The Bible

 

Genesis 1:2

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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.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Heaven and Hell #136

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136. Like people on earth, angels have discernment and volition. Heaven's light produces their cognitive life because heaven's light is divine truth and the divine wisdom that comes from it; while heaven's warmth produces their volitional life because heaven's warmth is the divine good and the divine love that comes from it. The quintessential life of angels is from the warmth, but not from the light except to the extent that there is warmth in it. We can see that life comes from the warmth because when the warmth is taken away life dies. It is the same for faith without love or for truth without goodness, since the truth that is attributed to faith is light and the goodness that is attributed to love is warmth. 1

All this becomes even clearer from the warmth and light of our world, to which heaven's warmth and light correspond. From the warmth of our world, united to its light, all things on earth come to life and blossom. They are united in spring and summer. However, nothing comes to life or blooms from light separated from warmth - everything languishes and dies. They are disunited in winter, when the warmth is gone but the light remains. It is from this correspondence that heaven is called a paradise, because there the true is united to the good, or faith to love, as light is united to warmth in springtime on earth.

This gives even clearer support to the truth discussed above in 13-19, that the Lord's divine nature in heaven is love for him and thoughtfulness toward one's neighbor.

Footnotes:

1. [Swedenborg's footnote] Truths apart from what is good are not truths intrinsically because they do not have any life; in fact, all the life of things true is from what is good: 9603; so they are like a body without a soul: 3180, 9454 [9154?]. Truths without good are not accepted by the Lord: 4368. The nature of truth apart from goodness, and therefore the nature of faith without love; and the nature of heartfelt truth and therefore the nature of faith from love: 1949-1951, 1964, 5830, 5951. It boils down to the same thing whether you say "truth" or "faith," "good" or "love," because truth is an attribute of faith and goodness is an attribute of love: 2839, 4353 [4352?], 4997, 7178, 7623-7624, 10367.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #7835

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7835. 'Then he and his neighbour immediately next to his house shall take one' means being joined to the nearest good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'taking' - that is, taking along with one's immediate neighbour, a single animal - as being joined together; and from the meaning of 'neighbour next to his house' as the nearest good of truth. The meaning of 'immediate neighbour' as the nearest is self-evident; and for the meaning of 'house' as good, see above in 7833. The term 'good of truth' is used because those belonging to the spiritual Church are the subject, and with them good is the good of truth, the good of truth being truth present in will and action. For when the truth of faith is received together with charitable affection it is implanted in the inward parts of the mind. And when that truth presents itself again, the affection to which that truth has been linked presents itself too, appearing in the form of good. So it is then that good in that Church is the good of truth, which is also called spiritual good.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.