The Spirits and Angels from the Church known as Mars
By Rev. Paul Booth
Lessons: Ezekiel 11: 17-20 | Genesis 17: 1(I am God etc) -2 | Earths in the Universe 85
By Rev. Paul Booth
Lessons: Ezekiel 11: 17-20 | Genesis 17: 1(I am God etc) -2 | Earths in the Universe 85
I was informed that the spirits of Mars in the Grand Man have relation to the medium between the Intellectual and the Voluntary, consequently to THOUGHT FROM AFFECTION, and the best of them of them to THE AFFECTION OF THOUGHT; hence it is that their face acts in unity with their though, and that they cannot simulate in the presence of anyone. And as this is their relation to the Grand Man, the middle province, which is between the cerebrum and the cerebellum, corresponds to them; for with those in whom the cerebrum and the cerebellum are conjoined as to spiritual operations, the face acts in unity with the thought, so that the very affection of the thought shines forth from the face, and the general [character] of the thought from the affection, and also from certain signs that show themselves in the eyes. Wherefore, while they were with me, I sensibly apperceived a drawing back of the cerebrum towards the cerebellum.
(Earth in the universe 88)
(Earth in the universe 88)
From all those who were regenerated that came from all the various churches, having proceeded in their natural life into the spiritual world, those spirits from the church called Mars are said the best, having the truth of good implanted in their voluntary or will, which is the proper seat of good and is from where perception from God comes. This we have learned was like that of those of the Most Ancient Church spoken about in Arcana Cæleatia. In the spiritual world this church of Mars is represented in their inward principle and is reflected through the face, that is, their affections are heavenly or angelic and their body or their good of the will are as being in the world of spirits thus these are those who are spiritual. While it is those who face toward the Lord whose body is in heaven that is called angels of that church.
We had learned from another prior sermon that the sight of spirits and angels are in ideas and do not come from any natural sight as the sight in this world. It is in this way that within their ideas their church appears in the spiritual world within their own plane or development and place or state separate from other earths or churches within the spiritual world. It is also because of this that all churches are found in their particular location in the Grand Man. In the case of the 'church' or earth which is of Mars who represents goodness and truth or the heart and lungs that are within the breast of the Grand Man. Let us likewise point out here that all churches have their particular location within the Grand Man and all go to make up the Grand Man which without would not be complete unless it was so. Even further, all the various parts of man such as the heart and lungs are controlled from the brain as we have seen already shown in prior sermons and from physiology; such as the 'memory of abstracted earthy things' by the earth or the 'church' of Mercury, by the 'imaginative of thought' by those of the church or earth of Jupiter and now, here, by those of the church called Mars by 'thought from affection' and by even the best coming from that church by 'the affection of thought'. Of course, these distances, because they are in the spiritual world, are only appearances of the good and truth of these churches; these various states kept separate from one another that there might be a proper function of the Grand Man.
One of the first things we see is that when Swedenborg came in contact with spirits from the 'church' or earth of Mars we learn that their speech was very much like those coming from the Most Ancient Church written about in Arcana Celestia whose speech was tacit, having been effected by internal respirations and as such was a cognitive speech. In fact, the spirits speech coming from Mars are not unlike the men of Most Ancient Church that had inhabited this world. From the Word we learn that the Most Ancient Church had represented the celestial kingdom of the Lord on our earth, of the many churches derived from the original - Adam and Eve. There had come the many different perceptions of good and truth and they now dwell in heaven together. It is the head of the Grand Man where the celestial kingdom of the Lord dwells and likewise it is the angels of the earth Mars that dwell in the head or brain of the Grand Man.
The Lord spoke with not only those of the Most Ancient Church but also to those of the earth or 'church' of Mars through perception or thru influx and thus we see a medium between the voluntary and involuntary or between the will and understanding, thus from affection to thought and from the affection of thought. Now we know that the Most Ancient Church was the celestial kingdom of the Lord on earth, was before the Lord became glorified and became the Divine Human. Were those that Swedenborg met in the spiritual world and in the celestial heaven of the same genius as the Most Ancient Church? Were there two celestial angels of the same genius from two different churches - one from the earth or 'church' called Mars and one of the Most Ancient Church of our earth? Were they before the Lord's glorification and is there one after who are from the earth Mars and whose abode is in the head of the Grand Man?
One of the things one sees as different between these two churches is that the Most Ancient dwelt in houses, in families, and in the end, in nations while in the church called Mars came to dwelt in greater or lesser societies. In this respect it appears they developed from merely living in houses and families and in contracted marriages into societies that agree in disposition. Was this advancement over the Most Ancient Church? However, in another respect the two are the same when it comes to evil entering in among them through wrong thinking. Can that thinking had been wanting to reject the Lord's influx or perception of what is good and true just as those of the Most Ancient Church had done? Though what we see happened on Mars is those who will what is evil for the lust of gain are kept in check so as not to creep in with their dominion to rule in their societies.
Nonetheless, this earth or 'church' called Mars acknowledges and adores our Lord and say He is the only God governing both heaven and the universe, these being both the Lord Himself - the end, cause and effect of all created things - the good coming from Him. This of course is what the Lord's New Church believes also. Although, at that time they appear to not know that the Lord was glorified and has become the Divine Human. It was later that the announcement was made in heaven that the Lord reigned. Yet the Lord does appear among them having been seen by some with their spiritual eyes as were the spiritual Apostles eyes opened when they seen the Lord after His physical death.
The different things written about in the Word are called representatives. So the literal things written therein refer to something other than what is naturally understood. Thus it is that when Swedenborg saw and wrote what he saw before him as an inhabitant from the earth or 'church' of Mars its meaning corresponded to their interior and as being obedient while at the same time to their proprium or inferior state which was their rational. "His face resembled the faces of the inhabitants of our earth, but the lower part of the face was black, not owing to a beard, which he had not, but to blackness in its place." (Earths in the Universe 93). It is in this way the inhabitant of Mars (though Swedenborg saw not an actual inhabitant) had a face like us only that the lower half was black, though not a beard. Here one sees that their inferior or natural mind was false lacking affection and was the same as we. They had subsisted from 'fruits of trees'. The internal sense refers to their regeneration, for subsistence comes from within and fruit is the state of will in good which the Lord works by man and man works by himself from the Lord. As to the fruit being round is understood 'good'. We may learn that what was understand were celestial spiritual goods as that is what the wearing garments mean. Since the garments were woven by inner fibers of the inner bark of trees we see their ultimates as the fibers of proceeding good which comes from the brain for all useful ends. When the inhabitants of this church begin to loose faith and turn to no charity and turn to their proprium, they were able to bring or make their love of the divine and thus call upon the Lord's mercy. Mercy is influx of good and truth through regeneration just as it is on our earth. "They related further that they know how to make fluid fires, from which they have light during evening and night". (Earths of the Universe 98). This, of course refers to the Lord, which is represented as the Light and so the spiritual understanding is illuminated, for by fluid here is meant spiritual.
Following this there was shown a beautiful object of different colors, crimson and with a glowing ruby hue and also a hand that this object adhered to; first on the back and then on the palm. Later the hand removed a distant from those watching on, one of which was Swedenborg, and at last the hand vanished in a bright light. Where upon the flaming object became a bird of similar color? These colors at last began changing and likewise the vigor of life of the bird. Gradually it became stony whose at first was pearly then of a dusk color; though it still flew. From reading this story we learn that what is meant, for its internal sense is clearly revealed in the Word and that it signified the church or the earth of Mars. From this it is like all churches. They begin love and alive and true but ended in a state having no life.
So we see the 'church' or earth of Mars, while there were angels and spirits that had came from it and were of use in the Grand Man it was also pointed out there were those coming who had not developed above the state of natural knowledge like many coming from our earth's churches and some had even had turned against the Lord having no love for Him. It is in this respect that some had became like those who had fallen of the Most Ancient Church who had began in a love towards the Lord - and thus developed into a true church - and after a time came to end in evil or no church. The question one wonders is: does such a church of Mars exist today in the same way and are there those still coming from it who become spirits and others angels that continue to come into the Grand Man and who are the medium between Intellectual and thought and some as the affection of thought that Swedenborg was introduced too? And does it also have those coming who turn away to where there are those who have no life of love and are in knowledges alone or have merely natural rational and thus have no spiritual life?
End
We had learned from another prior sermon that the sight of spirits and angels are in ideas and do not come from any natural sight as the sight in this world. It is in this way that within their ideas their church appears in the spiritual world within their own plane or development and place or state separate from other earths or churches within the spiritual world. It is also because of this that all churches are found in their particular location in the Grand Man. In the case of the 'church' or earth which is of Mars who represents goodness and truth or the heart and lungs that are within the breast of the Grand Man. Let us likewise point out here that all churches have their particular location within the Grand Man and all go to make up the Grand Man which without would not be complete unless it was so. Even further, all the various parts of man such as the heart and lungs are controlled from the brain as we have seen already shown in prior sermons and from physiology; such as the 'memory of abstracted earthy things' by the earth or the 'church' of Mercury, by the 'imaginative of thought' by those of the church or earth of Jupiter and now, here, by those of the church called Mars by 'thought from affection' and by even the best coming from that church by 'the affection of thought'. Of course, these distances, because they are in the spiritual world, are only appearances of the good and truth of these churches; these various states kept separate from one another that there might be a proper function of the Grand Man.
One of the first things we see is that when Swedenborg came in contact with spirits from the 'church' or earth of Mars we learn that their speech was very much like those coming from the Most Ancient Church written about in Arcana Celestia whose speech was tacit, having been effected by internal respirations and as such was a cognitive speech. In fact, the spirits speech coming from Mars are not unlike the men of Most Ancient Church that had inhabited this world. From the Word we learn that the Most Ancient Church had represented the celestial kingdom of the Lord on our earth, of the many churches derived from the original - Adam and Eve. There had come the many different perceptions of good and truth and they now dwell in heaven together. It is the head of the Grand Man where the celestial kingdom of the Lord dwells and likewise it is the angels of the earth Mars that dwell in the head or brain of the Grand Man.
The Lord spoke with not only those of the Most Ancient Church but also to those of the earth or 'church' of Mars through perception or thru influx and thus we see a medium between the voluntary and involuntary or between the will and understanding, thus from affection to thought and from the affection of thought. Now we know that the Most Ancient Church was the celestial kingdom of the Lord on earth, was before the Lord became glorified and became the Divine Human. Were those that Swedenborg met in the spiritual world and in the celestial heaven of the same genius as the Most Ancient Church? Were there two celestial angels of the same genius from two different churches - one from the earth or 'church' called Mars and one of the Most Ancient Church of our earth? Were they before the Lord's glorification and is there one after who are from the earth Mars and whose abode is in the head of the Grand Man?
One of the things one sees as different between these two churches is that the Most Ancient dwelt in houses, in families, and in the end, in nations while in the church called Mars came to dwelt in greater or lesser societies. In this respect it appears they developed from merely living in houses and families and in contracted marriages into societies that agree in disposition. Was this advancement over the Most Ancient Church? However, in another respect the two are the same when it comes to evil entering in among them through wrong thinking. Can that thinking had been wanting to reject the Lord's influx or perception of what is good and true just as those of the Most Ancient Church had done? Though what we see happened on Mars is those who will what is evil for the lust of gain are kept in check so as not to creep in with their dominion to rule in their societies.
Nonetheless, this earth or 'church' called Mars acknowledges and adores our Lord and say He is the only God governing both heaven and the universe, these being both the Lord Himself - the end, cause and effect of all created things - the good coming from Him. This of course is what the Lord's New Church believes also. Although, at that time they appear to not know that the Lord was glorified and has become the Divine Human. It was later that the announcement was made in heaven that the Lord reigned. Yet the Lord does appear among them having been seen by some with their spiritual eyes as were the spiritual Apostles eyes opened when they seen the Lord after His physical death.
The different things written about in the Word are called representatives. So the literal things written therein refer to something other than what is naturally understood. Thus it is that when Swedenborg saw and wrote what he saw before him as an inhabitant from the earth or 'church' of Mars its meaning corresponded to their interior and as being obedient while at the same time to their proprium or inferior state which was their rational. "His face resembled the faces of the inhabitants of our earth, but the lower part of the face was black, not owing to a beard, which he had not, but to blackness in its place." (Earths in the Universe 93). It is in this way the inhabitant of Mars (though Swedenborg saw not an actual inhabitant) had a face like us only that the lower half was black, though not a beard. Here one sees that their inferior or natural mind was false lacking affection and was the same as we. They had subsisted from 'fruits of trees'. The internal sense refers to their regeneration, for subsistence comes from within and fruit is the state of will in good which the Lord works by man and man works by himself from the Lord. As to the fruit being round is understood 'good'. We may learn that what was understand were celestial spiritual goods as that is what the wearing garments mean. Since the garments were woven by inner fibers of the inner bark of trees we see their ultimates as the fibers of proceeding good which comes from the brain for all useful ends. When the inhabitants of this church begin to loose faith and turn to no charity and turn to their proprium, they were able to bring or make their love of the divine and thus call upon the Lord's mercy. Mercy is influx of good and truth through regeneration just as it is on our earth. "They related further that they know how to make fluid fires, from which they have light during evening and night". (Earths of the Universe 98). This, of course refers to the Lord, which is represented as the Light and so the spiritual understanding is illuminated, for by fluid here is meant spiritual.
Following this there was shown a beautiful object of different colors, crimson and with a glowing ruby hue and also a hand that this object adhered to; first on the back and then on the palm. Later the hand removed a distant from those watching on, one of which was Swedenborg, and at last the hand vanished in a bright light. Where upon the flaming object became a bird of similar color? These colors at last began changing and likewise the vigor of life of the bird. Gradually it became stony whose at first was pearly then of a dusk color; though it still flew. From reading this story we learn that what is meant, for its internal sense is clearly revealed in the Word and that it signified the church or the earth of Mars. From this it is like all churches. They begin love and alive and true but ended in a state having no life.
So we see the 'church' or earth of Mars, while there were angels and spirits that had came from it and were of use in the Grand Man it was also pointed out there were those coming who had not developed above the state of natural knowledge like many coming from our earth's churches and some had even had turned against the Lord having no love for Him. It is in this respect that some had became like those who had fallen of the Most Ancient Church who had began in a love towards the Lord - and thus developed into a true church - and after a time came to end in evil or no church. The question one wonders is: does such a church of Mars exist today in the same way and are there those still coming from it who become spirits and others angels that continue to come into the Grand Man and who are the medium between Intellectual and thought and some as the affection of thought that Swedenborg was introduced too? And does it also have those coming who turn away to where there are those who have no life of love and are in knowledges alone or have merely natural rational and thus have no spiritual life?
End
| 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