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.

685. And He shall reign unto the ages of the ages.- That this signifies His dominion to eternity by means of Divine Truth, is evident from the signification of reigning, when said of the Lord, as denoting to have dominion by means of Divine Truth, concerning which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of unto the ages of the ages as denoting to eternity. Unto the ages of the ages denotes to eternity, because the sense of the letter of the Word is natural, to which the spiritual sense corresponds. The natural sense of the Word consists of such things as are in nature, which have reference in general to times and spaces, and to places and persons; and the ages of the ages have relation to times, to which eternity corresponds in the spiritual sense. It is the same with generation of generations, where the extension of faith and charity in the church is treated.

[2] To reign, in reference to the Lord, signifies to have dominion by means of Divine Truth, because dominion is said of good, and to reign of truth, for the Lord is called Lord (Dominus) from Divine Good, and king from Divine Truth. This is why both terms are mentioned everywhere in the Word, namely, dominion and kingdom, or to have dominion and to reign, as in the following passages.

[3] In Micah:

"Thou O hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall come and return the former dominion, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem" (4:8).

Since the daughter of Zion signifies the celestial church, whose essential is the good of love, therefore dominion is said of it, and because the daughter of Jerusalem signifies the spiritual church, whose essential is truth of doctrine, therefore the term kingdom is applied to it.

[4] In David:

"Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all the ages, and thy dominion to every generation and generation" (Psalm 145:13).

In Daniel:

To the Son of man "was given dominion, glory and a kingdom; his dominion is the dominion of an age, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (7:14).

In the same:

"The kingdom and the dominion, and majesty of the kingdoms, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High" (7:27).

In these passages dominion is said of good, because from good the Lord is called Lord, and kingdom is said of truth, because from this the Lord is called king.

As in the Apocalypse:

He who sat upon the white horse "had upon his garment and upon his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords " (19:16).

King of kings is said of the name upon the vesture, and Lord of lords of the name upon the thigh, for garment signifies truth, here Divine Truth, because the Lord is meant, and thigh signifies good, here the Divine Good of Divine Love.

Similarly, as applied to men, in David:

"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers consulted together" (Psalm 2:2).

From this it is evident what reigning unto the ages of the ages signifies in particular. That kingdom signifies heaven and the church as to the truth of doctrine, see above (n. 48). That to reign belongs to the Lord alone; and, that when said of men, it denotes to be in truths from good from the Lord, and to have power therefrom of resisting falsities from evil (n. 333).