The Bible

 

Genesis 1

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1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first Day.

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #1118

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1118. As much as she hath glorified herself and lived delicatety.- That this signifies how much glory, and pleasure therefrom, they have gained for themselves from empire over heaven and the world, is evident from the signification of glorifying herself, as denoting to gain glory for themselves; and from the signification of living delicately, as denoting to enter into pleasures. That this is from their empire over heaven and over the world is clear, for this is the source of their glory and pleasure.

[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed, and concerning the Lord.- Since the idea of God as Man is implanted in every one, therefore several peoples and nations have worshipped as gods those who were either men or were regarded by them as men; for example in Greece and Italy, and in some kingdoms under their power, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Apollo, Mercury, Juno, Minerva, Diana, Venus and her son, and others, were worshipped, and the government of the universe was attributed to them. The reason why they ascribed divinity to so many persons, was, that from an implanted [capability], they saw God as Man, and therefore they regarded all the attributes, properties, and qualities of God, and consequently also the virtues, affections, inclinations, and sciences (scientias) as persons.

[3] It was, also, from this implanted [capability], that the inhabitants of the lands round about Canaan, and, also, of the parts within it, worshipped Baalim, Astaroth, Beelzebub, Chemosh, Milcoha, Molech, and others, several of whom had lived as men. It is, also, from this implanted [capability], that, in the heathenism of the Christian world to-day, saints are worshipped as gods, men bending before their statues and kissing them, uncovering their heads before them in the roads where they are set up, and worshipping at their tombs; in fact, in the case of the pope they kiss his shoes, and some even his footprints; he would even have been honoured as a god, if religion had permitted it.

These and several other practices are from this implanted [capability]; for example, men incline to worship a God whom they see, and not something aerial which they regard as mere vapour, for this latter is smoke to them. But the idea of God as Man, which comes from heaven, is so far perverted with many, that even an ordinary man, or an idol, is worshipped instead of God; just as the bright light of the sun is turned into unbeautiful colours, and his summer heat into offensive odours, according to the nature of the objects upon which they fall. But it is for the reasons stated above that an idea is formed of God as that of a little cloud, or mist, or of the inmost things of nature; this is found among Christians, but rarely among other nations possessing any light of reason, as among the Africans and several others.

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

Commentary

 

#95 Waiting in the Grave for Jesus? Really? (Ecclesiastes 9)

By Jonathan S. Rose

Title: Waiting in the Grave for Jesus

Topic: Second Coming

Summary: We explore passages in Ecclesiastes and the rebellion of Korah in Numbers, and reflect on mortality and immortality, the Second Coming and life after death, and the spiritual and holographic nature of Scripture.

Use the reference links below to follow along in the Bible as you watch.

References:
Ecclesiastes 9:4; 1:1-2; 2:11; 12:8-14; 3:17; 11:9, 1-3; 7:19-20
James 4:13-16
John 9:4
Genesis 1:1
Jeremiah 4:22-23
Job 10:18-22; 14:1-end
Numbers 16
Isaiah 30:26
Hosea 6:1-2
Psalms 17

Play Video
Spirit and Life Bible Study broadcast from 6/13/2012. The complete series is available at: www.spiritandlifebiblestudy.com