The first five verses of John 1 ("The Word Was God") show how the Lord’s infinite love flows out to us through his divine humanity in forms that can create and inspire, which the Writings call divine truth – and that as people repeatedly turned away He projected His humanity into physical form as Jesus to reach them one more time.

In this verse we begin to see how people can interact with that truth and turn themselves toward the Lord.

So why, you might wonder, does it start with John the Baptist? That’s because John represents the external, literal meaning of the Lord’s Word – the actual stories, laws and prophecies of the Bible. These externals form a container for the spiritual inspiration within, and we need to be able to hold the container in order to partake of the contents.

"Man" here represents truth, or expressions of love in the form of ideas, things conformed to our intellect. "God" represents the Lord’s externals, which is the power He projects in the form of divine truth. And "name" represents all the qualities of the whole spiritual element being described.

So we can see that the literal meaning of the Bible – and the external words and actions of Jesus during his physical life – were true projections of the Lord’s perfect love into the most external forms. And we need to embrace them to open ourselves to the deeper truths within.

1069. (Verse 12) And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings. That this signifies the power of the truths of the Word, is evident from the signification of horns, as denoting the power of truth (concerning which see n. 316, 567, 776, 1041); there were ten horns, because ten signifies many persons and also many things, also all persons and all things, as may be seen above (n. 675). Hence by ten horns, when said of the truths of the Word, is signified all power. And from the signification of ten kings, as denoting the truths of the Word and thence of the church, of which we have spoken frequently above.

In these three verses, and also in verses 16 and 17, what is signified by the ten horns of the beast is explained, that is, those Divine truths, which the Babylonish nation has profaned, the chief of which are, that the Lord has power over heaven and over earth, and that the Word alone is holy and Divine. For these two truths make the Lord's church itself on earth; the church being a church from the worship of the Lord and the reading of the Word. For the Lord reforms men and the Word teaches how they are to live, that they may be reformed by the Lord. If, therefore, these two truths are not acknowledged and received, the church itself must perish; for upon these two truths the church is founded.

Hence it is that it came to pass, of the Lord's Divine Providence, that some churches separated themselves from the Babylonish [church]; these acknowledge the Lord's Divine power over heaven and earth to be equal to the power of God the Father, and also attribute Divine sanctity to the Word alone. This was provided by the Lord, lest the Christian Church in Europe should fall utterly. That these things are signified by the ten horns which are ten kings will be seen from what follows.

Continuation concerning the Word:-

[2] Because the Word is Divine truth, and this proceeds from the Lord's Divine Esse as light from the sun, it follows that the Lord is the Word, because He is Divine truth. The reason why the Lord is the Word, because He is Divine truth, and that this proceeds from His Divine Esse, which is Divine love is, that the Divine love was in Him while in the world, as the soul in the body. And because from Divine love proceeds Divine truth like light from the sun, as was said, therefore the Lord's Human in the Word was Divine truth proceeding from the Divine love which was in Him.

That the Divine itself, which is called Jehovah, and the Father, which is Divine love, was in the Lord from conception, is evident in the evangelists Matthew and Luke. In Matthew from these words:

When Mary the mother of Jesus was espoused to Joseph, "before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." And the angel said to Joseph in a dream, "Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy spouse, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit." This came to pass that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord through the prophet; Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son. And Joseph "knew her not, till she had brought forth her first-born son, and he called his name Jesus" (1:18-25).

And in Luke in these words:

The angel said unto Mary, "Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. But Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? The angel said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; wherefore also, the holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:30-55).

Because He was conceived of Jehovah, therefore in the Word He is so often called the Son of God, and Jehovah is called His Father. And Jehovah as to His Being (Esse) is Divine love; and as to His Manifestation (Existere) He is Divine good united with Divine truth.

[3] From these things it may be seen what is meant by the

Word which was with God, and which was God; and also which was the light which enlighteneth every man (John 1:1-10),

namely, that it was Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; thus, the Lord as to His Existere. That the Lord as to His Existere was Divine truth, and that this was His Divine Human, because this existed from His Divine Esse, as the body from the soul, is openly testified in these words in John:

"The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father" (ver. 14 of the same chapter).

The Word is the Divine truth, which also is glory. Flesh is the Divine Human. The only begotten of the Father is the existent or proceeding from the Divine Esse in Him.