Table of Contents
Sacred Scripture, or the Word, Is Divine Truth Itself 1
To free people from any doubt that this is the nature of the Word, the Lord has revealed to me an inner meaning of the Word, a meaning that is essentially spiritual and that dwells within the outer meaning, which is earthly, the way a soul dwells within a body. 4
1. What the spiritual meaning is. The spiritual meaning is not the meaning that shines forth from the Word's literal meaning when we study and interpret the Word in order to confirm some dogma of the church. That meaning is the literal meaning of the Word. 5
2. There is a spiritual meaning throughout the Word and in all its details. There is no better way to make this clear than by using examples, such as the following. 9
3. The spiritual meaning is what makes the Word divinely inspired and makes every word in it holy. We hear it said in the church that the Word is holy, but this is because Jehovah God spoke it. 18
4. The spiritual meaning of the Word has not been recognized before. It was explained in Heaven and Hell 87-105 that absolutely everything in the physical world corresponds to something spiritual, as does absolutely everything in the human body. 20
5. From now on the spiritual meaning of the Word can be given only to people who are focused on genuine truths that come from the Lord. This is because we cannot see the spiritual meaning unless we are given it by the Lord alone and unless we focus on genuine truths from him. 26
The Literal Meaning of the Word Is the Foundation, the Container, and the Support of Its Spiritual and Heavenly Meanings 27
Divine Truth, in All Its Fullness, Holiness, and Power, Is Present in the Literal Meaning of the Word 37
As for the truths of the literal meaning of the Word being meant by the foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, this follows from the fact that the New Jerusalem means a new church in regard to its teachings, as demonstrated in Teachings on the Lord 63, 64. 43
The good and true elements of the literal meaning of the Word are meant by the Urim and Thummim. 44
Truths of the literal meaning of the Word are meant by the precious stones in the Garden of Eden where the king of Tyre was said to live, according to Ezekiel. 45
The literal meaning of the Word is symbolized by the veils and curtains of the tabernacle. 46
The outer attributes of the Word, which are its literal meaning, are represented by the decorated surfaces inside the Jerusalem temple. 47
The Word in its glory was represented by the Lord when he was transfigured. 48
The Church’s Body of Teaching Is to Be Drawn from the Literal Meaning of the Word and Is to Be Supported by It 50
1. The Word is not understandable without a body of teaching. This is because in its literal meaning the Word is entirely made up of correspondences, to allow spiritual and heavenly matters to be gathered within it in such a way that each word can be their container and support. 51
2. A body of teaching must be drawn from the literal meaning of the Word and supported by it. This is because there and only there the Lord is present with us, enlightening us and teaching us the truths of the church. 53
3. The genuine truth that a body of teaching should have can be seen in the literal meaning of the Word only when we are being enlightened by the Lord. Enlightenment comes only from the Lord and for people who love truths because they are true and who put them to use in their lives. 57
By Means of the Literal Meaning of the Word We Unite with the Lord and Form a Companionship with Angels 62
UNTIL the present time, people have not known that the Word exists in heaven, and they could not know this as long as the church did not realize that angels and spirits are people just as we are in this world - like us in every respect except solely for the fact that they are spiritual and that 70
The Existence of the Church Rests on the Word, and Its Quality Depends on the Quality of Its Understanding of the Word 76
There Is a Marriage of the Lord and the Church in the Details of the Word and a Consequent Marriage of Goodness and Truth 80
It Is Possible to Wrench Heretical Ideas from the Literal Meaning of the Word, but What Is Damning Is to Convince Ourselves [That They Are True] 91
The Lord Came into the World to Fulfill Everything in the Word and So to Become Divine Truth or the Word Even on the Outermost Level 98
Before the Word That We Have in the World Today, There Was a Word That Has Been Lost 101
By Means of the Word, There Is Light Even for People Who Are outside the Church and Do Not Have the Word 104
If There Were No Word, No One Would Know about God, Heaven and Hell, Life after Death, and Least of All, about the Lord 114
