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Deuteronomio 29:15

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15 Sino con los que están aquí presentes hoy con nosotros delante de Jehová nuestro Dios, y con los que no están aquí hoy con nosotros.

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Apocalypse Explained # 520

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520. And the third part of [the waters] became wormwood. That this signifies that all truth in the understanding and in doctrine became such, is evident from the signification of the third part, which denotes all, here all truth in the understanding, and in doctrine, because stated of rivers and fountains of waters, which signify the understanding of truth, and doctrine from the Word. That the third part signifies all, may be seen above (n. 506). And from the signification of wormwood, which denotes truth mingled with the falsity of evil, as explained in the article above. It is therefore evident, that the third part becoming wormwood, signifies that all truth in the understanding and in doctrine was intermingled with the falsity of evil. Truth is intermingled with the falsity of evil, when evils of the life, which are adulteries, whoredoms, murders, hatreds of various degrees, enmities, injustice for the sake of gain, artful and secret thefts and robberies, cunning, deceit, and other things of a similar nature, are confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word; also when falsities of religion are thus confirmed by those who are in the love of self, and thence in the pride of [their] own intelligence. The reason why truths are then mingled with the falsities of evil, is, that all things of the Word are truths, but when they are applied and made use of to confirm evils of the life, and false principles of religion, then the truths of the Word are intermingled with the falsities of evil, and they are consequently no longer truths, but truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities. In order that the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word may continue to be truths, they must be applied to confirm goods of the life, and true principles of religion, but if they are drawn aside and diverted from this application as their end, they are no longer truths, because there is not any perception of truth in them. Perception of truth comes from good, but not from evil.

[2] In every detail of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth, therefore, if in the truths of the Word, there is not good from the person who perceives them they are without their consort, and may be applied for the purpose of every evil desire, and of every kind of false principles, and consequently become falsities of evil. In this way the truths of the Word are falsified by all those who from self love are in the pride of [their] own intelligence. For interiorly evils of every kind from the love of self are dominant, and falsities of every kind from the pride of [man's] own intelligence, while outwardly, in the speech and in preaching, there are truths from the Word, which before those who are in simple good sound like truths, but so far as the person speaking or preaching is concerned, they are interiorly full of falsities of every kind. The truth of the Word with such persons is like a vessel pure and shining, wherein are foul waters which are not seen through the vessel by those who are in simple good, but clearly by the angels of heaven.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

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The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Teachings # 21

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21. 1. People who live lives based on falsity with evil intent and people who live lives based on falsity without evil intent; and also the nature of false beliefs that accompany evil intent and of false beliefs that do not. There are many kinds of falsity-as many as there are kinds of evil-and there are many sources of things that are evil and of the falsities that they engender: 1188, 1212, 4729, 4822, 7574. Falsity that comes from evil, or evil-based falsity, is one thing; evil that comes from falsity, or falsity-based evil, which leads in turn to further or secondary falsity, is another: 1679, 2243. From just one false idea, especially if it is taken as a first principle, further false ideas flow in an unbroken series: 1510, 1511, 4717, 4721. There are falsities that are the result of cravings arising from our love for ourselves and for the world, 1 and there are falsities that are the result of misleading sensory impressions: 1295, 4729. There are falsities that arise from what our religion has taught us and there are falsities that arise from our ignorance: 4729, 8318, 9258. There is falsity that contains some good and there is falsity that contains no good: 2863, 9304, 10109, 10302. There are also things that have been falsified: 7318, 7319, 10648. Everything evil has something false accompanying it: 7577, 8094. The falsity accompanying the cravings that arise from love for ourselves is truly evil; it is the worst kind of falsity: 4729.

[2] Evil is heavy and falls into hell of its own accord, but this is not true of falsity unless it comes from evil: 8279, 8298. Good turns into evil and truth into falsity as they fall from heaven into hell because this is like coming into a dense and polluted atmosphere: 3607. The hells are surrounded by evil-based falsities, which look like storm clouds and unclean waters: 8137, 8146, 8210. The things that are said by the people who are in the hells are falsities that come from evil: 1695, 7351, 7352, 7357, 7392, 7699. Left to their own devices, people intent on evil cannot think anything but falsity: 7437. More on evil that comes from falsity (2408, 4818, 7272, 8265, 8279) and falsity that comes from evil (6359, 9304, 10302).

[3] Every falsity is something we can convince ourselves of, and when we have done so it seems to us to be the truth: 5033, 6865, 8521, 8780. We should therefore make sure something is true before convincing ourselves of it: 4741, 7012, 7680, 7950, 8521. We should be particularly careful not to convince ourselves of falsity in matters of religion because this leads to false convictions that remain with us after death: 845, 8780. How damaging false convictions are: 794, 806, 5096, 7686.

[4] What is good cannot flow into truth as long as we are intent on evil: 2434. To the extent that we devote our lives to what is evil and the falsity that goes with it, to that extent what is good and what is true are moved away from us: 3402. The Lord takes the greatest care to prevent truth from being joined to what is evil and prevent the falsity that comes from evil from being joined to what is good: 3110, 3116, 4416, 5217. If these pairs are mixed, the result is profanation 2 :6348. Truths put an end to falsities and falsities put an end to truths: 5207. Truths cannot be accepted on any deep level as long as skepticism reigns: 3399.

[5] Examples showing how truths can be falsified: 7318. Why evil people are allowed to falsify truths: 7332. Evil people falsify truths by bending and applying them to an evil purpose: 8094, 8149. Truth is said to have been falsified if it has been used to support evil, which happens mainly through deception and superficial appearances: 7344, 8602. The evil are allowed to attack truth but not to attack what is good; they are allowed to distort truth by various interpretations and applications: 6677. Truth that has been falsified for an evil purpose is in opposition to what is true and good: 8062. Falsified truth used for evil purposes smells terrible in the other life: 7319. More on the falsification of truth: 7318, 7319, 10648.

[6] Some false religious beliefs harmonize with what is good and some do not: 9258. False religious beliefs that do not clash with what is good do not lead to evil except in people who are intent on evil: 8318. False religious beliefs are not held against people who are intent on doing good, but they are held against people who are intent on doing evil: 8051, 8149. Truths that are not genuine and even falsities can be associated with genuine truths for people who are intent on doing good, but not for people who are intent on doing evil: 3470, 3471, 4551, 4552, 7344, 8149, 9298. The way things appear in the literal meaning of the Word sets elements that are true beside elements that are false: 7344. False beliefs are rendered true and softened by what is good because they are used for and deflected toward what is good, and the evil is put aside: 8149. The false religious beliefs of people who are intent on doing good are accepted by the Lord as if they were truths: 4736, 8149. Any act of goodness whose character has been shaped by false religious belief is accepted by the Lord if it was done in ignorance and innocence, and if the aim behind it was good: 7887. The truths we possess are outward guises of what is true and good, guises deeply stained with misleading appearances, but if our lives are focused on doing what is good the Lord adjusts them toward genuine truths: 2053. Falsities containing something good can be found in people who are outside the church and therefore ignorant of the truth and also in people in a church where there are false teachings: 2589-2604, 2861, 2863, 3263, 3778, 4189, 4190, 4197, 6700, 9256. Falsities in which there is nothing good are more harmful for people within the church than they are for people outside the church: 7688. What is true and good is taken away from evil people in the other life and given to the good, in keeping with the Lord's words "To those who have, more will be given, and they will have abundance; but from those who do not have, even what they have will be taken away" [Matthew 25:29]: 7770.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. Swedenborg's theology generally holds that one of four kinds of love is dominant within us, whether we are aware of it or not: love for the Lord, love for our neighbor, love for the world, or love for ourselves. To Swedenborg the last two, love for the world and love for ourselves, are highly negative kinds of love when they are dominant. By "love for the world" he does not mean care for the world of nature or the planetary ecosystem. Instead this love focuses on a desire for "worldly" things, including wealth, possessions, objects that please the physical senses, and enjoyable interaction in elite social settings. By "love for ourselves" as a dominant love he does not mean care for ourselves in a positive sense: providing for our physical health and well-being, cultivating a positive sense of self-esteem, and avoiding debilitating self-disparagement. Instead this love focuses on a desire for power, high position, respect, glory, fame, and status. Swedenborg's use of the term "love for the world" reflects 1 John 2:15-16, but also owes something to the biblical use of "world," at times, to mean all that is opposed to God and religion; see, for example, John 15:18-19; 17:14-16; James 4:4. His use of "love of self" reflects 2 Timothy 3:2, as well as other biblical passages that express the idea that one's neighbor is at least as worthy of love as oneself (Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8). Yet in Swedenborg's view, "self" and "the world" in themselves are far from purely negative; see note 1 in New Jerusalem 59. For further information on love for the world and love for ourselves, see especially New Jerusalem 65-80, 81-83. [JSR, SS]

2. For more on the topic of profanation, see New Jerusalem 172 and note 1 in New Jerusalem 169 below. [Editors]

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.