The Bible

 

Genesis 1:29

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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.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Marriage #46

  
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46. On the plurality of wives among Mohammedans

I spoke with Mohammedans about spiritual marriage, saying that it is a marriage of good and truth; that good loves truth and truth good like a married couple; and that these wish to be joined and bring forth goods and truths like daughters and sons, and as it were to procreate families. They understood this well, as also that conjugial love comes down from that spiritual origin, and that everything spiritual in man undergoes a change, so that it is scarcely recognisable, when it comes down to the natural; it can only be recognised by correspondences. From these facts it is plain that they, having several wives allowed by their religion, cannot have truly conjugial love. It was said that they are allowed several wives, that is, polygamy is permitted, because they live in hot climates and therefore are more heated with lust than those who live in cold climates. 1 Therefore if they were not permitted polygamy, more of them would rush into adultery than would Europeans, and thus act contrary to their religious tenets; and to act contrary to one's religious tenets is to profane what is sacred. It was shown further that all their love of marriage is lascivious, and so not spiritual; nor can it become spiritual unless they acknowledge the Lord.

Footnotes:

1. Two clauses have been inverted, with suppression of the word 'and' in order to make sense here. It is also possible that a word is missing from the text.

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

Commentary

 

235 - To Be a Door

By Jonathan S. Rose

Title: To Be a Door

Topic: First Coming

Summary: The Lord (meaning Jesus) is the door to heaven, bridging and uniting this world with the afterlife.

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

References:
John 10:1, 7-11; 10:9
Genesis 1:1
Ephesians 1:19; 4:8, 10
John 1:1, 14
1 Corinthians 15:44
Matthew 7:13
Psalms 24:7-10
Revelation 22:14
John 10:9; 21:15
Numbers 27:15-17
Joshua 14:11
1 Samuel 29:6
2 Samuel 3:25
2 Kings 19:27
Ezekiel 46:8-10
Acts of the Apostles 9:26-28

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Spirit and Life Bible Study broadcast from 8/26/2015. The complete series is available at: www.spiritandlifebiblestudy.com