116. Internal Meaning of Jeremiah, Chapter 50

Of those who have adulterated and falsified the goods and truths of the church, who are meant by Babylon and Chaldea. (3)

1-3 They will no longer have any good or truth. (3)

4-7 Then those who are in ignorance of good and truth, because of a lack of them, will be brought to the Lord. (11)

8 They will depart from Babylon. 11 (11)

9-10 Babylon will perish, (3)

11 because they have vastated the church. (3)

12-13 It is without any truth. (3, 4)

14-16 Their destruction at the time of judgment, (15)

17 because she has destroyed the church. (15, 3)

18-20 After Babylon has been destroyed, a new church will be established, which will be acceptable to the Lord. (3, 11)

21-24 Babylon will be destroyed because she is against the Lord. (3)

25-30 They are to be wholly destroyed, (3)

31-32 on account of the love of ruling, (3)

33-34 because they do not refrain from destroying the church which the Lord establishes and redeems. (3)

35-38 All things appertaining to them from firsts to lasts have been destroyed by means of falsities. (3)

39-40 They have horrible falsities and evils. (3)

41-46 The last judgment upon them. (15)

When the Bible speaks of "Jehovah," it is representing love itself, the inmost love that is the essence of the Lord. That divine love is one, whole and complete in itself, and Jehovah also is one, a name applied only to the Lord. The divine love expresses itself in the form of wisdom. Love, then, is the essence of God -- His inmost. Wisdom -- the loving understanding of how to put love into action -- is slightly more external, giving love a way to express itself. Wisdom, however, is expressed in a great variety of thoughts and ideas, what the Writings collectively call divine truth. There are also many imaginary gods, and sometimes angels and people can be called gods (the Lord said Moses would be as a god to Aaron). So when the Bible calls the Lord "God," it is in most cases referring to divine truth. In other cases, "God" has reference to what is called the divine human. The case there is this: As human beings, we cannot engage the Lord directly as divine love. It is too powerful and too pure. Instead, we have to approach Him by understanding Him through divine truth. Divine truth, then, is the Lord in human form, a form we can approach and understand. Thus "God" is also used in reference to this human aspect, because it is an expression of truth.