The Bible

 

Genesis 1:10

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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.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #611

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611. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound.- That this signifies the last state of the church, and then revelation of Divine Truth, is evident from the signification of the days of the voice of the seventh angel, as denoting the last state of the church; for the progressive changes of the state of the church are described by the sounding of the seven angels, therefore the voice of the seventh angel signifies the last state; and from the signification of, when he is about to sound, as denoting revelation then of Divine Truth. That by sounding a trumpet or horn is signified the influx of Divine Truth, and its revelation, may be seen above (n. 502). That its revelation is here signified, is evident from the following part of this verse, where it is said, "And the mystery of God shall be consummated, as he hath declared in good tidings to his servants the prophets." This signifies that the prediction concerning the coming of the Lord shall then be fulfilled. With the coming of the Lord there is also revelation of Divine Truth.

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

Commentary

 

Own

  

In many cases, the spiritual meaning of "own," both as a verb and as an adjective, is relatively literal. When people are described as the "Lord's own," however, it specifically means those people who know Him and have His Word. This has taken various forms since the dawn of humanity; in the prehistoric church known as the "Most Ancient Church" the Lord's truth -- the direct expression of His love -- flowed into people directly. In the Ancient Church the Lord's Word was recognized in nature and in the form of deeply representative stories, some of which were passed on to us in the early chapters of Genesis. Among the Children of Israel the Lord's Word was expressed through the Ten Commandments, the laws of Moses, the very history of the nation of Israel and the various psalms and prophecies. The early Christians had those stories along with the teaching and inspiration of Jesus himself. We now have the whole Bible, including the teachings of Jesus, and can understand the Bible's true meaning. Each of these churches, then, was at some point the Lord's own.