hopelessness, and the humility. In this, the angel heard the priest's confession and repentance to the Lord. So, the angel recognized and understood because this Church was in ignorance, but sincere in wanting to learn the truth, and in its love for the Lord and the neighbor. The man of this Church wanted to do well (good). The angel explained that their efforts were useless; their understanding and will had been too deep-seated with falsities and evils. The priest questions:
"What is to be done?" and the answer, "Go therefore to him who stands yonder; he will teach you from the Lord." (TCR 134 § 5)
Swedenborg, the chosen of God to write the Word - the Third Testament - had been there in the temple with them in the spiritual world. Here, you can see the significance is to go to the Word of the Divine Human, the Word that comes the glorified Lord, which is know as the Third Testament that has come on earth. A person who is in such a state as was this Church that had come into the spiritual world can be conjoined with the Lord and he can communicate with Heaven. The Arcana - the Secrets of the Word - can now be understood by man through his senses, whereas before a man could scarcely understand anything concerning the Lord or His Church, for he could only see the Word in appearances or apparent truths and not in genuine truths. What is the result of this Church and others like them who have been instructed by angels from Heaven?
We come to see that at last that such a Church has windows on all four sides. Light can enter from the four quarters of the world. This signifies that natural truths can now enter into a man's understanding through his senses and he will be enlightened by the Lord because of the correspondences revealed in the Third Testament in which one may see spiritual or genuine truths. Truths are protection from evils and will make a man free, free from ignorance and evil. Naturally, it can be understood that when there are no windows, a man of the Church is in ignorance of the truth. In fact, he sees only falsity and thinks it is the truth. However, now the scientifics he learns through his senses can be understood because the Third Testament has been revealed. Man is in freedom to either accept it as the Divine Truth or reject it even as he does the Old and the New Testaments. For, that what was predicted in the book Revelation has come to pass and the hells are now subjugated and order has been brought back to Heaven. So, now, when a man reads and believes the Word with a desire to know the truth for truth's sake, the angels with him communicate to him true thoughts and ideas. Influx coming from the Lord through the angels and good spirits can flow into the man and so be conjoined with the scientifics that are in his rational, which is then from the Lord, just as the Jesus, when He was on earth removed the thoughts of mankind He had from His mother which had falsities and evils adhering. From this, a man receives intelligence, which means that he understands spiritually. Though he does not understand as an angel understands, though he understands 'as it were' natural spiritual, which is such as speech is in one's thought. From this we see that the New Church is a spiritual Church. Of course, none of this could have ever happened if not for the Lord becoming Man and if not for the Lord glorifying His Human making it Divine. It is from this that a man is redeemed and can understand spiritually, that is, internally.
Are we examining our own life as the priest did in our lesson when he recounted to the angel his beliefs and actions? Does the Lord's New Church which now descends as a city - the New Jerusalem - out of Heaven from the Lord? Does our Church have windows on its four sides? Are the angels, the truths from Heaven, dispersing our clouds of ignorance? Is our mind, our will and understanding, open to the light from Heaven to flow in and illuminate us? The Lord has accomplished this in Himself by glorifying His Human; He has become the Divine Human and is Omnipotent. He has redeemed us. He has built up or has turned men to Him and has established the New Church. He is continuing to establish it or forming it as it now descends to mankind on earth. May the Lord's will be done on earth as it is in the Heavens.
Amen.
| About |
| Doctrine
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