6. (i) THE WHOLE OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURE AND ALL THE DOCTRINES EXTRACTED FROM IT BY CHURCHES THROUGHOUT CHRISTENDOM TEACH THAT THERE IS A GOD AND HE IS ONE.

The reason why the whole of the Sacred Scripture teaches the existence of God is that its inmost meaning is concerned with nothing but God, that is, the Divine proceeding from God. For Scripture was dictated by God, and nothing can proceed from God except what He Himself is, and this we call the Divine. This resides in the inmost meaning of Scripture. However, in its lower forms which are derived from the Divine, the Holy Scripture is adapted to the grasp of angels and men. In these forms it is likewise Divine, but in a different guise; in this case the Divine is called Celestial, Spiritual and Natural. These are merely the veils of God, since God Himself, as He exists in the inmost meaning of the Word, cannot be looked on by any created being. For when Moses begged to see the glory of Jehovah, God told him that no one can see God and live. It is the same with the inmost meaning of the Word, in which God is in His Being and Essence.

[2] Still the Divine, which is inmostly contained in it and is protected by such veils as adapt it to the grasp of angels and men, shines out like light passing through crystalline structures, but the light appears to differ according to the state of mind which a person has acquired from God or from himself. For everyone who has acquired his state of mind from God, the Sacred Scripture is like a mirror, in which he sees God, everyone in his own fashion. This mirror is composed of the truths which he learns from the Word and absorbs by living his life in accordance with them. A first conclusion from this is that the Sacred Scripture is the fulness of God.

[3] This teaches not only the existence of God, but also that He is one. This is evident from the fact that the truths, which, as I have said, compose that mirror, are held together in a single bond and prevent a person from thinking about God except as one. That is why every person, whose reason has absorbed some holiness from the Word, knows, as if of himself, that God is one, and regards talking about several gods as a kind of madness. Angels cannot open their mouths to say 'Gods', because the aura of heaven in which they live offers resistance. The Sacred Scripture teaches that God is one not only universally, as I asserted, but in many particular passages, such as the following.

Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, Deuteronomy 6:4; similarly Mark 12:29.

Surely God is among you, and there is no God beside Me, Isaiah 45:14-15. Am I not Jehovah, and there is no other God beside me? Isaiah 45:21.

I am Jehovah your God, and you are not to acknowledge any God beside Me, Hosea 13:4.

Thus spoke Jehovah, the King of Israel, I am the First and the Last, and there is no God beside Me, Isaiah 44:6. On that day Jehovah will be King over all the earth; on that day Jehovah will be one, and His name one, Zechariah 14:9.

2220. That 'Sodom' is every evil that stems from self-love is clear from the meaning of 'Sodom' in the Word. Although in the next chapter it seems as if Sodom means the evil that consists in the worst form of adultery, nevertheless nothing else is meant by it in the internal sense than evil that stems from self-love. In the Word also the dreadful things that well up out of self-love are represented by various kinds of adultery. That 'Sodom' means in general every evil that stems from self-love, and 'Gomorrah' every falsity derived from this, has been shown in Volume One, in 1212, 1663, 1682, 1689, and may become clearer still from the following places in the Word:

In Jeremiah,

A sword over the Chaldeans and over the inhabitants of Babel as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and its neighbours, said Jehovah. No man will live there, and no son of man will abide in it. Jeremiah 50:35, 40.

This refers to those meant by 'the Chaldeans' whose worship consists in profane falsity, as shown already in 1368, and also to those meant by 'Babel' whose worship consists in profane evil, 1182, 1326. Their condemnation is described by the overthrow of Sodom, that is, of evil in general, and by the overthrow of Gomorrah, that is, of falsity in general, since their worship too consists in evil that stems from self-love, and in falsity derived from this.

[2] In Amos,

I overthrew you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you became as a brand plucked out of the burning. Amos 4:11.

This refers to Samaria, by which is meant the perverted spiritual Church, which as regards evils in general contrary to the goods of charity is called 'Sodom', as regards falsities in general contrary to truths of faith is called 'Gomorrah', and as regards both is described here, as in the previous quotation, as 'the overthrowing of God'. In Zephaniah,

Moab will be like Sodom, and the children of Ammon like Gomorrah, a place abandoned to the nettle, and a saltpit, and a desolation even for ever. This will be theirs for their arrogance because they taunted and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah Zebaoth. Zephaniah 2:9-10.

Here 'Sodom' stands for evil stemming from self-love, and 'Gomorrah' for falsity derived from this, both of which are referred to here as 'a desolation', as they were 'an overthrowing' in the two previous quotations. 'Arrogance' is self-love, 'taunting the people of Jehovah Zebaoth' is bringing evil against truths, and 'magnifying themselves against the people' is bringing falsity against them.

[3] In Ezekiel,

Your elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters, dwelling on your left hand; and your younger sister, dwelling on your right hand, is Sodom and her daughters Your sister Sodom has not done, she and her daughters, as you have done, you and your daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom; she and her daughters had pride, surfeit of bread, and prosperous ease, but she did not strengthen the hand of the wretched and needy. And they became haughty and did abominable things before Me. Ezekiel 16:46, 48-50.

This refers to the abominations of Jerusalem, which are described as Samaria and Sodom 'Samaria', used instead of Gomorrah, describing the abominations involving falsities, and 'Sodom' those involving evils. What is meant specifically by 'Sodom' is also stated, for it is said, 'this was the iniquity of Sodom', namely that it was self-love, meant here by 'pride'. Their rejection of the goods of charity is meant by 'surfeit of bread', and their satisfaction taken in those [falsities and evils] by 'prosperous ease'. Their lack of compassion is described by the statement that they did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy, and the impregnation with self-love of their desires resulting from this is described by the statement that the daughters became haughty - such desires being meant by 'daughters'.

[4] From this it is quite clear what Sodom means - that its meaning is not the same as what occurs in the historical sense in the next chapter, and that by Sodom in the next chapter such things are meant in the internal sense as are described here in Ezekiel, namely things belonging to self-love. But the description of Sodom here is milder because reference is made to the abominations of Jerusalem having been greater than those of Sodom, as is evident also from the Lord's words in Matthew,

Truly I say to you, It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that city. Matthew 10:15; Mark 6:11; Luke 10:12.

In John,

Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt. Revelation 11:8.

Here it is clear that 'Sodom' is not used to mean Sodom nor 'Egypt' to mean Egypt, for it is said that 'spiritually it is called Sodom and Egypt'. 'Sodom' stands for every evil stemming from self-love, and 'Egypt', used instead of Gomorrah, for every falsity derived from this.