At face value, the Ten Commandments can seem intense and unforgiving. But Emanuel Swedenborg’s understanding of the internal sense of the Bible—spiritual meanings that lie beneath the literal words—can give us a new perspective on these familiar rules.

In this episode of their Swedenborg and Life web series, hosts Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose study the inner meaning of the first commandment.

(सन्दर्भ: Apocalypse Revealed 950; Arcana Coelestia 8864, 8865, 8868, 8869, 8875, 8878, 8879, 8880, 8881)

7. Things which must shortly come to pass. That this signifies, which will certainly take place, is evident from the signification of things which must come to pass, as being what will necessarily take place; and from the signification of shortly, as denoting what is certain and full (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 5284, 6783). Those who view all things in the Word according to the sense of the letter, have no other idea than that shortly signifies shortly; that is, in the present case, that the things predicted in the Apocalypse were to take place shortly. Consequently they also wonder why so long a time should have elapsed before the accomplishment of the Last Judgment. But those who have a knowledge of the internal sense of the Word do not understand shortly as meaning shortly, but certainly. The reason why instead of shortly they understand certainly, is, because shortly implies time, and time is proper to nature; that is, shortly is a natural and not a spiritual expression, and all natural expressions, in the Word, signify spiritual things which correspond to them; for the Word internally is spiritual, but in the letter natural; this is why shortly signifies certainly. (That time is proper to nature, and, in the spiritual world, corresponds to state of life, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell, in the article concerning Time in Heaven, n. 162-169.)