Arcana Coelestia # 2034
2034. 'You and your seed after you' means that from Him there is a conjunction of all who have faith in Him. This is clear from the meaning of 'seed' as faith, dealt with frequently above, and from the meaning of 'after you' as following Him, dealt with above in 2019. Previously the subject has been the union of the Divine Essence with the Human Essence and of Human Essence with Divine Essence. But now it is the conjunction of the Lord with those who believe in Him, which is also why the word 'you' is repeated, that is to say, 'you shall keep My covenant' followed by 'you and your seed'. From this repetition of 'you' and from the coupling of it with 'seed' it is clear that in the internal sense conjunction is meant, in particular conjunction with those who constitute the seed, which has been shown in 1025, 1447, 1610, to mean the faith that inheres in charity. And the fact that faith is charity itself, see Volume One, in 30-38, 379, 389, 654, 724, 809, 916, 1017, 1076, 1077, 1162, 1176, 1258, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844.
[2] Furthermore when the Lord speaks of the union of Himself with the Father He is at one and the same time speaking about His own conjunction with the human race since this was the reason for the union, as is clear in John,
That they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one, I in them and You in Me. For I made known to them Your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them. John 17:21-23, 26.
These verses show that in the union of Himself with His Father the Lord had conjunction of Himself with the human race in view, and had this conjunction at heart because it constituted His love. Indeed all conjunction comes about through love, love being conjunction itself.
[3] Elsewhere in the same gospel,
Because I live you will live also; in that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and does them, he it is who loves Me. John 14:19-21.
This similarly shows that in the union of His Human Essence with the Divine Essence the Lord had in view the conjunction of Himself with the human race, and that this was His end in view, and this His love, which was such that His inmost joy was the salvation of the human race, which He had had in view in the union of Himself with His Father. These verses from John describe what it is that effects union, namely having His commandments and doing them, which is loving the Lord.
[4] In the same gospel,
Father, glorify Your name. A voice therefore came from heaven, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Jesus said, Not for My sake has this voice come but for yours. But I, when I have been lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself. 1 John 12:28, 30, 32.
'Glorification' is used to mean union, as stated already. And the fact that in the union of Himself with the Father He had the conjunction of Himself with the human race in view is stated openly in the words, 'When I have been lifted up I will draw all men to Myself'.
[5] As for the conjunction of the Infinite, or Supreme Divine, with the human race being accomplished through the Lord's Human made Divine, and as for this conjunction being the reason for the Lord's Coming into the world, this is an arcanum to which many apply their minds, but because it is beyond their grasp they do not believe it. And since they do not believe it, for the reason that they cannot grasp it, that arcanum becomes a stumbling-block to them. That this is so I have been given to know from much experience of people entering the next life. Very many of these - the majority of clever people in the world - when they merely think that the Lord became man and was in outward appearance like any other human being, and that He suffered, and yet is at the same time governing the universe, immediately fill the sphere around them with stumbling-blocks. The reason they do so is that to them this whole idea had been a stumbling-block during their lifetime, though they had not then made this public but had worshipped Him in outward expressions of holiness. For in the next life the things that are interior are laid bare and revealed by the sphere that emanates from them, dealt with in Volume One, in 1048. 1053, 1316, 1504. From this sphere one perceives quite plainly what their faith had really been and what they had really thought about the Lord.
[6] This being so let the matter be explained a little further. After everything celestial with man perished, that is, all love to God, so that as a result the will for what is good existed no longer, the human race was separated from the Divine. For nothing other than love effects conjunction, and when love has been reduced to nothing, disjunction has taken place. And when the latter has taken place destruction and annihilation follow. At that point therefore a promise was given concerning the Lord's Coming into the world, who was to unite the Human to the Divine, and by means of this union was to join [to the Divine] the human race that was abiding in Himself through faith grounded in love and charity.
[7] From the time of that first promise given in Genesis 3:15, this kind of faith in the Lord who was to come was conjunctive. But once faith springing from love did not remain any more in the world the Lord came and united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence so that these were completely one, as He Himself states explicitly. At the same time He taught the way of truth to the effect that everyone who believed in Him, that is, who loved Him and what was His, and who abided in His love, which is a love directed towards the entire human race and so towards the neighbour, would be conjoined and thus saved.
[8] Once the Human had been made Divine, and the Divine made Human in the Lord, an influx of the Infinite, or the Supreme Divine, took place with man which could not possibly have manifested itself in any other way. Also by means of that influx the dreadful false persuasions and the dreadful desires for evil were dispersed with which the world of spirits had been filled and was constantly being filled by souls streaming into it from the world; and those who were actuated by such persuasions and evil desires were cast into hell and so separated. Unless this had been done the human race would have perished, for it is by means of spirits that the Lord rules the human race. They could not have been dispersed in any other way because there was no activity of the Divine by way of man's rational concepts into his inner sensory awareness, for these are far below the Supreme Divine when not so united. Still deeper arcana exist which cannot possibly be explained intelligibly to anyone. See what has appeared already in 1676, 1990, 2016. That the Lord appears as the Sun in the heaven of celestial angels and as the Moon in the heaven of spiritual angels, and that the Sun is the celestial existence of His love and the Moon the spiritual existence of it, see 1053, 1521, 1529-1531; and that every single thing comes beneath His gaze, 1274 (end), 1277 (end)
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. The Latin means after Me but the Greek means to Me which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.
John 13
1
Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2
During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him,
3
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came forth from God, and was going to God,
4
arose from supper, and laid aside his outer garments. He took a towel, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
5
Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6
Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?"
7
Jesus answered him, "You don't know what I am doing now, but you will understand later."
8
Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I don't wash you, you have no part with me."
9
Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!"
10
Jesus said to him, "Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you."
11
For he knew him who would betray him, therefore he said, "You are not all clean."
12
So when he had washed their feet, put his outer garment back on, and sat down again, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?
13
You call me, 'Teacher' and 'Lord.' You say so correctly, for so I am.
14
If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
15
For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.
16
Most certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither one who is sent greater than he who sent him.
17
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
18
I don't speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen. But that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.'
19
From now on, I tell you before it happens, that when it happens, you may believe that I am he.
20
Most certainly I tell you, he who receives whomever I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me."
21
When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, "Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me."
22
The disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom he spoke.
23
One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was at the table, leaning against Jesus' breast.
24
Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and said to him, "Tell us who it is of whom he speaks."
25
He, leaning back, as he was, on Jesus' breast, asked him, "Lord, who is it?"
26
Jesus therefore answered, "It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
27
After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."
28
Now no man at the table knew why he said this to him.
29
For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus said to him, "Buy what things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor.
30
Therefore, having received that morsel, he went out immediately. It was night.
31
When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.
32
If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him immediately.
33
Little children, I will be with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you can't come,' so now I tell you.
34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another.
35
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
36
Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "where I am going, you can't follow now, but you will follow afterwards."
37
Peter said to him, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."
38
Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for me? Most certainly I tell you, the rooster won't crow until you have denied me three times.
