Capítulo 1 (EL CIELO): El Dios del Cielo es el Señor

2. Lo primero será saber quien es el Dios del cielo, puesto que de ello dependen las demás cosas. En el cielo entero sólo el Señor es reconocido por Dios del cielo y ningún otro. Allí dicen, como Él mismo enseñó:

Que Él es uno con el Padre; que el Padre es en Él y Él en el Padre; que quien ve a Él, ve al Padre y que todo lo Santo procede de Él (Juan 10:30, 38; 14:9-11; 16:13-15).

He hablado varias veces con los ángeles sobre este particular, y siempre han dicho, que en el cielo no se puede partir lo Divino en tres, porque saben y sienten que la Divinidad es única, y que es única en el Señor. También han dicho, que los de la iglesia que llegan del mundo, teniendo la idea de tres Divinidades (Divinas Personas), no pueden ser admitidos en el cielo, puesto que su pensamiento pasa continuamente de uno a otro, y allí no es permitido pensar tres y decir uno; porque cada uno en el cielo habla por el pensamiento, siendo así que allí el hablar es pensar, o sea el pensar es hablar, por lo cual los que en el mundo han dividido la Divinidad en tres, formándose separada idea de cada uno, y no habiéndolos reunido y concentrado en el Señor, no pueden ser recibidos, porque en el cielo tiene lugar una comunicación de todo pensamiento; por lo cual si allí entrase alguien que pensara tres y dijera uno, sería en seguida descubierto y rechazado. Pero hay que saber que todos aquellos que no han separado la verdad del bien, o sea la fe del amor, al ser instruidos en la otra vida, reciben el celestial concepto del Señor de que Él es el Dios del universo. Otra cosa sucede con los que han separado la fe de la vida, es decir, los que no han vivido conforme a los preceptos de la verdadera fe.

683. Saying, The kingdoms of the world, are become our Lord's and His Christ's.- That this signifies all things in the heavens and on earth subject to the Lord, when the evil have been separated from the good, and that then the Divine Good and the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord are clearly received, is evident from the signification of the kingdoms of the world when they have become the Lord's, as denoting that the proceeding Divine from the Lord is received in love and faith, concerning which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of the Lord and His Christ, as denoting the Lord as to the Divine Good of Divine Love, and as to the Divine Truth proceeding from that love. That the Lord is called Lord from Divine Good, and Christ from Divine Truth, will be seen below.

[2] That the kingdom of the Lord means the reception of Divine Good and Divine Truth, that is, with those who receive, is evident from this fact, that the Lord reigns with the angels of heaven, and with the men of the church by means of that which proceeds from Him, which is commonly called Divine Good and Divine Truth, also justice and judgment, as well as love and faith. It is by means of these that the Lord reigns; they are therefore strictly the kingdom of the Lord with those who receive them. For when these reign with angels and men then the Lord Himself reigns, because those things which proceed from Him are Himself. The Lord in heaven is nothing else than the proceeding Divine.

[3] The Lord, indeed, not only rules those who receive celestial and spiritual Divine things from Him, but also those who do not receive, as all those who are in hell; yet it cannot be said that the kingdom of the Lord is there, since they are utterly unwilling to be governed by the proceeding Divine, and according to the laws of its order; in fact, they deny the Lord, and turn themselves away from Him; but still the Lord does rule them, not as the subjects and citizens of His kingdom, but as those who are refractory and rebellious, holding them under restraints in order that they may not do evil to one another, and especially to those who belong to His kingdom.

[4] That the Lord's kingdom is that which proceeds from Him, and is received, is evident from passages in the Word where the kingdom of God is mentioned, as in the Lord's Prayer:

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also upon the earth" (Matthew 6:10).

That kingdom there means the reception of the Divine Good and Divine Truth which proceed from the Lord, and in which the Lord is with the angels of heaven and with men of the church, is evident, for it is said, "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also upon the earth," and the will of God is done when those things are received in the heart and soul, that is, in love and faith.

[5] And elsewhere:

"Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens and the justice thereof, then all things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

The kingdom of the heavens, in the spiritual sense, means the Divine Truth, and justice the Divine Good, therefore it is said, Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens and the justice thereof. And, in the highest sense, the kingdom of the heavens means the Lord, since He is the all of His kingdom, and justice, in the same sense, signifies the Lord's merit; and because man, who is ruled by the Lord, desires and loves only those things that are of the Lord, he is, unknown to himself, for ever led to felicities; for this reason it is said, "all things shall be added to him," which means, that all things tending to salvation shall come to pass according to his desire.

[6] Since heaven is heaven from the reception of Divine Truth from the Lord, and similarly the church, so heaven and the church are meant in a general sense by the kingdom of God, and by the kingdom of the heavens; therefore those who receive Divine Truth, are called by the Lord "sons of the kingdom," in Matthew:

"The field is the world, the seed are the sons of the kingdom, the tares are the sons of the evil (mali)" (13:38).

That they who receive Divine Truth are meant by the sons of the kingdom is evident, for it is said, "the seed are the sons of the kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil (mali)," and by seed is meant Divine Truth, and by tares infernal falsity; and they are called sons, because sons, in the spiritual sense of the Word, signify truths, and, in the opposite sense, falsities (as may be seen above, n. 166).

[7] Moreover, that the kingdom of God signifies the church as to truths from good, and also heaven, may also be seen above (n. 48); and that the kingdom of God with man signifies to be in truths from good from the Lord, consequently to be in wisdom, and thence in the power of resisting falsities and evils, and thus that to reign is of the Lord alone, may also be seen above (n. 333).