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Jeremija 51

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1 Ovako govori Gospod: Evo, ja ću podignuti na Vavilon i na one koji žive usred onih koji ustaju na me, vetar koji mori.

2 Poslaću na Vavilon vijače koji će ga razvijati i zemlju njegovu isprazniti, jer će ga opkoliti sa svih strana u dan nevolje njegove.

3 Strelac neka nateže luk na strelca i na onog koji se ponosi svojim oklopom, i ne žalite mladića njegovih, potrite mu svu vojsku,

4 Neka padnu pobijeni u zemlji haldejskoj i izbodeni na ulicama njegovim.

5 Jer nije ostavio Izrailja i Jude Bog njihov, Gospod nad vojskama, ako i jeste zemlja njihova puna krivice Svecu Izrailjevom.

6 Bežite iz Vavilona i izbavite svaki dušu svoju da se ne istrebite u bezakonju njegovom, jer je vreme osvete Gospodnje, plaća mu šta je zaslužio.

7 Vavilon beše zlatna čaša u ruci Gospodnjoj, kojom opoji svu zemlju; vino njegovo piše narodi, zato poludeše narodi.

8 Ujedanput pade Vavilon i razbi se; ridajte za njim; donesite balsama za rane njegove, ne bi li se iscelio.

9 Lečismo Vavilon, ali se ne isceli; ostavite ga, i da idemo svaki u svoju zemlju; jer do neba dopire sud njegov i diže se do oblaka.

10 Gospod je izneo pravdu našu; hodite, da pripovedamo na Sionu delo Gospoda Boga svog.

11 Čistite strele, uzmite štitove; Gospod podiže duh careva midskih, jer je Vavilonu namislio da ga zatre; jer je osveta Gospodnja, osveta crkve Njegove.

12 Na zidovima vavilonskim podignite zastavu, utvrdite stražu, postavite stražare, namestite zasede; jer je Gospod namislio, i učiniće šta je rekao za stanovnike vavilonske.

13 O ti, što stanuješ kraj vode velike i imaš mnogo blaga! Dođe kraj tvoj i svršetak lakomstvu tvom.

14 Gospod nad vojskama zakle se sobom: Napuniću te ljudima kao skakavcima, i oni će ti pevati pesmu.

15 On je stvorio zemlju silom svojom, utvrdio vasiljenu mudrošću svojom, i razumom svojim razapeo nebesa.

16 Kad pusti glas svoj, buče vode na nebesima, podiže paru s krajeva zemaljskih, i pušta munje s daždem, i izvodi vetar iz staja njegovih.

17 Svaki čovek posta bezuman od znanja, svaki se zlatar osramoti likom rezanim; jer su laž likovi njegovi liveni i nema duha u njima.

18 Taština su, delo prevarno; kad ih pohodim, poginuće.

19 Nije takav deo Jakovljev; jer je On Tvorac svemu i On je deo nasledstva njegovog; ime Mu je Gospod nad vojskama.

20 Ti si mi bio malj, oružje ubojno, i tobom satrh narode i tobom rasuh carstva.

21 I tobom satrh konja i jahača njegovog; i tobom satrh kola i koji seđahu na njima.

22 I tobom satrh čoveka i ženu, i satrh tobom starca i dete, i satrh tobom momka i devojku.

23 I tobom satrh pastira i stado njegovo, i tobom satrh orača i volove njegove ujarmljene, i satrh tobom knezove i vlastelje.

24 I platiću Vavilonu i svim stanovnicima haldejskim za sve zlo koje učiniše Sionu, na vaše oči, govori Gospod.

25 Evo mene na tebe, goro, koja satireš, govori Gospod, koja zatireš svu zemlju, i zamahnuću rukom svojom na te i svaliću te sa stena, i načiniću od tebe goru izgorelu.

26 I neće uzeti od tebe kamena za ugao ni kamena za temelj, jer ćeš biti pustoš večna, govori Gospod.

27 Podignite zastavu u zemlji, zatrubite u trube među narodima, pripravite narode na nj, sazovite na nj carstvo araratsko, minijsko i ashanasko; postavite vojvodu suprot njemu, dovedite konje kao skakavce bodljikaste.

28 Pripravite narode suprot njemu, careve midske i vojvode njihove i sve vlastelje njihove i svu zemlju države njihove.

29 I zemlja će se zatresti i uzmučiti, jer će se misao Gospodnja izvršiti na Vavilonu da obrati zemlju vavilonsku u pustinju da niko ne živi u njoj.

30 Prestaše vojevati junaci vavilonski, stoje u gradu, nesta sile njihove, postaše kao žene, izgoreše stanovi njihovi, prevornice njihove polomiše se.

31 Glasnik će sretati glasnika, i poslanik će sretati poslanika da jave caru vavilonskom da mu je uzet grad sa svih krajeva,

32 I da se brodovi uzeše i jezera izgoreše ognjem i vojnici se prepali.

33 Jer ovako veli Gospod nad vojskama Bog Izrailjev: Kći je vavilonska kao gumno; vreme je da se nabije, još malo, pa će doći vreme da se požnje.

34 Izjede me i potre me Navuhodonosor, car vavilonski, načini od mene nepotreban sud, proždre me kao zmaj, napuni trbuh svoj milinama mojim, i otera me.

35 Nepravda koja se čini meni i mom telu neka dođe na Vavilon, reći će stanovnica sionska, i krv moja na stanovnike haldejske, govoriće Jerusalim.

36 Zato ovako veli Gospod: Evo, ja ću raspraviti parbu tvoju i osvetiću te; i osušiću more njegovo, i izvore ću njegove osušiti.

37 I Vavilon će postati gomila, stan zmajevski, čudo i podsmeh, da niko neće živeti u njemu.

38 Rikaće svi kao lavovi i viti kao lavići.

39 Kad se ugreju, izneću im da piju, i opojiću ih da se razvesele i zaspe večnim snom, da se ne probude, govori Gospod.

40 Svešću ih na zaklanje kao jaganjce, kao ovnove s jarcima.

41 Kako se predobi Sisah i uze se hvala sve zemlje? Kako Vavilon posta čudo među narodima?

42 More usta na Vavilon, pokri ga mnoštvo vala njegovih.

43 Gradovi njegovi postaše pustoš, zemlja sasušena i pusta, zemlja gde niko ne živi, niti prolazi kroz nju sin čovečji.

44 I pohodiću Vila u Vavilonu i izvući ću iz usta njegovih šta je proždrao, i neće se više sticati k njemu narodi, i zid će vavilonski pasti.

45 Iziđi iz njega, narode moj, i izbavite svaki svoju dušu od žestokog gneva Gospodnjeg.

46 Nemojte da odmekne srce vaše i da se uplašite od glasa koji će se čuti u zemlji; a doći će glas jedne godine, a posle njega drugi glas druge godine, i nasilje će biti u zemlji, i gospodar će ustati na gospodara.

47 Zato evo idu dani kad ću pohoditi rezane likove vavilonske, i sva će se zemlja njegova posramiti, i svi će pobijeni njegovi pasti usred njega.

48 Nebo i zemlja i sve što je u njima pevaće nad Vavilonom, jer će doći na nj sa severa zatirač, govori Gospod.

49 I kao što je Vavilon učinio da padnu pobijeni Izrailjevi, tako će pasti u Vavilonu pobijeni sve zemlje.

50 Koji utekoste od mača, idite, ne stojte; pominjite Gospoda izdaleka, i Jerusalim neka vam je u srcu.

51 Posramismo se, što čusmo rug, stid popade lice naše, što tuđini uđoše u svetinju doma Gospodnjeg.

52 Zato, gle, idu dani, govori Gospod, kad ću pohoditi rezane likove njegove, i po svoj zemlji njegovoj ječaće ranjenici.

53 Da se Vavilon i na nebo popne, i na visini da utvrdi silu svoju, doći će od mene na nj zatirači, govori Gospod.

54 Čuje se velika vika iz Vavilona, i velik polom iz zemlje haldejske.

55 Jer Gospod zatire Vavilon, i ukida u njemu veliku vrevu; i vali će njihovi bučati kao velika voda, vika će se njihova razlegati.

56 Jer dođe na nj, na Vavilon, zatirač, junaci se njegovi zarobiše, lukovi se njihovi potrše; jer je Gospod Bog koji plaća, doista će platiti.

57 Opojiću knezove njegove i mudrace njegove, vojvode njegove i vlastelje njegove i junake njegove, da će zaspati večnim snom i neće se probuditi, govori car, kome je ime Gospod nad vojskama.

58 Ovako veli Gospod nad vojskama: Široki zidovi vavilonski sasvim će se raskopati, i visoka vrata njegova ognjem će se spaliti, te su ljudi uzalud radili, i narodi se trudili za oganj.

59 Reč što zapovedi prorok Jeremija Seraji sinu Nirije sina Masijinog, kad pođe od Sedekije, cara Judinog, u Vavilon četvrte godine carovanja njegovog; a Seraja beše glavni posteljnik.

60 A Jeremija napisa u jednu knjigu sve zlo koje htede doći na Vavilon, sve ove reči što su napisane za Vavilon.

61 I reče Jeremija Seraji: Kad dođeš u Vavilon, tada gledaj i pročitaj sve ove reči;

62 I reci: Gospode, Ti si govorio za ovo mesto da ćeš ga zatrti da niko ne živi u njemu, ni čovek ni živinče, nego da je pustoš do veka.

63 A kad pročitaš ovu knjigu, veži kamen za nju, i baci je u Efrat.

64 I reci: Tako će potonuti Vavilon i neće se podignuti oda zla koje ću pustiti na nj, i oni će iznemoći. Dovde su reči Jeremijine.

   

Aus Swedenborgs Werken

 

Apocalypse Explained #608

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608. Verse 6 (Revelation 10:6). And he sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, signifies the verity from His own Divine. This is evident from the signification of "to swear," as being a strong assertion and confirmation, and in reference to the Lord the verity (of which presently); also from the signification of "Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages," as being the Divine from eternity, which alone lives, and which is the source of life to all in the universe, both angels and men. (That this is signified by "Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages" may be seen above, n. 289, 291, 349.) That "to swear" signifies asseveration and confirmation, but here verity (since it is the Lord that is meant by the angel that swears), can be seen from this, that "to swear" means to asseverate and confirm that a thing is so, and when done by the Lord means Divine verity; for oaths are made only by those who are not interiorly in truth itself, that is, by those who are not interior but only exterior men; consequently they are never made by angels, still less by the Lord; but He is said in the Word to swear, and the Israelites were allowed to swear by God, because they were only exterior men, and because the asseveration and confirmation of the internal man, when it comes into the external, falls into the form of an oath. In the Israelitish Church all things were external, representing and signifying things internal. The Word in the sense of the letter is similar. From this it can be seen that "the angel sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages" cannot mean that he thus sware, but that he said in himself that this is verity, and that when this came down into the natural sphere it was changed, according to correspondences, into the form of an oath.

[2] Now as "to swear" is only an external corresponding to the confirmation that belongs to the mind of the internal man, and is therefore significative of that, so in the Word of the Old Testament it is said to be lawful to swear by God, yea, that God Himself is said to swear. That this signifies confirmation, asseveration and simply verity, or that it is true, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Jehovah hath sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength (Isaiah 62:8).

In Jeremiah:

Jehovah of Hosts hath sworn by His soul (Jeremiah 51:14; Amos 6:8).

In Amos:

The Lord Jehovih hath sworn by His holiness (Amos 4:2).

In the same:

Jehovah hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob (Amos 8:7).

In Jeremiah:

Behold, I have sworn by My great name (Jeremiah 44:26).

Jehovah is said "to have sworn by His right hand," "by His soul," "by His holiness," and "by His name," to signify by Divine verity; for "the right hand of Jehovah," "the arm of His strength," "His holiness," "His name," and "His soul," mean the Lord in relation to Divine truth, thus Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; the like is meant by "the excellency of Jacob," for "the mighty One of Jacob" means the Lord in relation to Divine truth.

[3] That "to swear," in reference to Jehovah, signifies confirmation by Himself, that is, from His Divine, is evident in Isaiah:

By Myself have I sworn, the word has gone forth from My mouth, and shall not be recalled (Isaiah 45:23).

In Jeremiah:

By Myself I have sworn that this house shall become a desolation (Jeremiah 22:5).

Because "to swear" in reference to Jehovah signifies Divine verity it is said in David:

Jehovah hath sworn truth unto David, He turneth 1 not from it (Psalms 132:11).

[4] Jehovah God, or the Lord, never swears, for to swear is not becoming to God Himself, or the Divine verity; but when God, or the Divine verity, wills to have anything confirmed before men, then that confirmation in its descent into the natural sphere falls into the form or formula of an oath, such as is used in the world. This shows why it is said in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is the natural sense, that God swears, although He never swears. This, then, is the signification of "to swear" in reference to Jehovah or the Lord in the preceding passages, and also in the following. In Isaiah:

Jehovah of Hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass (Isaiah 14:24).

In David:

I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn unto David My servant. Lord, Thou hast sworn unto David in verity (Psalms 89:3, 35, 49).

In the same:

Jehovah hath sworn and will not repent (Psalms 110:4).

In Ezekiel:

I have sworn unto thee, and have entered into a covenant with thee, that thou mightest become Mine (Ezekiel 16:8).

In David:

Unto whom I have sworn in Mine anger (Psalms 95:11).

In Isaiah:

I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more pass over the earth (Isaiah 54:9).

In Luke:

To remember His holy covenant, the oath which He sware to Abraham our father (Luke 1:72, 73).

In David:

He hath remembered His covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath with Isaac (Psalms 105:8, 9).

In Jeremiah:

That I may establish the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers (Jeremiah 11:5; 32:22).

In Moses:

The land which I have sworn to give unto your fathers (Deuteronomy 1:35; 10:11; 11:9, 21; 26:3, 15; 31:20; 34:4).

[5] From this it can be seen what is meant by "the angel lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages," as it is likewise said in Daniel:

And I heard the man clothed in linen, that he held up his right hand and his left hand unto the heavens, and sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages (Daniel 12:7);

as meaning to bear witness before the angels respecting the state of the church, that what follows is Divine verity.

[6] Because the church that was instituted with the sons of Israel was a representative church, in which all things that were commanded were natural things representing and signifying spiritual things, the sons of Israel, with whom that church existed, were permitted to swear by Jehovah, and by His name, likewise by the holy things of the church; and this represented and thus signified internal confirmation, and also verity, as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

He that blesseth himself in the earth let him bless himself in the God of truth, and he that sweareth in the earth let him swear in the God of truth (Isaiah 65:16).

In Jeremiah:

Swear by the living Jehovah, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness (Jeremiah 4:2).

In Moses:

Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God, Him shalt thou serve, and shalt swear in His name (Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20).

In Isaiah:

In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that swear to Jehovah of Hosts (Isaiah 19:18).

In Jeremiah:

If in learning they will learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name, Jehovah liveth! (Jeremiah 12:16).

In David:

Everyone that sweareth by God shall glory, but the mouth of them that speak a lie shall be stopped (Psalms 63:11).

"To swear by God" here signifies to speak the truth, for it is added, "the mouth of them that speak a lie shall be stopped." (That they swore by God see also Genesis 21:23, 24, 31; Joshua 2:12; 9:20; Judges 21:7; 1 Kings 1:17.)

[7] As the ancients were allowed to swear by Jehovah God, it follows that it was an enormous evil to swear falsely or to swear to a lie, as is evident from these passages. In Malachi:

I will be a witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those that swear to a lie (Malachi 3:5).

In Moses:

Thou shalt not swear to a lie by My name, so that thou profane the name of thy God; also, Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain (Leviticus 19:12; Deuteronomy 5:11; Exodus 20:7; Zechariah 5:4).

In Jeremiah:

Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see whether there be any who say, By the living Jehovah; surely they swear by a lie. Thy sons have destroyed 2 Me, and sworn by one not God (Jeremiah 5:1, 2, 7).

In Hosea:

Israel, ye shall not swear, Jehovah liveth (Hosea 4:15).

In Zephaniah:

I will cut off them that swear by Jehovah, and that swear by their king, and them that are turned back from following Jehovah (Zephaniah 1:4-6).

In Zechariah:

Love not the oath of a lie (Zechariah 8:17).

In Isaiah:

Hear ye, O house of Jacob, who swear by the name of Jehovah, not in truth nor in righteousness (Isaiah 48:1).

In David:

The clean in hands and the pure in heart doth not lift up his soul unto vanity, nor swear with deceit (Psalms 24:4).

[8] From this it can be seen that the ancients, who were in the representatives and the significatives of the church, were permitted to swear by Jehovah God in order to bear witness to the truth, and by that oath it was signified that they thought what is true and willed what is good. Especially was this granted to the sons of Jacob, because they were wholly external and natural men, and not internal and spiritual; and merely external or natural men wish to have the truth confirmed and witnessed to by oaths; but internal or spiritual men do not wish this; indeed, they turn away from oaths and shudder at them, especially those in which God and the holy things of heaven and the church are appealed to, and are content with saying and with having it said that a thing is true, or that it is so.

[9] As swearing does not belong to the internal or spiritual man, and as the Lord, when He came into the world, taught men to be internal or spiritual, and to that end abrogated the externals of the church, and opened its internals, therefore He forbade swearing by God and by the holy things of heaven and the church. This is evident from these words of the Lord in Matthew:

Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not swear [falsely], but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oath; but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; neither by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is a city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black (Matthew 5:33-37).

Here the holy things by which one must not swear are mentioned, namely, "heaven," "earth," "Jerusalem," and the "head;" and "heaven" means the angelic heaven, wherefore it is called "the throne of God" (that "the throne of God" means that heaven, see above, n. 253, 462, 477); "the earth" means the church (See above, n. 29, 304, 413, 417), which is called therefore "the footstool of God's feet" (that "the footstool of God's feet" also means the church, see above, n. 606; "Jerusalem" means the doctrine of the church, wherefore it is called "the city of the great king" (that "city" means doctrine, see above, n. 223; and the "head" means intelligence therefrom (See above, n. 553, 577), therefore it is said "thou canst not make one hair white or black," which signifies that man of himself can understand nothing.

[10] Again, in the same:

Woe unto you, ye blind guides, for ye say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And whosoever shall swear by the altar it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it he is a debtor. Ye fools and blind; whether is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? But whosoever sweareth by the altar sweareth by it and by everything thereon. And whosoever sweareth by the temple sweareth by it and by Him that dwelleth therein. And he that sweareth by heaven sweareth by the throne of God and by Him that sitteth thereon (Matthew 23:16-22).

One must not swear "by the temple and by the altar," because to swear by these was to swear by the Lord, by heaven, and by the church; for the "temple" in the highest sense means the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and in a relative sense heaven and the church in respect to truth, likewise all worship from Divine truth (See above, n. 220); and the "altar" signifies the Lord in relation to Divine good, and in a relative sense heaven and the church in respect to that good, likewise all worship from Divine good (See above, n. 391); and because by the Lord all Divine things that proceed from Him are meant, for He is in them and they are His, so he who swears by Him swears by all things that are His; likewise he who swears by heaven and by the church, swears by all the holy things that belong to heaven and the church, for heaven is the complex and containant of these things; so, in like manner, is the church; therefore it is said that the temple is greater than the gold of the temple, because the temple sanctifies the gold, and that the altar is greater than the gift which is upon it, because the altar sanctifies the gift.

Fußnoten:

1. Latin has "turneth," the Hebrew "turn back," which is found in Arcana Coelestia 2842.

2. Latin has "destroyed," the Hebrew "forsaken. "

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

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Apocalypse Explained #200

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200. And I will confess his name before My father and before His angels, signifies that they will be in Divine good and in Divine truth therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "I will confess his name," as being that things are to be in agreement with the quality of their state of life; for "I will confess," when said by the Lord, means to grant that things may be; for what the Lord says or confesses respecting a man or angel who is in the good of love and faith, He grants and provides, since all the good of love and of faith is from Him. Therefore in the Word, "to speak," when predicated of the Lord, signifies to instruct, to illustrate, and to provide (See Arcana Coelestia 5361, 6946, 6951, 7019, 8095, 10234, 10290). That "name" means the quality of the state of life, see above n. 148. This is evident also from the signification of "Father," when it is said by the Lord, as being the Divine good, which is in the Lord and from Him (of which in what follows); and from the signification of "angels," as being Divine truth, which is also from the Lord (of which above, n. 130. From this it is clear that "I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels," signifies that they will be in Divine good and in Divine truth.

[2] "Father," when it is said by the Lord, means the Divine good, which is in the Lord and from the Lord, because the Divine, which was in the Lord from conception, and which was the Esse of His life, to which Divine He united His Human when He was in the world; this He called "His Father." That the Divine that was in Him from conception was what the Lord called "Father," can be clearly seen from His teaching that He is one with the Father. As in John:

I and the Father are one (John 10:30).

In the same:

Believe that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father (John 10:38).

In the same:

He that beholdeth Me beholdeth Him that sent Me (John 12:45).

In the same:

If ye had known Me ye would have known My Father also; and from henceforth ye have known Him, and have seen Him. Philip said unto Him, Lord, show us the Father. Jesus saith, Am I so long time with you, and thou dost not know Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The Father that abideth in Me doeth the works. Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:7-11).

In the same:

If ye had known Me ye would have known My Father also (John 8:19).

In the same:

I am not alone, became the Father is with Me (John 16:32).

[3] Because the Lord is one with the Father He also declares:

That all things of the Father are His, and His are the Father's (John 17:10);

That all things whatsoever that the Father hath are His (John 16:15);

That the Father hath given all things into the hands of the Son (John 3:35; 13:3);

And that all things have been delivered unto Him by the Father; that no one knoweth the Son save the Father, neither doth any one know the Father save the Son (Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22).

That no one hath seen the Father except the Son, who is in the bosom of the Father (John 1:18; 6:46).

That the Word was with God, and God was the Word, and the Word became flesh (John 1:1, 14).

From this last passage also it is clear that they are one, for it is said, "The Word was with God, and God was the Word." It is plain, too, that the Human of the Lord is also God, for it is said, "And the Word became flesh." Because all things of the Father are also the Lord's, and because He and the Father are one, the Lord when He ascended into heaven said to His disciples:

All power hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18);

by which He taught that men should approach Him alone, because He alone can do all things; as He also said to them before:

Without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

This makes clear how these words are to be understood:

I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one cometh unto the Father but through Me (John 14:6);

namely, that the Father is approached when the Lord is approached.

[4] The Lord so often spoke of the Father as another than Himself, for this, among many reasons, that by "Father," in the internal or spiritual sense, is meant the Divine good, and by "Son," the Divine truth, each in the Lord and from the Lord; for the Word is written by correspondences, and is thus as well for men as for angels. The "Father" therefore is mentioned, that the Lord's Divine good may be perceived by the angels who are in the spiritual sense of the Word; and "Son of God" and "Son of man" are mentioned, that the Divine truth may be perceived (as can be seen from what has been shown in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that "Father" in the Word signifies good, n. 3703, 5902, 6050, 7833, 7834; that "father" signifies the church in respect to good, thus the good of the church, and "mother" the church in respect to truth, thus the truth of the church, n. 2691, 2717, 3703, 5581, 8897. That the Divine good that was in Him from conception, and which was the Esse of life, from which was His Human, the Lord called "Father," n. 2803, 3704, 7499, 8328, 8897; that the Lord is acknowledged as the Father in heaven because they are one, n. 15, 1729, 3690; that the Lord is also called "Father" in the Word, n. 2005; that the Lord also is a Father to those who are being regenerated, since they are receiving new life from Him, and His life, n. 2293, 3690, 6492; that the "Son of God," and the "Son of man," are the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and the proceeding Divine truth, see above, n. 63, 151, 166). Since, then, all who come into heaven must be in good as well as in truth (for no one can be in the one unless he is at the same time in the other, since good is the esse of truth, and truth is the existere of good); and since "the Father" signifies the Divine good, and "angels" the Divine truth, both from the Lord, therefore it is said, "I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." So, too, in the Evangelists:

Everyone who shall confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father who is in the heavens (Matthew 10:32).

Everyone who shall have confessed Me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God (Luke 12:8).

[5] Since "Father" signifies Divine good, and "angels" Divine truth, the Lord also says:

When the Son of man shall come in His glory and that of the Father and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26; Matthew 16:27).

Here the Lord calls His glory "the glory of the Father and of the angels," for He says, "in His glory and that of the Father and of the holy angels;" but in another place, "in the glory of the Father with the angels;" and elsewhere, "in His glory with the angels." As in Mark:

When He shall come in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).

And in Matthew:

When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him (Matthew 25:31).

It should be added further that if it is accepted as a doctrine and acknowledged, that the Lord is one with the Father, and that His Human is Divine from the Divine in Himself, light will be seen in every particular of the Word; for that which is assumed as doctrine and acknowledged from doctrine is in light when the Word is read; moreover, the Lord, from whom is all light and who has all power, will enlighten those who acknowledge this. But on the other hand, if it is assumed and acknowledged as a doctrine that the Divine of the Father is another Divine than the Lord's, nothing will be seen in light in the Word; since the man who is in that doctrine turns himself from one Divine to the other, and away from the Divine of the Lord which he can see (which is done by thought and faith), to a Divine that he cannot see; for the Lord says:

Ye have neither heard the Father's voice at any time, nor seen His form (John 5:37; also John 1:18);

and to believe in a Divine and love a Divine that cannot be thought of under any form is impossible.

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