745. Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.- That this signifies that now the Lord has power, by means of His Divine Truth, to save those who are of His church, who receive it in heart and soul, is evident from the signification of salvation, as denoting deliverance; from the signification of "the power" (potentia), as denoting to have ability, thus possibility (of which we shall speak presently); and from the signification of kingdom, as denoting heaven and the church (concerning which see above, n. 48, 685); from the signification of our God, as denoting the Lord as to His Divine; and from the signification of the authority (potestas) of His Christ, as denoting the efficacy of Divine Truth, that is, by means of Divine Truth. That Christ means the Lord as to Divine Truth may be seen above (n. 684, 685); that authority (or power), when said of the Lord, signifies the salvation of the human race, may be seen above (n. 293); and that the Lord has the power of saving by means of His Divine Truth, may also be seen above (n. 333, 726). And because the Lord can save only those who receive Divine Truth from Him in heart and soul, this also is signified. It is therefore evident that Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority (or power) of His Christ, signifies that now the Lord has, by means of His Divine Truth, the power of saving those who are of His church, who receive it in heart and soul.
[2] It is said "who receive it in heart and soul," and this means in love and faith, also in will and understanding; for when in the Word it is said "heart and soul," then soul signifies faith, and also understanding, while heart signifies love, and also will. For soul (anima), in the Word in the ultimate sense, means the respiration of man, which is also called his breath (spiritus), therefore the expression "to animate" (animare) is used for "to respire" (respirare); also a man is said to give up the ghost, or it is said that the breath has gone out of him, when he dies. That soul (anima), moreover, signifies faith and also understanding, and the heart love, and also the will, is from correspondence. For faith and understanding correspond to the animation or respiration of the lungs, and the love and will correspond to the motion and pulsation of the heart; concerning this correspondence see above (n. 167); and the Arcana Coelestia 2930, 3883-3896, 9050).
[3] The reason why these words, "Now is come the salvation and the power of our God," signify that the Lord can now save, thus why power there signifies to have ability, thus possibility, is that the Lord could not save those who were of His church until the dragon with his angels had been driven out, that is, separated from heaven. He who is ignorant of the laws of Divine order may suppose that the Lord can save whomsoever He pleases, thus the evil as well as the good; and for this reason some are of opinion that in the end all who are in hell will also be saved. But that no one can be saved by immediate, but only by mediate mercy, and that still it is from pure mercy that those are saved who receive Divine Truth from the Lord in soul and heart, may be seen in Heaven and Hell 521-527).
[4] This also is meant by these words in John:
"His own received him not; but as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not of bloods, neither of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (1:11-13).
His own who received Him not, mean those who are of the church where the Word is, and to whom the Lord could therefore be known; therefore those who were of the Jewish church are there meant by His own. That the Lord would give to those who believe in His name power to become the sons of God, signifies to give heaven to those who receive Divine truths from Him in soul and heart, or in faith and life; to believe in His name signifying to receive the Lord in faith and life, for the name of the Lord signifies everything by which He is worshipped. The sons of God, mean those who are regenerated by the Lord; who are born not of bloods, signifies those who have not falsified and adulterated the Word; nor of the will of the flesh, signifies those who are not in evils from their proprium; nor of the will of man, signifies those who are not in falsities from their proprium, for the will signifies man's proprium, flesh signifies evil, and man falsity; but born of God, signifies those who are regenerated by means of truths from the Word and by a life according to them. From these things also it is evident that those who are not willing to be reformed and regenerated by the Lord cannot be saved, this being effected by the reception of Divine Truth in faith and life.
