Doctrine of the Lord # 51
51. Whenever the term spirit is applied to the Lord, it means in particular the life of His wisdom, which is Divine truth:
...I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go away, I will send Him to you. (John 16:7)
...when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; ...He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears He will speak. (John 16:13)
He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:14-15)
I will ask the Father to give you another Counselor..., the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.... ...you will see Me. (John 14:16-19, cf. 14:26, 28)
...when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth..., He will testify of Me. (John 15:26)
...Jesus...cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.” This He said concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; ...the Holy Spirit did not yet exist, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39)
(Jesus) breathed on (His disciples) and said..., “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22)
[2] By the Counselor, the Spirit of truth, and the Holy Spirit, the Lord meant Himself, and this is apparent from the Lord’s saying that the world did not yet know the Counselor or Spirit of truth; for people did not as yet know the Lord. Moreover, when He said that He would send Him, He added, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you, “ and “you will see Me” (John 14:16-19, 26, 28). At another time, too, He said, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). And when Thomas said, “We do not know where You are going, ” Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth” (John 14:5-6).
[3] Because the Spirit of truth, or Holy Spirit, is the same as the Lord, who is truth itself, therefore we are also told, “The Holy Spirit did not yet exist, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39). For after the Lord’s glorification or complete union with the Father, which was achieved by His suffering of the cross, the Lord was then Divine wisdom itself and Divine truth itself, thus the Holy Spirit.
The Lord breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit, ” because respiration in heaven is dependent wholly on the Lord. For angels breathe and their hearts beat just as in the case of people. Their respiration accords with their reception of Divine wisdom from the Lord, and the beating of their hearts or pulse accords with their reception of Divine love from the Lord. The reality of this will be seen in its own place.
[4] That the Holy Spirit is Divine truth received from the Lord is still more apparent from the following passages:
When they deliver you to the synagogues..., do not worry about...what you will say. ...the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you should say. (Luke 12:11-12, cf. 21:14, Mark 13:11, 12)
...said Jehovah, “...My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth....” (Isaiah 59:21)
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse.... He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the spirit [i.e., breath ] of His lips He shall slay the impious. Truth shall be the girdle of His loins.... (Isaiah 11:1, 4-5)
...with His mouth He commanded, and His Spirit gathered them. (Isaiah 34:16)
...those who worship (God) must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)
It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and...life. (John 6:63)
(John said,) “I...baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me...will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11, cf. Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16)
To baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire means to regenerate by means of the Divine truth that is a property of faith and the Divine goodness that is a property of love.
When (Jesus) was baptized..., the heavens were opened..., and He saw the (Holy) Spirit...descending like a dove.... (Matthew 3:16, cf. Mark 1:10, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:32-33)
The dove represents purification and regeneration by means of Divine truth.
[5] Since the Holy Spirit, when applied to the Lord, means His Divine life, thus Himself, and in particular the life of His wisdom, which we call Divine truth, therefore the spirit spoken of by the Prophets — which is also called the Holy Spirit — means Divine truth received from the Lord. Such is the case in the following passages:
...the Spirit said to the churches.... (Revelation 2:7, 11, 29, 3:1, 3, 6, 13, 22)
...(the) seven lamps of fire burning before the throne...are the seven spirits of God. (Revelation 4:5)
...in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing..., having...seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. (Revelation 5:6)
The lamps of fire and the Lord’s eyes symbolize Divine truths, and the number seven symbolizes holiness.
...said the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors....” (Revelation 14:13)
The spirit and the bride say, “Come!” (Revelation 22:17)
They made their hearts adamant, so as not to hear the law or the words which Jehovah...sent by His Spirit through the...prophets. (Zechariah 7:12)
The spirit of Elijah came over Elisha. (2 Kings 2:15)
(John went) before...in the spirit and power of Elijah.... (Luke 1:17)
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (and prophesied). (Luke 1:41-45)
Zacharias...was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied.... (Luke 1:67)
...David...said by the Holy Spirit: “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right....’ ” (Mark 12:36)
...the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10)
Now because the Holy Spirit in particular means the Lord in relation to Divine wisdom, and so in relation to Divine truth, it is apparent why it is said of the Holy Spirit that it enlightens, teaches, and inspires.
Published by the General Church of the New Jerusalem, 1100 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009, U.S.A. A translation of Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae de Domino, by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1688-1772. Translated from the Original Latin by N. Bruce Rogers. ISBN 9780945003687, Library of Congress Control Number: 2013954074.
Ezekiel 3
1
He said to me, Son of man, eat that which you find. eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.
2
So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the scroll.
3
He said to me, Son of man, cause your belly to eat, and fill your bowels with this scroll that I give you. Then I ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4
He said to me, Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them.
5
For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;
6
not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words you can not understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.
7
But the house of Israel will not listen to you; for they will not listen to me: for all the house of Israel are obstinate and hard-hearted.
8
Behold, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads.
9
As an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead: don't be afraid of them, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.
10
Moreover he said to me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears.
11
Go to them of the captivity, to the children of your people, and speak to them, and tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
12
Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, [saying], Blessed be the glory of Yahweh from his place.
13
[I heard] the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even the noise of a great rushing.
14
So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; and the hand of Yahweh was strong on me.
15
Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel Aviv, that lived by the river Chebar, and to where they lived; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.
16
It happened at the end of seven days, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
17
Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word from my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18
When I tell the wicked, You shall surely die; and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand.
19
Yet if you warn the wicked, and he doesn't turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
20
Again, when a righteous man does turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because you have not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at your hand.
21
Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that the righteous not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and you have delivered your soul.
22
The hand of Yahweh was there on me; and he said to me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with you.
23
Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and behold, the glory of Yahweh stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face.
24
Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me on my feet; and he spoke with me, and said to me, Go, shut yourself inside your house.
25
But you, son of man, behold, they shall lay bands on you, and shall bind you with them, and you shall not go out among them:
26
and I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, that you shall be mute, and shall not be to them a reprover; for they are a rebellious house.
27
But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: He who hears, let him hear; and he who forbears, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.
