True Christian Religion # 784
784. The formation of a new heaven before that of a new church on earth is in accordance with Divine order. For there is an internal and an external church; the internal church makes one with the church in heaven, and so with heaven, and the internal must be formed before the external, which is formed afterwards by means of the internal. Clergy in the world are well aware that this is so. In proportion as this new heaven, which makes up the internal of the church in the case of a person, grows, so the New Jerusalem comes down out of that heaven, and this is the new church. This therefore cannot happen in an instant, but happens as the falsities of the previous church are banished. For what is new cannot come in where falsities have been formerly established, unless these are uprooted. This will happen with the clergy, and so spread to laymen. For the Lord said:
No one puts new wine into old leather bottles, without the bottles bursting and the wine being spilled; but they put new wine in new bottles, and both are then kept safe together, Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-38.
[2] These events only take place at the ending of the age, which means the end of a church, as is evident from the Lord's words:
Jesus said, The kingdom of the heavens is like a man sowing good seed in his field; but while people were asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares, and went away. But when the plants sprouted, then the tares appeared too. The servants came along and said to him. Do you want us to go and gather the tares? But he said, No, for fear that in gathering the tares you uproot the wheat together with them. Allow them both to grow together until harvest-time, and when it is time for the harvest I shall tell the reapers, First gather the tares and bind them into bundles to be burnt; but gather the wheat into my barn. The harvest-time is the ending of the age; as the tares are gathered and burnt in the fire, so will it be at the ending of the age, Matthew 13:24-30, 39-40.
Wheat here means the various kinds of truth and good in the new church, the tares the falsities and evils of the previous church. For the ending of the age meaning the end of a church, see the first section of this chapter.
Luke 4
1
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness
2
for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry.
3
The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."
4
Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"
5
The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6
The devil said to him, "I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.
7
If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours."
8
Jesus answered him, "Get behind me Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.'"
9
He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here,
10
for it is written, 'He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you;'
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and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.'"
12
Jesus answering, said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
13
When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.
14
Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area.
15
He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
16
He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
17
The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written,
18
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,
19
and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
20
He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21
He began to tell them, "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
22
All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, "Isn't this Joseph's son?"
23
He said to them, "Doubtless you will tell me this parable, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.'"
24
He said, "Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
25
But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land.
26
Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
27
There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian."
28
They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things.
29
They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff.
30
But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way.
31
He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. He was teaching them on the Sabbath day,
32
and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority.
33
In the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,
34
saying, "Ah! what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!"
35
Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" When the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.
36
Amazement came on all, and they spoke together, one with another, saying, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!"
37
News about him went out into every place of the surrounding region.
38
He rose up from the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a great fever, and they begged him for her.
39
He stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her. Immediately she rose up and served them.
40
When the sun was setting, all those who had any sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
41
Demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!" Rebuking them, he didn't allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
42
When it was day, he departed and went into an uninhabited place, and the multitudes looked for him, and came to him, and held on to him, so that he wouldn't go away from them.
43
But he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other cities also. For this reason I have been sent."
