Apocalypse Explained # 628
628. And the angel stood near, saying, signifies the Lord's will and command. This is evident from the signification of "to stand near," as being here will (of which presently); also from the signification of "angel," as being the Lord in respect to the Word (See above, n. 593); also from the signification of "saying," as being, when the Lord speaks, command; for what the Lord says is to be done, or that anyone should do it, is a command. "The angel stood near" means here the Lord's will, because in the spiritual world the thought, with the purpose, and will to see another, to speak with him, and to give him a command, causes the other to be present, that is, to stand near; for in that world there are no distances that are constant and thence measurable, as in the natural world; but likeness of affection and of thought thence causes presence, and unlikeness of these causes absence; this is the origin of all distances in that world. This comes from the universal principle that the Lord is present with all according to their love to Him and according to their love towards the neighbor and thoughts from these. From this universal principle all distances, that is, all presence and absence among angels and spirits, exist; therefore when anyone desires to speak with another, that is, thinks about him from a purpose or wish to speak with him, that one immediately becomes present, or he is present with that one. (That this is so can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 191-199, where Space in Heaven is treated of.) From this it can now be seen why the Lord's will is signified by "the angel stood near," for "to stand near" means to be present.
The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Teachings # 53
53. The fallacies arising from the senses that preoccupy the merely earthly and sense-oriented people mentioned in §45 above. People who are completely earthly and sense-oriented derive their thinking and reasoning from fallacies arising from the senses: 5084, 5700, 6948, 6949, 7693. The nature of fallacies arising from the senses: 5084, 5094, 6400, 6948. To this I may add the following: There are fallacies arising from the senses that concern earthly matters, others that concern civic matters, others moral matters, and still others spiritual matters, and there are many of each kind; at this point I would like to list a few that concern spiritual matters.
If we base our thinking on fallacies arising from the senses, we cannot understand the idea that after death people still look human, that they enjoy the use of their senses as they did before, and that they can become angels. We think [instead] that
1. The soul is simply something barely alive, something purely ethereal, and we can have no concept of it.
2. It is only the body that feels, sees, and hears.
3. We are just like animals except that we can say what we are thinking.
4. Nature is all there is-it came first and is the source of everything.
5. We learn to think and we develop that ability because the inner things of nature and its order flow into us.
6. Spiritual reality does not exist; or if it does it is just a purer aspect of earthly reality.
7. It would be impossible for us to enjoy any sense of blessedness if we were deprived of the gratifications that come from loving glory, high rank, and profit.
8. Conscience is nothing but a feeling of distress caused by physical weakness or lack of success.
9. The Lord's divine love is a love of glory.
10. There is no such thing as providence; everything depends on our own prudence 1 and intelligence.
11. High rank and wealth are the real blessings granted by God.
Not to mention many more such things.
These are just some of the fallacies arising from the senses that concern spiritual matters. These examples show that what is heavenly cannot be grasped by people who are completely earthly and sense-oriented. And we become completely earthly and sense-oriented when our inner spiritual self is closed and only our earthly self is open.
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. In general English use, prudence only rarely has a negative sense-for instance, in the case of a Falstaffian coward who acts "prudently" with a view to his or her own survival. But in Christian authors the term often has a negative denotation. This negative aspect derives from the Vulgate translation of passages such asRomans 8:6, Prudentia carnis mors, prudentia autem spiritus vita et pax ("The prudence of the flesh is death, but the prudence of the spirit is life and peace"), and1 Corinthians 1:19 (quoting Isaiah 29:14), Prudentiam prudentium reprobabo ("I will condemn the prudence of the prudent"). The Bible often distinguishes between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God (for example,Isaiah 47:10; Jeremiah 4:22; Romans 1:22; 1 Corinthians 2:6; 3:19; James 1:5). Swedenborg, following this tradition, generally uses the term prudence to refer to an overweening belief in one's ability to foresee and take measures to meet the difficulties of life without divine assistance. This belief typically stands in contrast to reliance on divine providence (see, for example, Secrets of Heaven 950, 4214:4, 6316, 8717:3; Divine Providence 206). In some passages Swedenborg defines prudence as speaking or acting with cunning deceit in order to hide one's evil intentions (see, for example, Secrets of Heaven 3573[4], 6655). In other passages, however, he understands prudence as the use of cunning and deception to achieve good ends; see for example, Secrets of Heaven 3993[12]; Marriage Love 1 155b:3, 187. He does approve the use of prudential thinking when it is properly understood to be wisdom that derives from the Lord rather than one's self (see Divine Providence 191), especially in the collocation "Christian prudence" (see, for example, New Jerusalem 85; Secrets of Heaven 6704). For extensive discussion of the topic of divine providence as opposed to human prudence, see Secrets of Heaven 8478, and especially Divine Providence 191-213. For examples of discussion of these issues by other Christian authors, see Aquinas Summa Theologiae 2:2:55 (= Aquinas 2012, 17:507-521); Saarinen 2006, 206-209 (on Luther). [SS]
