しかし、ここで私たちが興味を持っているのは、アブラハムという人が地上に住んでいた何世紀も後に、イエスがマリアのもとに生まれた後のイエスの人生の最も奥の部分を預言したり、予言したりしているので、アブラハムの深い表象です。アブラハムは神の善や愛を表しています。御言葉の内的感覚は、神ご自身がマリアの中に卵子に命を与えられたことを教えているので、マリアはユダヤ教の宗教から自然な身体と自然な遺伝を提供することができ、一方でイエスの魂は神の命の直接の所有者として保たれていました。イエスの初期の人生の間、おそらく思春期までの間、イエスはアブラハムのそれらの代表的な行動を彼の心と精神の奥底の部分で生きていました。アブラハムは羊を放牧し、大きな家を経営していましたが、これが真実であることを全く知らなかったし、イエス様の人生の初期には、イエス様もそれに気づかなかったのです。イエスが12歳の時に神殿を訪問したことを目撃して、イエスが成長するにつれて認識があったに違いありませんが、イエスが完全に成長するまでは完全に理解していませんでした。 さらに、それはアブラハムだけではありません。 アブラハムが死ぬとき、その表現は、理性的な心のレベルを表すイサクに付着し、次に、ヤコブとエサウの両方に付着し、それぞれ心の中の真実と善についての自然な心を表しています。 そして、十二部族の試練、王たちの試練、預言者たちのすべての言葉が同じ表現になります。ですから、イエスはエマオへの道で出会った二人の弟子たちに、「愚かな者たちよ、心の遅い者たちよ...モーセとすべての預言者たちから始めて、ご自身に関するすべてのことをすべての聖典で彼らに説明してくださった」と言うことができます。 アブラハム（またはアブラム、彼の物語の冒頭で名前が付けられている）は、神聖な聖典の物語の主要な登場人物の一人です。彼は息子イサクを通してイスラエルの子供たちの祖先であり、息子イシュマエルを通してアラブの子供たちの祖先でした。彼の人生は3つの期間に分けて見ることができます。第一の期間には、ウルで生まれてからの知られざる初期の時期と、後に父テラと共にハランに移り住んだ時期が含まれています。第二章は、アブラムがエホバからカナンに行くように召されたところから始まります。そこでの彼の冒険が含まれており、創世記 17章の出来事まで続きます。主は再び彼の前に現れ、彼の子孫が偉大な国になることを約束し、割礼の儀式を行い、彼の名前をアブラハムに変え、エホバからの「あー」という音を加えます。アブラハムの人生の第三期と最後の期には、イサクの誕生、サラの死（名前も変更されています）、メソポタミアにいたアブラハムの親戚の中からイサクの妻を見つけることになります。 アブラハムは、創世記 25章に記録されているように、死ぬ時には175歳になっていると言われています。 (以下の参照は、アブラム/アブラハムが年を取るにつれて、聖書の順序で時系列になっています) さらに，わたしたち一人一人の精神生活と霊的生活の歩みは，主の律法と戒律に従って互いに愛し合おうとしているならば，アブラハムの人生に代表されるような，ぼんやりとした有限のイメージでしかありません。わたしたちの中にも，カナンの地への旅，エジプトでの勤勉な滞在，荒野での戦い，サウル，ダビデ，アハブがいます。 アマレク人とペリシテ人もいます。旧約聖書の全体は、私たちの霊的生活がどのように機能しているかを示しています。

(Odkazy: 天界の秘義1416 [2], 天界の秘義1426, 天界の秘義2533, 創世記12:4, 17:5, 20:7)

1416. That 'I will make you into a great nation' means a kingdom in heaven and on earth becomes clear from the meaning of 'nation' in the internal sense as the celestial entity of love and the good which flows from this, thus all throughout the world in whom the celestial element of love and charity is present. Since the subject here in the internal sense is the Lord, everything of the celestial and of the good deriving from it, thus His kingdom, is meant - which exists with those in whom love and charity are present. In the highest sense the Lord Himself is 'the great nation' since He is the Celestial itself and Good itself. For all good that flows from love and charity originates in Him alone, which also explains why the Lord comprises His own kingdom, that is, He is the All in all of His kingdom, as also all angels in heaven acknowledge. From this it is now clear that 'I will make you into a great nation' means the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth.

[2] That 'nation' in the internal sense, where the Lord and celestial things of love are the subject, means Him and all celestial things may become clear also from what has been introduced in 1258, 1259, regarding the meaning of a nation and nations. This matter may be confirmed further still from the following places: In reference to Abraham further on,

No longer will your name be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. Genesis 17:5.

The soft 'h' sound in Abraham was taken from Jehovah's name because he represented Jehovah, that is, the Lord. Similarly in reference to Sarai,

You will not call her name Sarai, but Sarah will be her name, and I will bless her, and I will also give you a son by her; thus will I bless her, and she will become nations; kings of peoples will be from her. Genesis 17:15-16.

'Nations' here stands for the celestial things of love, and 'kings of peoples' for the spiritual things of faith deriving from that love, which are the Lord's alone.

[3] In reference to Jacob likewise,

Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel will be your name. And He called his name Israel, and God said, I am God Almighty, ¹ increase and multiply; a nation and an assembly of nations will come into being from you, and kings will go out from your loins. Genesis 35:10-11.

Here 'Israel' stands for the Lord, who Himself, as is well known to some, is in the highest sense Israel. And when He is meant by 'Israel' it is evident that 'a nation and an assembly of nations' and 'kings from his loins' mean the celestial and spiritual things of love, and therefore all in whom the celestial and spiritual things of love are present. In reference to Ishmael, Abram's son by Hagar, it is said,

The son of the servant-girl I will make into a nation, because he is your seed. Genesis 21:13, 18.

What Ishmael represents will be seen in that place. 'The seed of Abram' means love itself, and because of this the word nation is used for those begotten from Ishmael.

[4] That 'nation' means the celestial things of love is clear in Moses,

If you will surely hearken to My voice, and keep My covenant and be a peculiar treasure to Me from among all peoples, you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Exodus 19:5-6.

Here 'a kingdom of priests', a phrase used to describe the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth, springing from the celestial things of love, is openly called 'a holy nation'. But the Lord's kingdom springing from His Royalty is described as such by virtue of the spiritual things of love and is called 'a holy people'. 'Kings from the loins' therefore, as above, ² is spiritual things. In Jeremiah,

If these ordinances depart from before Me, said Jehovah, the seed of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me for ever. ³ Jeremiah 31:36.

'Seed of Israel' stands for the celestial entity of charity, and when this ceases to exist there is no longer a nation before the Lord.

[5] In Isaiah,

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. You have multiplied the nation. Isaiah 9:2-3.

Specifically this refers to the Church of the nations, ⁴ , but in general to all who are without knowledge but lead charitable lives. These are 'the nation' because they are members of the Lord's kingdom. In David,

O that I may see the good of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the joy of Your nation, that I may glory in Your heritage. Psalms 106:5.

Here 'nation' plainly stands for the Lord's kingdom. It was from an ability to perceive that 'a nation' meant the celestial entity of love and the good which flows from this that members of the Most Ancient Church came to be distinguished into separate houses, families, and nations. By this distinguishing they gained a perception of the Lord's kingdom; and because they had a perception of the Lord's kingdom they had a perception of the celestial itself. From that ability to perceive there arose that which held a spiritual meaning, and from this that which was representative.

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