1. Teachings for the New Jerusalem on the Lord

The Entire Sacred Scripture Is about the Lord, and the Lord Is the Word

WE read in John,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and nothing that was made came about without him. In him there was life, and that life was the light for humankind. And the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not grasp it. And the Word became flesh and lived among us; and we saw his glory, glory like that of the only-begotten child of the Father. He was full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3, 5, 14)

In the same Gospel,

Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

And elsewhere in the same Gospel,

While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light. I have come into the world as a light so that anyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. (John 12:36, 46)

We can see from this that the Lord is God from eternity and that he himself is that Lord who was born into the world. It actually says that the Word was with God and that the Word was God, as well as that nothing that was made came about without him, and then that the Word became flesh and that they saw him.

There is little understanding in the church of what it means to call the Lord “the Word.” He is called the Word because the Word means divine truth or divine wisdom and the Lord is divine truth itself or divine wisdom itself. That is why he is also called the light that is said to have come into the world.

Since divine wisdom and divine love are one with each other and have been one in the Lord from eternity, it also says “in him there was life, and that life was the light for humankind.” The life is divine love, and the light is divine wisdom.

This oneness is what is meant by saying both that “in the beginning the Word was with God” and that “the Word was God.” “With God” is in God, since wisdom is in love and love is in wisdom. This is like the statement elsewhere in John, “Glorify me, Father, together with yourself, with the glory I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5). “With yourself” is “in yourself.” This is why it adds “and the Word was God.” It says elsewhere that the Lord is in the Father and the Father is in him [John 14:10], and that the Father and he are one [John 10:30].

Since the Word is the divine wisdom of the divine love, it follows that it is Jehovah himself and therefore the Lord, the one by whom all things were made that were made, since everything was created out of divine love by means of divine wisdom.

110. Those who are in the opposites of conjugial love also inflict pain on the testicles. They are those who deceive by love, friendship and services. The following describes such people. There arose from the region surrounding Gehenna a sort of airy and hardly visible object: it was a group of such spirits. But it then appeared to me to be as one, as if a single person, although there were many, in whose way were placed kinds of bindings. These, however, he seemed to remove for himself; this was a sign that they wished to remove obstacles, for it is thus that thoughts and mental efforts appear when represented in the world of spirits; and on their appearance it is instantly perceived what they mean. Afterwards it seemed as if a small snow-white man emerged from his body, who approached me; this signified their thought and intent, that they wish to assume a state of innocence, so that no one should harbour any such suspicion of them. When he came to me, he plunged down towards the loins, and seemed to twist about either of them; this represented their being in chaste conjugial love. Then he spiralled down around my feet; this meant insinuation by means of such things as are pleasant in nature. Finally that one small man became almost invisible; this meant that they wished to hide themselves completely. I was told that such insinuation was practised by those who seek to ensnare conjugial love; that is, those who in the world have insinuated themselves with a view to committing adultery with wives, by speaking chastely and sensibly about conjugial love, patting their children on the head, praising their husband in every kind of speech, so that he is finally believed to be a friend and harmless, when in fact he was a deceitful adulterer. Accordingly it was shown what these people become, for after this had happened that small snowy figure which represented the group rising from Gehenna was made clearly visible, and it appeared murky and very dark, and very ugly as well; and it was cast down into a deep hell under the middle of the loins, where they live among things relating to excrement. I also spoke afterwards with similar persons, and they were surprised that anyone had a conscience as regards adulteries, so that he would not for conscience's sake sleep with someone else's wife when he could; and when I spoke with them about conscience, they said that no one has a conscience. I was told that such people are for the most part from the Christian countries, and there are rarely any from other parts of the world.