Logopraxis

Good needing something to fix to

Arcana Coelestia 6368 [2] But be it known that no one can be torn away and delivered from hell unless in the life of the body he has been in spiritual good, that is, in charity through faith; for unless he has been in this good through faith, there is nothing to receive the good which flows in from the Lord; but it flows through, except that which can be fixed somewhere; and therefore these persons cannot be torn away or delivered from hell.

 

Fleeing from truths

6365... It is said that they shall flee at his presence, because when any one of the infernal crew approaches any angel of the Lord’s celestial kingdom, he flees at his presence, being unable to endure it, because he cannot endure the sphere of celestial love, which is that of love to the Lord; this sphere being to him like burning and tormenting fire. Moreover a celestial angel never fights, still less is his hand in the neck of his enemies, nor indeed does he regard anyone as an enemy insofar as he is concerned; yet it is so expressed on account of the conditions in this world; but the real meaning is that the infernals, regarding themselves as his enemies, flee from his presence.

6369... they who are in celestial good never fight, but are safe through good; because where they come, the evil flee away, for the evil cannot endure their presence .

 

Being held by the Lord when in the midst of the state

6370. Who shall rouse him up? That this signifies that he is safe among all in the hells, is evident from the signification of “who shall rouse him up,” as being to be safe. That it denotes among all in the hells is because he is safe among all evils, even in the midst of the hells; for love to the Lord and toward the neighbor has this effect, because they who are in this love are most closely conjoined with the Lord, and are in the Lord, because they are in the Divine which proceeds from Him; hence nothing of evil can reach them. Be it known that there are innumerable hells, distinct according to the genera of evils and the derivative falsities, and according to the species of these, and the details of the species; and that in each hell there is order; and that this order is preserved by the Lord, both immediately, and mediately through the celestial angels; at times also angels are sent thither to bring into order what is disorderly there; and when they are there, they are in safety. This is what is meant by the safety among all in the hells of him who is in what is celestial.

 

When the sense of self gets shifted through the practise of truths

3812 [2] As regards the proprium in general there are two kinds, the first being the hellish proprium, the second the heavenly. The hellish proprium is acquired by a person from hell, the heavenly from heaven, that is, from the Lord through heaven. For all evil and all falsity from evil enter in from hell, and all good and all truth from good do so from the Lord. People know this from the doctrine of faith, but scarcely one in a million believes it. Consequently a person appropriates - that is, makes his own - evil entering in from hell; but good entering in from the Lord does not move him and cannot therefore be said to have a place in him. The reason why a person does not believe that evil enters in from hell and good from the Lord is that he is governed by self-love, a love which carries such unbelief with it and which goes so far as to be highly indignant when that person is told that everything comes into him from somewhere else. This then is why a person's entire proprium is nothing but evil, see 210, 215, 694, 731, 874-876, 987, 1023, 1044, 1047. But the belief that evil is from hell and good from the Lord exists with him when he is not governed by self-love but by love towards the neighbour and love to the Lord; for this love carries such belief with it. So it is that a person receives from the Lord the heavenly proprium referred to in 155, 164, 731, 1023, 1044, 1937, 1947, 2882, 2883, 2891.

1044. 'And it will be for a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth' means a token of the Lord's presence in charity, 'the earth' here being a person's proprium. This is clear from what has been stated already. That 'the earth' means a person's Proprium is clear from the internal sense and from the whole train of thought. Above it was stated that 'this is the sign of the covenant between Me and you and every living soul that is with you' meant whatever has been regenerated; but here the wording is different - 'it will be for a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth'. From this, and also from the repetition of 'sign of the covenant', it is evident that something different is meant here, and indeed that 'the earth' is that which has not been regenerated, and which is incapable of being, namely the will part of a person's proprium.

[2] When somebody is regenerate he belongs to the Lord so far as the understanding Part of his mind is concerned but belongs to himself so far as the will part of it is concerned. These two parts in the spiritual man are opposed to each other. But although the will part of a person's proprium is opposed, its continuing presence is nevertheless inevitable. Indeed all the obscurity in the understanding part, that is, all the thickness of his cloud, originates there. It is constantly flowing in from there, and in the measure it flows in so the cloud in the understanding part thickens; but in the measure it is taken away, the cloud thins out. This is why 'the earth' here means a person's proprium. That 'the earth' means the bodily part of man's nature as well as having many other meanings has been shown already.

[3] The relationship between those two parts is like two parties who were first of all joined together by a covenant of friendship - as will and understanding were in the member of the Most Ancient Church - and then the friendship was broken off and hostility arose, as happened when man corrupted totally the will part of him. After that, when the covenant is renewed, the hostile part presents itself as though the covenant were with it. But no covenant is made with it because it is utterly opposed and contrary. It is made instead with that which flows in from it, as has been stated, that is, with the understanding part of the proprium. The sign or token of the covenant is this, that to the extent the Lord is present in the understanding part of the proprium the will part of it will be taken away. The relationship between the two is just like that of heaven and hell. The understanding part of a regenerate person, by virtue of the charity in which the Lord is present, is heaven, while the will part of him is hell. To the extent the Lord is present in heaven, hell is removed; for when he subsists from himself man is in hell, but when he does so from the Lord he is in heaven. Man is constantly being raised up from hell into heaven, and so far as he is raised up his hell is taken away from him. The sign or token therefore that the Lord is present rests in the fact that man's own will is taken away. The possibility of that removal is achieved by means of temptations and many other means of regeneration.

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Click to Print Reading

6424. And the arms of his hands are made strong. That this signifies the power of the forces for fighting, is evident from the signification of arms and hands, as being powers, (see n. 878, 3091, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544); that it is the power of the forces for fighting is clear, because fighting is what is being treated of.

6425. By the hands of the mighty Jacob. That this signifies by the omnipotence of the Lord's Divine Human, is evident from the signification of hands, as being power (of which just above, n. 6424), and in the supreme sense, in which the Lord is treated of, omnipotence (n. 878, 3387, 4592, 4933); and from the signification of the mighty Jacob, as being the Lord's Divine natural, thus His Divine Human (see n. 1893, 3305, 3576, 3599, 4286, 4538, 6098, 6185, 6276). That it is the Lord who is meant by the mighty Jacob, is evident also in David:

Who sware to Jehovah, he vowed unto the mighty Jacob, Surely I will not come into the tent of my house until I find out a place for Jehovah, the habitations of the mighty Jacob (Ps. 132:2, 3, 5).

And in Isaiah:

That all flesh may know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty Jacob (Isa. 49:26).

Again:

Hear O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen, I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thy sons; this one shall say, I am Jehovah's, and that one will call Himself by the name of Jacob, and another will write with his hand Jehovah's, and will surname himself with the name of Israel (Isa. 44:1, 3, 5).

That Israel also in the supreme sense denotes the Lord, is evident in Hosea:

When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called My son out of Egypt (Hos. 11:1);

that it is the Lord who is here meant by Israel is evident in Matthew:

Joseph went with the boy into Egypt, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt have I called My Son (Matt. 2:14, 15).

6426. From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel. That this signifies that from this is all good and truth in the spiritual kingdom, is evident from the signification of a shepherd, as being one who leads to the good of charity by means of the truth of faith (see n. 344, 3795, 6044); here in the supreme sense, because the Lord is treated of, it signifies good and truth itself; from the signification of stone, as being truth (see n. 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798); and from the representation of Israel, as being the spiritual church (see n. 3305, 4286); for Israel is spiritual good, or the good of truth (n. 4286, 4598, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833); and as the good of truth is the very essential of the spiritual church, therefore by Israel the spiritual church is signified, and in a higher sense the Lord's spiritual kingdom.

[2] From all this it is evident that by from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel is signified that from this is all the good and truth of the Lord's spiritual kingdom. That in the highest sense the stone of Israel denotes the Lord in respect to the truth that is in His spiritual kingdom, is because by stone in general is signified the temple, and specifically its foundation, and by the temple is signified the Lord's Divine Human (as is evident in John 2:19, 21), and also by its foundation (Matt. 21:42, 44; and Isa. 28:16). That in the highest sense a stone denotes the Lord as to the Divine truth that is of His spiritual kingdom, is evident in David:

The stone which the architects rejected, is become the head of the corner. This was done from Jehovah: it is marvelous in our eyes (Ps. 118:22, 23).

That the stone here is the Lord, is evident in Luke:

It is written, The stone which the architects rejected, the same is become the head of the whosoever shall fall upon this stone shall be broken; but upon whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (Luke 20:17, 18);

these words the Lord speaks concerning Himself. And in Isaiah:

Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread; for He shall be for a sanctuary, although a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, to the two houses of Israel; many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken (Isa. 8:13-15);

where the subject treated of is the Lord. Again:

Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold I will lay for a foundation in Zion a stone, a tried stone, of a precious corner, of a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not hurry (Isa. 28:16).

In Zechariah:

Jehovah Zebaoth shall visit His flock, the house of Judah, and shall make them as a horse of glory in war; from Him is the corner stone, from Him the nail, from Him the war bow (Zech. 10:3, 4).

[3] In Daniel:

Thou sawest even until a stone was cut out which was not done with hands, and it smote the image upon its feet, that were iron and clay, and brake them in pieces. The stone that smote the image became a great rock, and filled the whole earth. The God of the heavens shall make a kingdom rise up that shall not be destroyed forever, nor shall His kingdom be left to another people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, but itself shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the rock, which was not done with hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold (Dan. 2:34, 35, 44, 45);

here by a stone in the highest sense is meant the Lord, and in the relative sense His spiritual kingdom; that the stone was cut out of a rock signifies that it was from the truth of faith, for this is signified in the Word by a rock; and as the truth of faith is signified by stone and rock, it is the Lord's spiritual kingdom that is also signified, for this is in the truth of faith, and from this in good.

[4] By the stone also upon which Jacob slept, and which he afterward set for a pillar, the like is signified, of which it is written:

Jacob awoke out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Jehovah is in this place, and I knew it not; and he feared, and said, How terrible is this place! this is nothing but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had set for his pillows, and set it for a pillar, and poured oil upon the head of it; and he said, This stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house (Gen. 28:16-18, 22).

That in the highest sense the ancients understood the Lord by a stone, and in the representative sense His spiritual kingdom, is also clear in Joshua:

Joshua set up a stone under the oak that was in the sanctuary of Jehovah. And Joshua said unto the universal people, Behold, this stone shall be to us for a witness; for it hath heard all the discourses of Jehovah, which He spake to us; and it shall be for a witness against you, lest ye deny your God (Josh. 24:26, 27).

6427. The contents of these two verses in the internal sense is plain from the things unfolded, but still these things must needs be obscure unless the nature of the spiritual kingdom is known. This kingdom consists of those who are in the truth of faith, but who make this the truth of life, and thus good; for when the truth of faith is lived, it becomes good, and is called the good of truth, but in its essence it is truth in act. In the Lord's spiritual church the truth of faith is various, for that is said to be truth in one church which in another is said not to be truth, and this according to the doctrine of each; thus it is doctrinal things that are called truths. These truths are what are conjoined with good, and make the good of the spiritual church; and thus its good becomes such as is its truth, for good has its quality from truths.

[2] Hence it is evident that the good of the spiritual church is impure; and because it is impure, the spiritual cannot be admitted into heaven except by Divine means. The veriest Divine means was that the Lord came into the world and made the Human in Himself Divine; by this the spiritual were saved. But because the good with them is impure, they must needs be infested by evils and falsities, and thus be in combats; but the Lord provides that by means of these combats the impurity in them may gradually be purified, for the Lord fights for them. This is what is signified by the daughter marched upon the wall, and by the archers embittered him, and shot at him, and hated him, and he shall sit in the strength of his bow, and the arms of his hands are made strong by the hands of the mighty Jacob, from whence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel.

[3] See what has already been said about those who are of the spiritual church, namely, that they are in obscurity as to truth and the derivative good (n. 2708, 2715, 2718, 2831, 2935, 2937, 3241, 3246, 3833, 6289); that this obscurity is illumined by the Lord's Divine Human (n. 2716); that before the Lord's coming there was not such a spiritual kingdom as after His coming (n. 6372); that the Lord came into the world in order to save the spiritual; and that they are saved by means of the Lord's Divine Human (see n. 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834, 3969). Hence also it is plain that by the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty Jacob, from whence is the shepherd the stone of Israel, is signified the power of fighting derived from the omnipotence of the Lord's Divine Human, whence is all the good and truth in the spiritual kingdom (n. 6424-6426).

6428. By the God of thy father, and He shall help thee. That this signifies that He is the God of the Ancient Church, is evident from the representation of Jacob, who here is the father, as being the Ancient Church (n. 4439, 4514, 4680, 4772). This church was a spiritual church, and in it the Lord was worshiped, who is here meant by the God of the Ancient Church, from whom is help in the combats spoken of above.

6429. And with Shaddai. That this signifies the Lord the Benefactor after tempt

Order from the centre to the peripheries  

Apocalypse Revealed 678 [2] It should be clearly known, that the interiors of the human mind exist in successive order and in simultaneous order with everyone. They are in successive order from its higher or prior things to its lower or posterior things. They are in simultaneous order in the ultimates or postremes, but in these latter they exist from interior things to exterior, as from a center to its circumference. This is shown in many places in The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and Wisdom, (173-281), where degrees are treated of; from which it is evident that the ultimate is the complex of all the prior things. Hence it follows, that all the lusts of evil exist in simultaneous order inwardly in the very evil which the man perceives in himself, every evil which a man perceives in himself being in ultimates; for which reason when a man rejects evil from himself, he at the same time rejects its lusts; but still not from himself, but from the Lord. A man can indeed of himself reject evil, but not its lusts; wherefore, when he wills to reject evil, by fighting against it, he will look up to the Lord; for the Lord operates from inmosts to ultimates, for He enters through the soul of man, and purifies him.

Arcana Coelestia  6366. Thy father’s sons shall bow down to thee. That this signifies that truths will submit themselves of their own accord, is evident from the signification of “bowing down,” as being to submit themselves; and from the signification of the “father’s sons,” as being the truths that are from spiritual good, for the “sons of Israel” denote spiritual truths (see n. 5414, 5879, 5951), and “Israel” is spiritual good (n. 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833). That these truths will submit themselves of their own accord, is because when celestial love, which is represented by Judah, flows into the spiritual truths which are represented by the sons of Israel, it disposes them into order, and thus submits them to the Lord; for the celestial has this efficacy through influx into spiritual things, that is, good through influx into truth. For this reason also the Lord’s celestial kingdom is the inmost or third heaven, thus is nearest the Lord; and His spiritual kingdom is the middle or second heaven, thus is further away from the Lord. It is from this order that the Lord flows into the spiritual kingdom, both mediately through the celestial kingdom, and also immediately. The influx is of such a nature that the spiritual kingdom is kept in order by means of the celestial kingdom, and in this way is submitted to the Lord. The influx from the celestial kingdom is effected by means of love toward the neighbor, for this is the external of the celestial kingdom and the internal of the spiritual kingdom; hence the conjunction of both (see n. 5922).  

 

The violence of faith without charity

AC 6328. GENESIS 49: 1-8.  And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather ye yourselves together, and I will tell you what shall befall you in the end of the days  Assemble yourselves and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hear unto Israel your father. Reuben, my firstborn, thou art my strength, and the beginning of my forces, excellent in eminence, and excellent in power. Light as water thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up on thy father’s bed, then profanedst thou it; he went up on my couch. Simeon and Leviticus are brethren; instruments of violence are their swords. Into their secret let not my soul come; in their assembly let not my glory be united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their good pleasure they unstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger for it was vehement, and their wrath for it was hard. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Judah, thy brethren shall celebrate thee, thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies, thy father’s sons shall bow down to thee.

AC 6353. Instruments of violence are their swords. That this signifies that doctrinal things serve to destroy the works of charity, thus charity itself, is evident from the signification of “instruments of violence,” as being what serves to destroy charity (that “instruments” denote things that are of service is evident, and that “violence” denotes the destruction of charity, will be seen presently); and from the signification of “swords,” as being doctrinal things. For “swords” [gladii] denote the truths of faith, by means of which combat is waged against falsities and evils ((2799) see n. 2799), thus “swords” [machaerae] are doctrinal things, here the doctrinal things by means of which combat is waged against truth and good, and by means of which these are extinguished, because this is done by those who are in faith alone, or in faith separate from charity, with whom the reverse prevails.

[2] The doctrinal things of those who are in faith alone, whereby they destroy the works of charity, are chiefly those which teach that man is saved by faith alone without the works of charity, and that these are not necessary, and that man is saved by faith alone even in the last hour, no matter how he had lived through the whole course of his life, thus those who have practiced nothing but cruelties, those who have practiced nothing but adulteries, those who have practiced nothing but profane things; and hence that salvation is merely admission into heaven, none being admitted but they who have received this grace at the end of their life; and thus that some have been elected out of mercy, and some damned out of unmercifulness; when yet heaven is denied by the Lord to no one, but the life and the communication of life (which are there perceived as an odor is perceived by those exposed to it on earth) render it impossible for the wicked to dwell there, because they are tormented by the evil of their life there more than in the deepest hell.

 

The life of faith is chairty

The Last Judgement 39. Good is the esse, and truth the existere derived from it, and thus the truth of faith has its own esse of life from the good of charity (3049, 3180, 4574, 5002, 9154). Hence the truth of faith lives from the good of charity, or charity is the life of faith (1589, 1947, 1997, 2571, 4070, 4096, 4097, 4736, 4757, 4884, 5147, 5928, 9154, 9667, 9841, 10729). Faith is not alive in man, when he only knows and thinks of the things of faith, but when he wills them, and from willing, does them (9224). The conjunction of the Lord with man is not by faith, but by the life of faith, which is charity (9380, 10143, 10153, 10578, 10645, 10648).

 

AC 9380 ...The representations that are devoid of the knowledge, faith, and affection of the interior things that are represented, conjoin the thing, but not the person.

[2] The case is the same with those who remain in the mere literal sense of the Word, and gather from it nothing of doctrine; for they are separated from the internal sense, because the internal sense is doctrine itself. The conjunction of the Lord with the external things of the Word is through its interior things; and therefore if the interior things have been separated, there is possible no other conjunction of the Lord with the external things than as with a gesture of the body without any agreement of the heart. It is the very same with those who are perfectly acquainted with all the particulars of the doctrine of their church, and yet do not apply them to life. These also are in external things devoid of what is internal, for with them the truths of doctrine are outside so long as they have not been inscribed on their life. The reason why there is no conjunction of the Lord with their truths, is that the Lord enters into a man’s truths of faith through his life; thus through the soul which is in the truths.

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Click Here to Print Reading

461. AFTER DEATH MAN IS POSSESSED OF EVERY SENSE, AND OF ALL THE MEMORY, THOUGHT, AND AFFECTION, THAT HE HAD IN THE WORLD, LEAVING NOTHING BEHIND EXCEPT HIS EARTHLY BODY.

It has been proved to me by manifold experience that when man passes from the natural world into the spiritual, as he does when he dies, he carries with him all his possessions, that is, everything that belongs to him as a man, except his earthly body. For when man enters the spiritual world or the life after death, he is in a body as he was in the world, with no apparent difference, since he neither sees nor feels any difference. But his body is then spiritual, and thus separated or purified from all that is earthly; and when what is spiritual touches or sees what is spiritual, it is just the same as when what is natural touches or sees what is natural. So when a man has become a spirit he does not know otherwise than that he is in the same body that he had in the world and thus does not know that he has died. [2] Moreover, a man's spirit enjoys every sense, both outer and inner, that he enjoyed in the world; he sees as before, he hears and speaks as before, smells and tastes, and when touched, he feels the touch as before; he also longs, desires, craves, thinks, reflects, is stirred, loves, wills, as before; and one who takes delight in studies, reads and writes as before. In a word, when a man passes from one life into the other, or from one world into the other, it is like passing from one place into another, carrying with him all things that he had possessed in himself as a man; so that by death, which is only the death of the earthly body, man cannot be said to have lost anything really his own. [3] Furthermore, he carries with him his natural memory, retaining everything that he has heard, seen, read, learned, or thought, in the world from earliest infancy even to the end of life; although the natural objects that are contained in the memory, since they cannot be reproduced in the spiritual world, are quiescent, just as they are when one is not thinking of them. Nevertheless, they are reproduced when the Lord so wills. But more will be said presently about this memory and its state after death. A sensual man finds it impossible to believe that such is the state of man after death, because he cannot comprehend it; for a sensual man must needs think naturally even about spiritual things; therefore, any thing that does not appeal to his senses, that is, that he does not see with his bodily eyes and touch with his hands (as is said of Thomas, John 20 verses 25, 27, 29) he denies the existence of. (What the sensual man is may be seen above, n. 267 and notes.)

[read more]

462. [a.] And yet there is a great difference between man's life in the spiritual world and his life in the natural world, in regard both to his outer senses and their affections and his inner senses and their affections. Those that are in heaven have more exquisite senses, that is, a keener sight and hearing, and also think more wisely than when they were in the world; for they see in the light of heaven, which surpasses by many degrees the light of the world (see above, number 126); and they hear by means of a spiritual atmosphere, which likewise surpasses by many degrees the earthly atmosphere (see number 235). This difference in respect to the outward senses is like the difference between clear sunshine and dark cloudiness in the world, or between noonday light and evening shade. For the light of heaven, since it is Divine truth, enables the eyes of angels to perceive and distinguish most minute things. [2] Moreover, their outer sight corresponds to their inner sight or understanding; for with angels one sight so flows into the other as to act as one with it; and this gives them their great keenness of vision. In like manner, their hearing corresponds to their perception, which pertains both to the understanding and to the will, and in consequence they perceive in the tone and words of one speaking the most minute things of his affection and thought; in the tone what pertains to his affection, and in the words what pertains to his thought (see above, n. 234-245). But the rest of the senses with the angels are less exquisite than the senses of seeing and hearing, for the reason that seeing and hearing serve their intelligence and wisdom, and the rest do not; and if the other senses were equally exquisite they would detract from the light and joy of their wisdom, and would let in the delight of pleasures pertaining to various appetites and to the body; and so far as these prevail they obscure and weaken the understanding. This takes place in the world, where men become gross and stupid in regard to spiritual truths so far as they indulge the sense of taste and yield to the allurements of the sense of touch. [3] From what has already been said and shown in the chapter on the wisdom of the angels of heaven (numbers 265-275), it can be seen that the inner senses also of the angels of heaven, which pertain to their thought and affection, are more exquisite and perfect than the senses they had in the world. But as regards the state of those that are in hell as compared with the state of those in the world there is also a great difference, for as great as is the perfection and excellence of the outer and inner senses of the angels in heaven, with those who are in hell the imperfection is equally great. But the state of these will be treated of hereafter.

462. [b.] That when a man leaves the world he takes with him all his memory has been shown to me in many ways, and many of the things I have seen and heard are worthy of mention, some of which I will relate in order. There were some who denied their crimes and villainies which they had perpetrated in the world; and in consequence, that they might not be believed innocent, all their deeds were disclosed and reviewed from their memory in order, from their earliest to their latest years; these were chiefly adulteries and whoredoms. [2] There were some who had deceived others by wicked arts and had committed thefts. The deceits and thefts of these were also enumerated in detail, many of which were known to scarcely any in the world except themselves. These deeds they confessed, because they were plainly set forth, with every thought, intention, pleasure, and fear which occupied their minds at the time. [3] There were others who had accepted bribes, and had rendered venal judgments, who were similarly explored from their memory and from it everything they had done from the beginning to the end of their office was reviewed. Every detail in regard to what and how much they had received, as well as the time, and their state of mind and intention, were brought to their recollection and made visibly clear to the number of many hundreds. This was done with several and what is wonderful, in some cases their memorandum-books, in which they had recorded these things, were opened and read before them page by page. [4] Others who had enticed maidens to shame or had violated chastity were called to a like judgment; and the details of their crimes were drawn forth from their memory and reviewed. The very faces of the maidens and women were also exhibited as if present, with the places, words and intentions, and this as suddenly as when a scene is presented to the sight, the exhibitions continuing sometimes for hours. [5] There was one who had made light of slandering others; and I heard his slanders recounted in order, and his defamations, with the very words, and the persons about whom and before whom they were uttered; all of which were produced and presented to the very life, although while he lived in the world he had most carefully concealed everything. [6] There was one who had deprived a relative of his inheritance under a fraudulent pretext; and he was in like manner convicted and judged; and what is wonderful, the letters and papers that passed between them were read in my hearing, and it was said that not a word was lacking. [7] The same person shortly before his death had also secretly poisoned his neighbor. This was disclosed in this way. He appeared to be digging a trench under his feet, from which a man came forth as out of a grave, and cried out to him, What have you done to me? Then everything was revealed, how the poisoner had talked with him in a friendly manner, and had held out the cup, also what he thought beforehand, and what happened afterwards. When all this had been disclosed he was sentenced to hell. [8] In a word, to each evil spirit all his evils, villainies, robberies, artifices, and deceits are made clear, and are brought forth from his very memory, and his guilt is fully established; nor is there any possible room for denial, because all the circumstances are exhibited together. Moreover, I have learned from a man's memory, when it was seen and inspected by angels, what his thoughts had been for a month, one day after another, and this without mistake, the thoughts being recalled just as they arose from day to day. [9] From these examples it can be seen that man carries with him all of his memory, and that nothing can be so concealed in the world as not to be disclosed after death, which is done in the presence of many, according to the Lord's words:

There is nothing concealed that shall not be uncovered, and nothing secret that shall not be known; therefore what ye have spoken in the dark shall be heard in the light and what ye have spoken in the ear shall be proclaimed on the housetops (Luke 12 verses 2, 3).

463. In disclosing his acts to a man after death, the angels to whom the office of searching is assigned look into his face, and their search extends through the whole body, beginning with the fingers of each hand, and thus proceeding through the whole. As I wondered at this the reason was given, namely, that as all things of the thought and will are inscri

Every truth and good has an opposing evil and falsity to be revealed

Arcana Coelestia 6368 [2] But be it known that no one can be torn away and delivered from hell unless in the life of the body he has been in spiritual good, that is, in charity through faith; for unless he has been in this good through faith, there is nothing to receive the good which flows in from the Lord; but it flows through, except that which can be fixed somewhere; and therefore these persons cannot be torn away or delivered from hell. For all the states that a man has acquired in the life of the body are retained in the other life, and are filled; with the good the states of good are retained and filled with good, and by means of these states they are elevated into heaven; and with the evil the states of evil are retained and filled with evil, and by means of these states they sink down into hell. This is the meaning of the saying that as a man dies, so he remains. This shows who they are that can be delivered by the Lord from hell by means of the Divine celestial.

Heaven and Hell 598. Man cannot be reformed unless he has freedom, for the reason that he is born into evils of every kind; and these must be removed in order that he may be saved; and they cannot be removed unless he sees them in himself and acknowledges them, and afterwards ceases to will them, and finally holds them in aversion. Not until then are they removed. And this cannot be done unless man is in good as well as in evil, since it is from good that he is able to see evils, while from evil he cannot see good...

Arcana Coelestia 9128[2] As this is an important matter, something shall be said about sight from within. A man sees in himself whether what he thinks and wills, and consequently what he says and does, is good or evil, and consequently whether it is true or false. This is quite impossible unless he sees from within. Seeing from within is seeing from the sight of the internal man in the external. The case is the same as with the sight of the eye: the eye cannot see the things which are within it, but only those which are outside of it. From this then it is that a man sees the good and the evil that are in himself. Nevertheless one man sees this better than another, and some do not see it at all. They who see it, are they who have received from the Lord the life of faith and charity, for this life is the internal life, or the life of the internal man. Such persons, being from faith in truth, and from charity in good, can see the evils and falsities in themselves; for evil can be seen from good, and falsity from truth; but not contrariwise. The reason is that good and truth are in heaven, and in its light; whereas evil and falsity are in hell, and in its darkness. From this it is evident that those who are in evil and thence in falsity cannot see the good and truth, nor even the evil and falsity, which are in themselves, consequently neither can they see from within.

[3] But be it known that to see from within is to see from the Lord; for it is the same with sight as with everything that exists, in that nothing exists from itself, but from that which is prior to or higher than itself, thus finally from the First and Highest. The First and Highest is the Lord. He who apprehends this can also apprehend that everything of life with man is from the Lord; and that as charity and faith constitute the veriest life of man, everything of charity, and everything of faith, are from the Lord.

Heaven and Hell 594. How all things are so arranged in the heavens and in the hells that each and all of those who are there may be in their equilibrium, can in some measure be seen from what has been said and shown above respecting the heavens and the hells, namely, that all the societies of heaven are distinctly arranged in accordance with goods and their kinds and varieties, and all the societies of hell in accordance with evils, and their kinds and varieties; and that beneath each society of heaven there is a society of hell corresponding to it from opposition, and from this opposing correspondence equilibrium results; and in consequence of this the Lord unceasingly provides that no infernal society beneath a heavenly society shall gain any preponderance, and as soon as it begins to do so it is restrained by various means, and is reduced to an exact measure of equilibrium. These means are many, only a few of which I will mention. Some of these means have reference to the stronger presence of the Lord; some to the closer communication and conjunction of one or more societies with others; some to the casting out of superabundant infernal spirits into deserts; some to the transference of certain spirits from one hell to another; some to the reducing of those in the hells to order, and this also is effected in various ways; some to the screening of certain hells under denser and thicker coverings, also letting them down to greater depths; besides other means; and still others that are employed in the heavens above the hells. All this has been said that it may in some measure be perceived that the Lord alone provides that there shall be an equilibrium everywhere between good and evil, thus between heaven and hell; for on such equilibrium the safety of all in the heavens and of all on the earth rests.

 

The freeing is in the seeing

Divine Love and Wisdom 271. EVILS AND FALSITIES ARE IN COMPLETE OPPOSITION TO GOODS AND TRUTHS, BECAUSE EVILS AND FALSITIES ARE DIABOLICAL AND INFERNAL, WHILE GOODS AND TRUTHS ARE DIVINE AND HEAVENLY. That evil and good are opposites, also the falsity of evil and the truth of good, every one acknowledges when he hears it. Still those who are in evil do not feel, and therefore do not perceive, otherwise than that evil is good; for evil gives enjoyment to their senses, especially sight and hearing, and from that gives enjoyment also to their thoughts, and thus their perceptions. While, therefore, the evil acknowledge that evil and good are opposites, still, when they are in evil, they declare from their enjoyment of it that evil is good, and good evil. For example:-One who abuses his freedom to think and to do what is evil calls that freedom, while its opposite, namely, to think the good which in itself is good, he calls bondage; when, in fact, the latter is to be truly free, and the former to be in bondage. He who loves adulteries calls it freedom to commit adultery, but not to be allowed to commit adultery he calls bondage; for in lasciviousness he has a sense of enjoyment, but of the contrary in chastity. He who is in the love of ruling from love of self feels in that love an enjoyment of life surpassing other enjoyments of every kind; consequently, everything belonging to that love he calls good, and everything contrary to it he declares to be evil; when yet the reverse is true. It is the same with every other evil. While every one, therefore, acknowledges that evil and good are opposites, those who are in evils cherish a reverse conception of such opposition, and only those who are in good have a right conception of it. No one so long as he is in evil can see good, but he who is in good can see evil. Evil is below as in a cave, good is above as on a mountain.

Arcana Coelestia 6370...he is safe among all evils, even in the midst of the hells; for love to the Lord and toward the neighbour has this effect, because they who are in this love are most closely conjoined with the Lord, and are in the Lord, because they are in the Divine which proceeds from Him; hence nothing of evil can reach them. Be it known that there are innumerable hells, distinct according to the genera of evils and the derivative falsities, and according to the species of these, and the details of the species; and that in each hell there is order; and that this order is preserved by the Lord, both immediately, and mediately through the celestial angels; at times also angels are sent thither to bring into order what is disorderly there; and when they are there, they are in safety. This is what is meant by the safety among all in the hells of him who is in what is celestial.

The reversal representation of the brothers

AC 6328 The Contents. In this chapter the subject treated of in the internal sense is not the descendants of Jacob, and what would befall them; but the truths of faith and the goods of love which the twelve tribes named from the sons of Jacob represent and signify.

6329. It first treats of faith separated from charity, which is utterly rejected. This faith is “Reuben,” “Simeon,” and “Levi.”

6330. It then treats of the celestial church, which is the “tribe of Judah,” and in the supreme sense there, of the Divine Human of the Lord.

6331. Then of the rest of the tribes according to the states of good and truth which they represent.

6332. Lastly of the celestial of the spiritual church  which is “Joseph;” and here also in the supreme sense of the Divine Human of the Lord.

6352. Simeon and Leviticus are brethren. That this signifies faith in the will, and charity, here the reverse, because they signify faith separated from charity, is evident from the representation of Simeon, as being faith in the will (see n. 3869-3872, 4497, 4502, 4503, 5482, 5626, 5630); and from the representation of Levi, as being charity (n. 3875, 3877), but here the reverse, because they signify faith separate from charity. For when this faith is represented by Reuben (as is plain from the explication of verse 4), it follows that no faith in the will, and thus no charity, are what are represented by Simeon and Levi, for these things follow in a series from their beginning. Therefore by Simeon is represented falsity in the will, and by Leviticus evil in act, for these are opposite to faith in the will and to charity. That these are signified is plain from Simeon and Leviticus being cursed.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments off

John 14: 9-21

Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

 

Arcana Coelestia

6362. Verses 8-12. Thou Judah, thy brethren shall celebrate thee, thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies, thy father’s sons shall bow down to thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey my son thou art gone up; he bowed, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not be removed from Judah, and a lawgiver from between his feet, even until Shiloh come; and to him is the obedience of the peoples. He binds his young ass unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washes his clothing in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes; his eyes are red with wine, and his teeth are white with milk.

... 'And to him will be the obedience of the peoples' means that from His Divine Human truths would go forth that were able to be received.

6361 ... That these things which were said by Israel of Simeon and Levi, and also those which were said of Reuben, do not signify what would befall their descendants in the end of the days, as is said in the first verse, may be seen from the fact that the descendants of Simeon and Leviticus were not cursed, and divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel; for the tribe of Simeon was among the rest of the tribes as one of them; and the tribe of Leviticus was made the priesthood, thus was rather blessed than cursed; and so with the tribe of Reuben, which also was not more vile than the other tribes. Hence it is very manifest that what is said in this chapter of the sons of Jacob, as to what should befall them in the end of the days, is not what should befall themselves, but what should befall those who are meant by them in the internal sense; and here those who are in faith separated from charity, for these are here meant in the internal sense by “Reuben,” “Simeon,” and “Levi.”

From this it is very evident that there is an internal sense of the Word which does not appear in the letter, nor to anyone unless he knows the correspondences of natural things with spiritual, and not at all to him who does not know what the spiritual and what the celestial are.

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Click to Print Reading

6403. Verse 19. Gad, a troop shall ravage him, and he shall ravage the heel. Gad, signifies works from truth and not yet from good; a troop shall ravage him, signifies works without judgment, that they will drive away from truth; and he shall ravage the heel, signifies disorder thence in the natural.

6404. That Gad signifies works from truth and not yet from good, is evident from the representation of Gad, as being works (see n. 3934, 3935), here works from truth and not yet from good, as is evident from the description in the internal sense. This also follows in order, for by Dan just above are represented those who are in truth and not yet in good (n. 6396); here now by Gad are represented those who are in works from truths and not yet from good. The quality of these works will now be shown.

6405. A troop shall ravage him. That this signifies works without judgment, that they will drive away from truth, is evident from the signification of a troop, as being works (see n. 3934), here works without judgment; for they who do works from truth and not yet from good have obscure understanding, whereas they who do works from good have the understanding enlightened, because good enlightens; for the light of truth from the Lord flows into the intellectual through good, and thus into truth, but not into truth immediately. The case herein is like that of the sun's light, which inflows through heat into the subjects of the vegetable kingdom, trees, plants, and flowers, and causes them to grow and blossom, but not immediately; for when the light flows in without heat, as in winter, nothing grows and blossoms. Moreover to ravage him denotes to drive away from truth.

[2] But who they are that are here signified by Gad, shall be told. They are such as fall into illusion with respect to truth, and yet do works from this; thus works not of truth, still less of good. By such works they are driven away from truth, for as soon as a man who is in truth and not yet in good brings anything into act from his religiosity, he afterward defends it as if it were the veriest truth, and abides in it, nor does he admit any amendment of it, except insofar as he comes into good; for by so acting he imbues himself with it and loves it. Thus works drive him away from truth. Besides, he believes those things to be truths which are not truths, for these persons also, like those signified by Dan, judge from what is sensuous, thus without judgment. Let this be illustrated by examples. When one who counts everyone equally his neighbor, and thus benefits the evil equally with the good, and by thus conferring benefits on the evil does harm to others, has committed such acts repeatedly, he afterward defends them, saying that everyone is his neighbor, and that it is not his concern what his quality is, but only to confer benefits on him; thus he does works without judgment, and also contrary to the truth itself; for the truth itself is that all are the neighbor, but in a different degree, and that they are the neighbor more than others who are in good (see n. 2417, 3419, 3820, 5025).

[3] By Gad are also signified those who make all salvation consist in works alone, like the Pharisee of whom the Lord says in the parable:

The Pharisee standing by himself prayed thus, God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess (Luke 18:11, 12);

thus holding external things as the veriest truths. They who are such are also in the Lord's kingdom, but on the threshold, and therefore the Lord says, I say unto you, the publican went down to his house justified more than the Pharisee (Luke 18:14), thus that the Pharisee also went down justified, because he had done works from obedience to command. In a word, by Gad are represented those who call that truth which is not truth, and from this non-truth do works; hence their works are like the truths, for works are nothing but the will and understanding in act. That which saves these men is the intention to do what is good, and something of innocence in their ignorance.

[4] They who are in external works from that which is not truth, but which they believe to be truth, are signified by Gad also in Isaiah:

Ye that forsake Jehovah, that forget the mountain of My holiness, that set out a table for Gad, and that fill a drink-offering unto Meni (Isa. 45:11);

to set out a table for Gad denotes to be in works alone. And in Jeremiah:

Against the sons of Ammon, thus saith Jehovah: [Are there no sons] to Israel? hath he no heir? wherefore doth his king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in the cities thereof? (Jer. 49:1);

to inherit Gad denotes to live in works from that which is not truth; the sons of Ammon are they who falsify truths, and live according to them when falsified (n. 2468), to whom these things about Gad are applied by the prophet.

6406. He shall ravage the heel. That this signifies a want of order thence in the natural, is evident from the signification of ravaging, as being to drive away from truth (see just above, n. 6405), thus to disturb the order, or cause a want of order; and from the signification of heel, as being the lowest natural (n. 259, 4938-4952). Hence it is plain that by he shall ravage the heel is signified a want of order in the natural. They who do works from truth and not yet from good, must needs cause in their natural a want of order, for works affect the natural; and consequently they must needs to this extent close their interiors; for the plane in which the interiors terminate is the natural, and if this is devoid of order, all that which flows in from the interiors also becomes devoid of order; and all that which is devoid of order is dark and opaque, so that they cannot see what is truth, but in this opacity and darkness they seize for truth what is not truth, and from this non-truth do their works. Moreover works are most necessary, for they are charity and faith in effect and in life, and who cannot see that without them there is no charity? Works are nothing but good and truth themselves in outward form; for good which is of the will, and truth which is of the understanding, when put forth into act, are called works; hence it is evident that such as are the good and truth, such are the works.

6407. Verse 20. From Asher his bread is fat, and he shall yield the delights of a king. From Asher, signifies the blessedness of the affections; his bread is fat, signifies delight from good; and he shall yield the delights of a king, signifies pleasantness from truth.

6408. From Asher. That this signifies the blessedness of the affections, namely, of the celestial affections which are of love to the Lord and of charity toward the neighbor, is evident from the representation of Asher, as being the happiness of eternal life, and the blessedness of the affections (see n. 3938, 3939). Moreover Asher was so called from blessedness. This blessedness cannot be easily described, because it is internal, and seldom shows itself with anyone in the very body, thus seldom to the sense. For during his life in the body, man has a distinct sensation of what takes place in his body, but a very obscure one of what takes place in his spirit, because while man is in the body worldly cares act as a hindrance, and where these cares exist the blessedness of the affections cannot flow so far as into the bodily sense unless natural and sensuous things have been reduced to agreement with inward ones, and even then only obscurely, as a tranquillity from contentment of mind; but after departure from this life it manifests itself, and is perceived as something blessed and happy, and then it affects both the interiors and the exteriors. In a word, the blessedness of the celestial affections is that of the soul or spirit itself, flowing in by an internal way, and penetrating toward the body, where it is received so far as the delights of natural and sensuous loves do not stand in the way.

[2] Not a whit of this blessedness is possible with those who are in the delight of the love of self and of the world, for these loves are totally opposite; and therefore they who are in these loves cannot at all comprehend that there is any blessedness except that of being exalted to dignities, being worshiped as deities, abounding in riches, and possessing greater wealth than others. If they are told that the delight from these loves is external, and perishes with the body, and that what remains in the mind is turned after death into sadness and gloom, such as prevail in the hells; and that there is an internal delight which is the satisfaction and happiness enjoyed by those who are in heaven; these things they do not at all comprehend, because the external reigns with them and the internal is closed. From all this it may be known what is meant by the blessedness of the affections which is signified by Asher.

6409. His bread is fat. That this signifies delight from good, is evident from the signification of fat, as being delight; for by fatness is signified what is celestial, or the good of love (see n. 353, 5943); but when the word fat is used, and is joined to bread, which signifies the good of love, then by fat is signified the delight of this love. (That bread signifies the good of love may be seen above, n. 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 5915.)

6410. And he shall yield the delights of a king. That this signifies pleasantness from truth, is evident from the signification of delights, as being what is pleasant; and from the signification of a king, as being truth (see n. 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148); thus to yield the delights of a king denotes what is pleasant from truth. Mention is made of both delight from good and pleasantness fro

Arcana Coelestia 6333. The Internal Sense. From the things said by Jacob in this chapter it may be clearly seen that there is another sense in the Word than that which appears in the letter; for Jacob, who was then Israel, says that he will tell what shall befall his sons in the end of the days (verse 1), and yet the things he tells and that he predicts did not at all befall them; such as that the descendants of Reuben, Simeon, and Leviticus should be cursed more than the rest; and that Simeon and Leviticus should be divided in Jacob, and be scattered in Israel (verses (Genesis 49:3-7) but the contrary befell Levi, namely, that he was blessed, for the priesthood was allotted to him.

[2] Neither did that befall Judah which is said of him, except that the representative of the church remained longer with him than with the rest of the tribes; and moreover such things are said of him as no one can know the meaning of, except from another sense which is hidden within, as that he should bow himself and couch as a lion; should bind his young ass unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; that he should wash his clothing in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes; that his eyes should be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk (verses 9, 11-12). All these things are of such a nature as to cause everyone to see that there is something within them that is known in heaven, and that cannot be made known to man, except from thence.

[3] It is the same with what Israel said of the rest of his sons; as of Zebulun, that he should dwell at the haven of the seas and of ships, and that his side should be toward Zidon; of Issachar, that he should be a bony ass lying down between the burdens, stooping his shoulder to bear a burden; of Dan, that he should be a serpent in the way, an arrow-snake upon the path, biting the horse’s heels, and that his rider will fall backward; and so on with the rest. From all this it is very evident that as already said the Word has an internal sense. The Word is given in order to unite heaven and earth, or angels with men; and therefore it has been so written that it may be spiritually apprehended by the angels, when naturally apprehended by man, and that in this way what is holy may flow in through the angels, by which means union is effected. Such is the Word in both the historical and the prophetical parts; but the internal sense is less apparent in the historical than in the prophetical parts, because the historical parts have been written in a different style, yet still by means of significatives.

[4] The historical parts have been given in order that infants and children may thereby be initiated into the reading of the Word; for the historical parts are delightful, and rest in their minds, whereby communication is given them with the heavens; and this communication is grateful, because they are in a state of innocence and mutual charity. This is the reason why there is an historical Word. There is a prophetical Word, because when it is read, it is not understood by man except obscurely, and when it is understood obscurely by such men as there are now, it is perceived clearly by the angels, as it has been given me to know from much experience, of which by the Lord’s Divine mercy elsewhere.

 

6306 [7] That the city of Shechem was not meant, which was near there, where Simeon and Leviticus slew every male, and which they took with the sword (Genesis 34), may be seen from the fact that Jacob abhorred that deed, and on that account cursed Simeon and Levi, and utterly put away from himself that deed, saying:

Let not my soul come into their secret; in their assembly let not my glory be united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their good pleasure they unstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it was vehement; and their wrath, for it was hard: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel” (Genesis 49:5-7).

From all this it is now evident that these words, “one portion which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow,” were said by him when he was in the prophetic spirit, for the sake of the internal sense.

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Truth is the body of good

Arana Coelstia 6344. All the power in the spiritual world is from good through truth. Without good, truth has no power whatever, for truth is like a body, and good is like the soul of this body, and in order that the soul may do anything, it must be by means of the body. Hence it is plain that truth without good has no power whatever, just as the body without the soul has no power; for the body is then a carcass, and so also is truth without good.

 

Marriage love * - the conjunction of the will and understanding or good and truth  

*Other translations use the term 'conjugial love' in the following Heaven and Hell passages

Heaven and Hell 370... marriage love, since it is also the marriage of good and truth, is the very plane of Divine influx. For that love, as it is a conjunction of the understanding and will, is also a conjunction of truth and good, since the understanding receives Divine truth and is formed out of truths, and the will receives Divine good and is formed out of goods. For what a man wills is good to him, and what he understands is truth to him; therefore it is the same whether you say conjunction of understanding and will or conjunction of truth and good. Conjunction of truth and good is what makes an angel; it makes his intelligence, wisdom, and happiness; for an angel is an angel accordingly as good in him is conjoined with truth and truth with good; or what is the same, accordingly as love in him is conjoined with faith and faith with love.

HH 371. The Divine that goes forth from the Lord flows chiefly into marriage love because marriage love descends from a conjunction of good and truth; for it is the same thing as has been said above, whether you say conjunction of understanding and will or conjunction of good and truth. Conjunction of good and truth has its origin in the Lord's Divine love towards all who are in heaven and on earth. From Divine love Divine good goes forth, and Divine good is received by angels and men in Divine truths. As truth is the sole receptacle of good nothing can be received from the Lord and from heaven by any one who is not in truths; therefore just to the extent that the truths in man are conjoined to good is man conjoined to the Lord and to heaven. This, then, is the very origin of marriage love, and for this reason that love is the very plane of Divine influx. This shows why the conjunction of good and truth in heaven is called the heavenly marriage, and heaven is likened in the Word to a marriage, and is called a marriage; and the Lord is called the Bridegroom and Husband, and heaven and also the church are called the bride and the wife. 

HH 372. Good and truth conjoined in an angel or a man are not two but one, since good is then good of truth and truth is truth of good. This conjunction may be likened to a man's thinking what he wills and willing what he thinks, when the thought and will make one, that is, one mind; for thought forms, that is, presents in form that which the will wills, and the will gives delight to it; and this is why a married pair in heaven are not called two, but one angel. This also is what is meant by the Lord's words:

Have ye not read that He who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall become one flesh? Therefore, they are no more twain, but one flesh. What, therefore, God hath joined together let not man put asunder. Not all can receive this word but they to whom it is given (Matthew 19:4-6, 11; Mark 10:6-9; Genesis 2:24).

This is a description both of the heavenly marriage in which the angels are and of the marriage of good and truth, man's not putting asunder what God has joined together meaning that good is not to be separated from truth.

HH 367 ... as all the good that is conjoined with truths is from the Lord, it follows that no one can be in true marriage love unless he acknowledges the Lord and His Divine; for without that acknowledgment the Lord cannot flow in and be conjoined with the truths that are in man.

 

Jacob's Ladder

Arcana Coelestia 3701. 'And behold, the angels of God going up and coming down on it' means an infinite and eternal communication and the consequent joining together - a going up, so to speak, from what is lowest, and after that, when order has been inverted, a coming down to it. This is clear from the meaning of 'the angels' as some aspect of the Lord's Divine meant by the expression 'angels' when used in the Word, dealt with in 1925, 2319, 2821, 3039. The aspect meant here is Divine Truth. This is clear from the fact that they are called 'the angels of God', for the name God is used when truth is the subject in the internal sense, but Jehovah when good is the subject, see 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822. This is why although the name Jehovah is used directly after this in the phrase 'Jehovah standing above it', they are nevertheless referred to here as 'the angels of God', since the subject is truth from which good springs, represented by 'Jacob' here, as stated many times above. As regards the expression 'going up and coming down on the stairway' meaning in the highest sense infinite and eternal communication and the consequent joining together, this is clear without further explanation. But one cannot speak of a communication between, and the consequent joining together of the Lord's Divine itself and His Divine Human unless at the same time one calls these attributes infinite and eternal, for in the Lord everything is infinite and eternal - infinite so far as Being (Esse) is concerned and eternal so far as Manifestation (Existere) is concerned. From what has been stated up to now it is evident that 'a stairway set up on the earth, and its top reaching to heaven, and behold, the angels of God going up and coming down on it' means in a nutshell a going up so to speak from what is lowest, and after that, when order is inverted, a coming down to it.

[2] The nature of this going up and coming down becomes clear from what has been stated and shown above in 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3607, 3610, 3665, 3690. But because this order - which comes into effect when a person is being regenerated and which is described in the internal sense here and in what follows - is completely unknown in the Church, let the nature of it be illustrated further: It is well known that a person is born into the same disposition as his parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, going back for centuries, and so into hereditary evil gradually accumulated by all those before him, so much so that there is nothing but evil in what he does when he acts from himself. As a consequence both his understanding and his will have been totally spoiled and of himself he does not will anything good at all and therefore does not understand anything true at all. That which he calls good, indeed believes to be good, is in fact evil, and that which he calls the truth, indeed believes to be the truth, is in fact falsity. Take, for example, loving himself more than others, wanting things to be better for himself than for others, desiring what belongs to someone else, and considering only himself and not others unless he himself will benefit. Because he desires these things of himself he indeed calls them good and also true. And what is more, if anyone harms or tries to harm these things which by him are called good and true, he hates him and is also filled with thoughts of revenge. He desires and also seeks that person's ruin, and takes delight in this insofar as he actually strengthens such intentions in himself, that is, as frequently as he actually puts them into effect.

[3] When such a person enters the next life his desires remain the same. The actual disposition which he has acquired in the world by the life he led remains, and that delight is perceived plainly by others. Consequently he is unable to be in any heavenly community where everyone wants things to be better for others than for himself; but he is in some community of hell whose delight is similar to his own. It is that disposition of his which needs to be rooted out while he is living in the world, something that cannot possibly be achieved except through regeneration from the Lord, that is, through receiving quite another will and therefore quite another understanding - by becoming a new person so far as both those powers of mind are concerned. But for this to come about he must first of all be born like a young child again, learn what evil and falsity are, and learn what good and truth are, for without knowledge or awareness of these he is unable to have any good conferred on him. Indeed of himself he does not acknowledge anything else as good except that which is evil, nor anything else as truth except that which is false.

[4] To make a person new, cognitions are instilled into him such as are not completely contrary to those he has already - for example, the idea that all love starts in himself; the idea that one should consider oneself first and others only after that; the idea that those people who are outwardly poor and wretched should be helped irrespective of what they are like inwardly; and that similarly widows and orphans should be helped solely because they are called such; and at length the idea that enemies in general should be helped irrespective of who they may be; and also the idea that by acting in these ways one is able to merit heaven. These and other ideas like them are the cognitions proper to the early childhood of his new life. They are such that because they derive to some extent from his previous life, or the disposition belonging to his previous life, they also derive to some extent from his new life into which he is being led in this way. They are consequently such as allow into themselves things that contribute towards the formation

Click Here to Print Reading

445. XLVI. THE RESUSCITATION OF MAN FROM THE DEAD AND HIS ENTRANCE INTO ETERNAL LIFE.

When the body is no longer able to perform the bodily functions in the natural world that correspond to the spirit's thoughts and affections, which the spirit has from the spiritual world, man is said to die. This takes place when the respiration of the lungs and the beatings of the heart cease. But the man does not die; he is merely separated from the bodily part that was of use to him in the world, while the man himself continues to live. It is said that the man himself continues to live since man is not a man because of his body but because of his spirit, for it is the spirit that thinks in man, and thought with affection is what constitutes man. Evidently, then, the death of man is merely his passing from one world into another. And this is why in the Word in its internal sense death signifies resurrection and continuation of life.[1]

[1] In the Word death signifies resurrection, for when man dies his life still goes on (see numbers 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036, 6221).

[read more]

446. There is an inmost communication of the spirit with the breathing and with the beating of the heart, the spirit's thought communicating with the breathing, and its affection, which is of love, with the heart;[1] consequently when these two motions cease in the body there is at once a separation. These two motions, the respiration of the lungs and the beating of heart, are the very bond on the sundering of which the spirit is left to itself; and the body being then deprived of the life of its spirit grows cold and begins to decay. This inmost communication of the spirit of man is with the respiration and with the heart, because on these all vital motions depend, not only in general but in every particular.[2]

[1] The heart corresponds to the will, thus to the affection which belongs to the love, while the respiration of the lungs corresponds to the understanding, thus to the thought (see number 3888).

From this the heart in the Word signifies the will and love (see numbers 7542, 9050, 10336).

The soul signifies understanding, faith, and truth; therefore from the soul and from the heart signifies what is from the understanding, faith, and truth, and what is from the will, love, and good (see numbers 2930, 9050).

The correspondence of the heart and lungs with the Greatest Man, or heaven (numbers 3883-3895).

[2] The beating of the heart and the respiration of the lungs reign in the body throughout, and flow mutually into every part (see numbers 3887, 3889, 3890).

447. After the separation the spirit of man continues in the body for a short time, but only until the heart's action has wholly ceased, which happens variously in accord with the diseased condition that causes death, with some the motion of the heart continuing for some time, with others not so long. As soon as this motion ceases the man is resuscitated; but this is done by the Lord alone. Resuscitation means the drawing forth of the spirit from the body, and its introduction into the spiritual world; this is commonly called the resurrection. The spirit is not separated from the body until the motion of the heart has ceased, for the reason that the heart corresponds to the affection of love, which is the very life of man, for it is from love that everyone has vital heat;[1] consequently as long as this conjunction continues correspondence continues, and thereby the life of the spirit in the body.

[1] Love is the being [esse] of the life of man (see number 5002).

Love is spiritual heat, and therefore the very vital itself of man (see numbers 1589, 2146, 3338, 4906, 7081-7086, 9954, 10740).

Affection is a continuation of love (see number 3938).

448. How this resuscitation is effected has both been told to me and shown to me in living experience. The actual experience was granted to me that I might have a complete knowledge of the process.

449. As to the senses of the body I was brought into a state of insensibility, thus nearly into the state of the dying; but with the interior life and thought remaining unimpaired, in order that I might perceive and retain in the memory the things that happened to me, and that happen to those that are resuscitated from the dead. I perceived that the respiration of the body was almost wholly taken away; but the interior respiration of the spirit went on in connection with a slight and tacit respiration of the body. Then at first a communication of the pulse of the heart with the celestial kingdom was established, because that kingdom corresponds to the heart in man.[1] Angels from that kingdom were seen, some at a distance, and two sitting near my head. Thus all my own affection was taken away although thought and perception continued. [2] I was in this state for some hours. Then the spirits that were around me withdrew, thinking that I was dead; and an aromatic odor like that of an embalmed body was perceived, for when the celestial angels are present everything pertaining to the corpse is perceived as aromatic, and when spirits perceive this they cannot approach; and in this way evil spirits are kept away from man's spirit when he is being introduced into eternal life. The angels seated at my head were silent, merely sharing their thoughts with mine; and when their thoughts are received the angels know that the spirit of man is in a state in which it can be drawn forth from the body. This sharing of their thoughts was effected by looking into my face, for in this way in heaven thoughts are shared. [3] As my thought and perception continued, that I might know and remember how resuscitation is effected, I perceived the angels first tried to ascertain what my thought was, whether it was like the thought of those who are dying, which is usually about eternal life; also that they wished to keep my mind in that thought. Afterwards I was told that the spirit of man is held in its last thought when the body expires, until it returns to the thoughts that are from its general or ruling affection in the world. Especially was I permitted to see and feel that there was a pulling and drawing forth, as it were, of the interiors of my mind, thus of my spirit, from the body; and I was told that this is from the Lord, and that the resurrection is thus effected.

[1] The heart corresponds to the Lord's celestial kingdom, the lungs to His spiritual kingdom (see numbers 3635, 3886, 3887).

450. The celestial angels who are with the one that is resuscitated do not withdraw from him, because they love everyone; but when the spirit comes into such a state that he can no longer be affiliated with celestial angels, he longs to get away from them. When this takes place angels from the Lord's spiritual kingdom come, through whom is given the use of light; for before this he saw nothing, but merely thought. I was shown how this is done. The angels appeared to roll off, as it were, a coat from the left eye towards the bridge of the nose, that the eye might be opened and be enabled to see. This is only an appearance, but to the spirit it seemed to be really done. When the coat thus seems to have been rolled off there is a slight sense of light, but very dim, like what is seen through the eyelids on first awakening from sleep. To me this dim light took on a heavenly hue, but I was told afterwards that the color varies. Then something is felt to be gently rolled off from the face, and when this is done spiritual thought is awakened. This rolling off from the face is also an appearance, which represents the spirit's passing from natural thought into spiritual thought. The angels are extremely careful that only such ideas as savor of love shall proceed from the one resuscitated. They now tell him that he is a spirit. When he has come into the enjoyment of light the spiritual angels render to the new spirit every service he can possibly desire in that state; and teach him about the things of the other life so far as he can comprehend them. But if he has no wish to be taught the spirit longs to get away from the company of the angels. Nevertheless, the angels do not withdraw from him, but he separates himself from them; for the angels love everyone, and desire nothing so much as to render service, to teach, and to lead into heaven; this constitutes their highest delight. When the spirit has thus withdrawn he is received by good spirits, and as long as he continues in their company everything possible is done for him. But if he had lived such a life in the world as would prevent his enjoying the company of the good he longs to get away from the good, and this experience is repeated until he comes into association with such as are in entire harmony with his life in the world; and with such he finds his own life, and what is surprising, he then leads a life like that which he led in the world.

451. This opening state of man's life after death lasts only a few days. How he is afterwards led from one state to another, and finally either into heaven or into hell, will be told in what follows. This, too, I have been permitted to learn by much experience.

452. I have talked with some on the third day after their decease, when the process described above (see numbers 449, 450) had been completed, especially with three whom I had known in the world, to whom I mentioned that arrangements were now being made for burying their bodies; I said, for burying them; on hearing which they were smitten with a kind of surprise, saying that they were alive, and that the thing that had served them in the world was what was being buried. Afterwards they wondered greatly that they had not believed in such a life after death while they lived in the body, and especially that scarcely any within the church so believed. Those that have not believed in the world in any life of the soul after the life of the body are greatly ashamed when they