The Bible

 

Genesis 1:21

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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.

Commentary

 

Stars

  

In Genesis 1:16, this signifies goods and truths, or, in the opposite sense, evils and falsities. (Arcana Coelestia 1808)

In Matthew 24:29, this signifies knowledge of faith which falls from heaven. (Arcana Coelestia 32, 1984[3])

'Stars' signify the knowledge of truth and good. 'Stars' are frequently mentioned in the Word, and always signify goods and truths, but in an opposite sense, evils and falsities. In the same way, they signify angels, or societies of angels, in the opposite sense, evil spirits and their bands. When they signify angels, or societies of angels, then they are fixed stars, but when they signify evil spirits and their fellowships, then they are wandering stars. 'The seven stars' in Revelation 1, denote the knowledge of everything pertaining to good and truth, and so every variety of good and truth.

(References: Apocalypse Revealed 51)


From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #21

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21. Verses 4-5 And God saw that the light was good; and God made a distinction between the light and the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.

The light is called good, because it comes from the Lord, who is good itself. 'The darkness' is those things which were there prior to the person's new conception and birth. They were seen as light, because evil was seen as good, and falsity as truth. But in reality they are darkness and things proper to that person which are lingering on. All things that are the Lord's, being things of light, are compared to the day, and all that are man's own, being those of thick darkness, are compared to the night, as is done many times in the Word.

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