294. For Thou hast created all things, signifies that from Him are all existence and life, and heaven also for those who receive. This is evident from the signification of "to create," as being not only that all things came into existence from the Lord, but also that all life is from Him; and as the spiritual sense of the Word treats only of heaven and the church, therefore "to create" signifies primarily here to reform, thus to give heaven to those who receive, for this is to reform. That the existence of all things is from the Lord, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 7-12, 137); and that all life is from the Lord (n. 9); and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 278). But here "to create" does not signify natural existence and life, but spiritual existence and life; and this is what is everywhere signified in the Word by "creating;" and for the reason that the existence of heaven and earth is not the end of creation, but a means to the end; the end of creation is that the human race may exist so that from it there may be an angelic heaven; and as this is the end, "to create" signifies to reform, which is to give heaven to those who receive. In the spiritual sense of the Word ends are meant, but in the sense of the letter only the means that involve the ends are spoken of; in this way the spiritual lies hid in the letter of the Word.

[2] That "to create" signifies to reform and regenerate men, and thus to establish the church, can be seen from the passages in the Word where this term occurs, as in the following. In Isaiah:

I will give in the wilderness the cedar of Shittah, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; that they may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it (Isaiah 41:19, 20).

This treats of the establishment of the church among the Gentiles; "wilderness" signifies the absence of good, because of the ignorance of truth, for every good into which man is reformed is given only through truths; "the cedar of shittah" signifies genuine truth; "the myrtle and the oil tree" signify spiritual good and celestial good; whence it is clear what is signified by, "I will give in the wilderness the cedar of shittah, and the myrtle, and the oil tree," when the Gentiles that are not in the good of heaven and of the church, because in ignorance of the truth, are treated of; "that they may see and know, and consider and understand together," signifies the knowledges, understanding, perception, and affection, that are of the love of good and truth; from this signification it is clear that "the Holy One of Israel hath created it" signifies reformation, the that "to create" is to reform.

[3] In the same:

Thus said Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. Bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth, everyone that is called by My name; into My glory I have created, I have formed, and I have made him. I am Jehovah your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King (Isaiah 43:1, 6, 7, 15).

This also treats of the establishment of a church among the Gentiles; and with reference to their reformation Jehovah is called "Creator" and "Former;" therefore it is said, "I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine." "Bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth," signifies the Gentiles that are outside of the church, but that receive the truths and goods of the church from the Lord; "from far" and "from the end of the earth" signify those who are outside of the church, "earth (or land)" meaning the church, "sons" those who receive truths, and "daughters" those who receive goods. These are said to be "created, formed, and made into glory," "glory" meaning the Divine truth that they receive.

[4] In David:

Create for me a clean heart, O God, and renew a firm spirit in the midst of me (Psalms 51:10).

"To create a clean heart" signifies to reform in respect to the good of love; "to renew a firm spirit in the midst of me" signifies to reform in respect to the truth of faith; for "heart" signifies the good of love, and "spirit" a life according to the Divine truth, which is the faith of truth.

[5] In the same:

Wherefore hast Thou created in vain the sons of man? where are Thy former mercies? (Psalms 89:47, 49).

"To create the sons of man" signifies to reform through Divine truth; "the sons of man" are those who are in Divine truths, thus, abstractly, Divine truths.

[6] In the same:

The nations shall fear the name of Jehovah, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory, because Jehovah hath built up Zion. This shall be written for the generation to come; and a people that shall be created shall praise Jah (Psalms 102:15, 16, 18). This treats of reformation; "the nations that shall fear the name of Jehovah" mean those who are in good; and "the kings of the earth" those who are in truths from good; "to build up Zion" signifies to establish the church, "Zion" meaning the church "the people that shall be created and shall praise Jah" signifies all those who are reformed.

[7] In the same:

Thou givest to them, they gather; Thou openest Thine hand, they are satisfied with good. Thou sendest forth Thy spirit, they are created; and Thou renewest the faces of the earth (Psalms 104:28, 30).

It is plain here that "to create" means to reform; for "Jehovah giveth to them, they gather," signifies that they receive the truths that are given by the Lord; "Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good," signifies that they receive the good that flows in from the Lord; "Thou sendest forth Thy spirit, they are created," signifies that in respect to the life they are reformed according to Divine truth; "and Thou renewest the faces of the earth" signifies the establishment of the church.

[8] In Isaiah:

Lift up your eyes on high, and see; who hath created these? He that bringeth out their host in number, that calleth them all by name: God from eternity; Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, wearieth not (Isaiah 40:26, 28).

This also treats of reformation, which is signified by "creating;" "the host that Jehovah doth bring out" signifies all truths and goods; "to call by name" signifies reception according to each one's quality; "to create the ends of the earth" signifies to establish the church, thus to reform those who are therein.

[9] In Ezekiel:

Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering; in the day that thou wast created they were prepared. Thou wast perfect in thy ways in ¹ the day that thou wast created, until perversity was found in thee (Ezekiel 28:13, 15).

This is said of the king of Tyre, by whom those who are in truths and through truths are in good are signified; of such it is said that they "have been in the garden of God, and that every precious stone was their covering;" "garden of God" signifies intelligence, and the "precious stones" here named signify the knowledges of truth and good; these are called a "covering" because they are in the natural man, and the natural man covers the spiritual; these are said to have "been prepared in the day that they were created," that is, in the day that they were reformed. This makes clear what is signified by "thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day thou wast created."

[10] In Isaiah:

Jehovah will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day, and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a covering (Isaiah 4:5).

"Zion" signifies the church in respect to the Word; the internal or spiritual sense of the Word in respect to good is meant by its "dwelling place;" the external or literal sense in respect to truths is meant by "the cloud by day," and in respect to good by "the brightness of the flame of fire by night." Because this sense covers and hides the spiritual sense it is called "a covering over all the glory," "glory" meaning the spiritual sense; these are said to be "created" because they are the truths of heaven and the church.

[11] In Malachi:

Hath not one God created us? wherefore do we act perfidiously? (Malachi 2:10).

Here "hath created us" signifies hath reformed that they might be a church; therefore it is said, "wherefore do we act perfidiously?"

[12] In Isaiah:

Thus said God Jehovah, He hath created the heavens, and spreadeth them out; He that stretcheth out the earth; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein (Isaiah 42:5).

"Creating the heavens and spreading them out" and "stretching out the earth" signifies to reform; "the heavens" signify both the heavens and the internals of the church; for the internals of the church are the heavens with the men that are in them; "the earth" signifies the external of the church, which is said to be "spread out" and "stretched out" when truths from good are multiplied. It is plain that reformation by truths is signified, for it is said, "He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. "

[13] In the same:

Jehovah, creating the heavens, forming the earth and making it; He hath not created it a void. He formed it to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:12, 18).

"The heavens," "the earth," and "to create" have a like signification here as in the passage adduced above; "He hath not created it a void" signifies that it is not without truth and good, in which those are that have been reformed; lack of these is a void; "He hath formed it to be inhabited" signifies that they should live according to good and truth and from them, for "to inhabit" signifies to live.

[14] In the same:

Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth. Rejoice and exult for ever in that which I create; behold, I will create Jerusalem an exultation, and her people a joy (Isaiah 65:17-18).

"To create a new heaven and a new earth" does not mean a visible heaven and a habitable earth, but a new church, internal and external; "heaven" meaning the internal of the church, and "earth" its external. (What the internal of the church is, and what the external, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 246.) It is therefore said, "Behold, I will create Jerusalem an exultation, and her people a joy;" "Jerusalem" is the church, "exultation" its delight from good, and "joy" its delight from truth.

[15] "The new heavens and the new earth" in the same prophet (Isaiah 66:22), and in Revelation (Revelation 21:1) have a like signification; also the following in the first chapter of Genesis:

In the beginning Jehovah created heaven and earth. And the earth was void and empty; and darkness was upon the faces of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the faces of the earth. ² And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them (Genesis 1:1-3, 27).

This treats of the establishment of the first church on this earth; the reformation of the men of that church in respect to their internal and their external is meant in this chapter by the creation of the heaven and the earth. That previously there was no church, because men were without good and truth, is signified by "the earth was void and empty;" and that they were previously in dense ignorance and also in falsities, is signified by "darkness was upon the faces of the deep;" their first enlightenment is signified by "the spirit of God moved upon the faces of the waters," and by "God said, Let there be light, and there was light;" "the spirit of God" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and "to move upon the faces of the waters" signifies illustration; the like is signified by "light;" "and there was light" signifies the reception of Divine truth; "God created man into His own image" signifies so that man might be in the love of good and truth, and might correspond to heaven as a likeness of it, since the love of good and truth is "an image of God;" therefore also the angelic heaven is "an image of God;" consequently the angelic heaven in the Lord's sight is as one man (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 59-67, 68-72, 73-77, 78-86, 87-102).

"Male and female created He them" signifies that He reformed them in respect to truth and good, "male" means truth, and "female" good. This makes clear that this and the following chapter describe not the creation of heaven and earth, but the new creation or reformation of the men of the first church, and that like things are meant by "the new heaven and the new earth" and their "creation" in the passages cited just above.

[16] That "creation" in the Word signifies the reformation and establishment of the church, which is effected by means of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord, is plain from the following. In John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that hath been made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man coming into the world. The world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory (John 1:1-5, 9-10, 14).

"The Word" means here the Lord in respect to Divine truth; that all things were created by Divine truth is meant by "All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that hath been made;" also by "the world was made by Him." Since "the Word" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth it is said, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men; that it was the true light," "light" signifying Divine truth, and "life" all intelligence and wisdom from Divine truth; for this constitutes man's very life, and eternal life also is in accordance therewith. The Lord's presence with everyone with His Divine truth, from which are life and light, is meant by "the light shineth in the darkness, and lighteth every man coming into the world;" but that those who are in the falsities of evil do not perceive it, thus do not receive it, is meant by "the darkness apprehended it not," and by "the world knew Him not;" for "darkness" signifies the falsities of evil. It is very plain that it is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human that is here meant by "the Word," for it is said, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory," "glory" also signifying the Divine truth. (That all things were created by Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, which is here meant by "the Word," see in the work on Heaven and Hell 137[1-4], 139; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 263.) This also makes clear that "to make" or "to create" here also signifies to make man new, or to reform him; for here, like as in the book of Genesis, "light" is immediately mentioned, which signifies Divine truth proceeding, by which all are reformed (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 126-140; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 49).

Footnotes:

86. Those in heaven wonder that men can believe themselves to be intelligent who, in thinking of God, think about something invisible, that is, inconceivable under any form; and that they can call those who think differently unintelligent and simple, when the reverse is the truth. They add, "Let those who thus believe themselves to be intelligent examine themselves, whether they do not look upon nature as God, some the nature that is before their eyes, others the invisible side of nature; and whether they are not so blind as not to know what God is, what an angel is, what a spirit is, what their soul is which is to live after death, what the life of heaven in man is, and many other things that constitute intelligence; when yet those whom they call simple know all these things in their way, having an idea of their God that He is the Divine in a human form, of an angel that he is a heavenly man, of their soul that is to live after death that it is like an angel, and of the life of heaven in man that it is living in accord with the Divine commandments." Such the angels call intelligent and fitted for heaven; but the others, on the other hand, they call not intelligent.

EXTRACTS FROM THE ARCANA COELESTIA RELATING TO THE LORD AND HIS DIVINE HUMAN.

[2] The Divine was in the Lord from very conception (4641, 4963, 5041, 5 157, 67 16, 1 125).

The Lord alone had a Divine seed (. 1438).

His soul was Jehovah (1999, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025).

Thus the Lord's inmost was the Divine Itself, while the clothing was from the mother (. 5041).

The Divine Itself was the Being [Esse] of the Lord's life, and from this the Human afterwards went forth and became the outgo [existere] from that Being [Esse] (3 194, 3210, 10269, 10738).

[3] Within the church where the Word is and by it the Lord is known, the Lord's Divine ought not to be denied, nor the Holy that goes forth from Him (. 2359).

Those within the church who do not acknowledge the Lord have no conjunction with the Divine; but it is otherwise with those outside of the church (10205).

The essential of the church is to acknowledge the Lord's Divine and His union with the Father (10083, 1 112, 10370, 10730, 10738, 10816-10820).

[4] The glorification of the Lord is treated of in the Word in many passages (. 10828).

And in the internal sense of the Word everywhere (2249, 25 23, 3245).

The Lord glorified His Human, but not the Divine, since this was glorified in itself (. 10057).

The Lord came into the world to glorify His Human (3 637, 4287, 9315).

The Lord glorified His Human by means of the Divine love that was in Him from conception (4727).

The Lord's life in the world was His love towards the whole human race (2253).

The Lord's love transcends all human understanding (2077).

The Lord saved the human race by glorifying His Human (4180, 10019; 10152, 10655, 10659 10828).

Otherwise the whole human race would have perished in eternal death (1676).

The state of the Lord's glorification and humiliation (1785, 1999, 2159, 6866).

Glorification in respect to the Lord is the uniting of His Human with the Divine; and to glorify is to make Divine (1603, 10053, 10828).

When the Lord glorified His Human He put off everything human that was from the mother, until at last He was not her son (2159, 2574, 2649, 3 36, 10830).

[5] The Son of God from eternity was the Divine truth in heaven (26 28, 2798, 2803, 3195, 3704).

When the Lord was in the world He made His Human Divine truth from the Divine good that was in Him (2803, 3194, 3195, 3210, 6716, 6 864, 7014, 7499, 8127, 8724, 9199).

The Lord then arranged all things in Himself into a heavenly form, which is in accord with Divine truth (1928, 3633).

For this reason the Lord was called the Word, which is Divine truth (2533, 2813, 2859, 2894, 3 393, 3712).

The Lord alone had perception and thought from Himself, and this was above all angelic perception and thought (1904, 1 914, 1 919).

The Divine truth which was Himself, the Lord united with Divine good which was in Himself (10047, 10052, 10076). The union was reciprocal (2004, 10067).

[6] In passing out of the world the Lord also made His Human Divine good (3194, 3210, 6 864, 7499, 8724, 9199, 10076).

This is what is meant by His coming forth from the Father and returning to the Father (3194, 3210).

Thus He became one with the Father (2751, 3704, 4766).

Since that union Divine truth goes forth from the Lord (3704, 3712, 3969, 4577, 5704, 7499, 8127, 8241, 9199, 9398). How Divine truth goes forth, illustrated (7270, 9407).

It was from His own power that the Lord united the Human with the Divine (16 16, 1749, 1752, 1 813, 1921, 2 025, 2026, 2523, 3141, 5005, 5 0 45, 67 16).

From this it is clear that the Lord's Human was not like the human of any other man, in that it was conceived from the Divine Itself (1 125, 10825, 10826).

His union with the Father, from whom was His soul, was not as between two persons, but as between soul and body (3737, 10824).

[7] The most ancient people could not worship the Divine being [esse], but could worship only the Divine Outgo [existere], which is the Divine Human; therefore the Lord came into the world in order to become the Divine Existere from the Divine Esse (4687, 5321).

The ancients acknowledged the Divine because He appeared to them in a human form, and this was the Divine Human (5110, 5663, 6845, 10737).

The Infinite Being [Esse] could flow into heaven with the angels and with men only by means of the Divine Human (1676, 1990, 2016, 2034).

In heaven no other Divine than the Divine Human is perceived (6475, 9303, 10067, 10267).

The Divine Human from eternity was the Divine truth in heaven and the Divine passing through heaven; thus it was the Divine Outgo [existere] which afterwards in the Lord became the Divine Being [Esse] per se, from which is the Divine Existere in heaven (3061, 6280, 6880, 10579).

What the state of heaven was before the Lord's coming (. 6371-6373).

The Divine was not perceptible except when it passed through heaven (6 982, 6996, 7004).

[8] The inhabitants of all the earths ¹ worship the Divine under a human form, that is, the Lord (6700, 8541-8547, 10736-10738).

They rejoice when they hear that God actually became Man (9361).

All who are in good and who worship the Divine under the human form, are received by the Lord (. 9359).

God cannot be thought of except in human form; and what is incomprehensible does not fall into any idea, so neither into belief (9359, 9972).

Man is able to worship that of which he has some idea, but not that of which he has no idea (4733, 5110, 5663, 7211, 9356, 10067, 10267).

Therefore the Divine is worshiped under a human form by most of the inhabitants of the entire globe, and this is the effect of influx from heaven (10159).

All who are in good in regard to their life, when they think of the Lord, think of the Divine Human, and not of the Human separate from the Divine; it is otherwise with those who are not in good in regard to their life (2326, 4724, 4731, 4766, 8878, 9 193, 9198).

In the church at this day those that are in evil in regard to their life, and those that are in faith separate from charity, think of the Human of the Lord apart from the Divine, and do not even comprehend what the Divine Human is,-why they do not (3212, 3241, 4689, 4692, 4724, 4731, 5321, 6872, 8878, 9193, 9198).

The Lord's Human is Divine because it is from the Being [Esse] of the Father, and this was His soul,--illustrated by a father's likeness in children (10269, 10372, 10823).

Also because it was from the Divine love, which was the very Being [Esse] of His life from conception (. 6872).

Every man is such as his love is, and is his love (6872, 10177, 10284). The Lord made all His Human, both internal and external, Divine (1603, 1815, 1902, 1926, 2083, 2093).

Therefore, differently from any man, He rose again as to His whole body (1729, 2083, 5078, 10825).

[9] That the Lord's Human is Divine is acknowledged from His omnipresence in the Holy Supper (2343, 2359).

Also from His transfiguration before His three disciples (3212).

Also from the Word of the Old Testament, in that He is called God (10154); and is called Jehovah (1603, 1736, 18 15, 1902, 2921, 3035, 5110, 6281, 6303, 8864, 9194, 9315).

In the sense of the letter a distinction is made between the Father and the Son, that is, between Jehovah and the Lord, but not in the internal sense of the Word, in which the angels of heaven are (. 3035).

In the Christian world the Lord's Human has been declared not to be Divine; this was done in a council for the pope's sake, that he might be acknowledged as the Lord's vicar (4738).

[10] Christians were examined in the other life in regard to their idea of one God, and it was found they held an idea of three gods (2 329, 5 256, 10736-10738, 10821).

A Divine trinity or trine in one person, constituting one God, is conceivable, but not in three persons (10738, 10821, 10824).

A Divine trine in the Lord is acknowledged in heaven (14, 15, 1729, 2004, 5 256, 9303).

The trine in the Lord is the Divine Itself, called the Father, the Divine Human, called the Son, and the Divine going forth, called the Holy Spirit and this Divine trine is a One (2149, 2156, 2 288, 2319, 2329, 2447, 3704, 6993, 7182, 10738, 10822, 10823).

The Lord Himself teaches that the Father and He are One (1729, 2 004, 2005, 2 18, 2025, 2751, 3704, 3 736, 4766); also that the Holy Divine goes forth from Him and is His (3969, 4673, 6788, 6993, 7499, 8127, 8302, 9 199, 9228-9229, 9264, 9407, 9818, 9820, 10330).

[11] The Divine Human flows into heaven and makes heaven (. 3038). The Lord is the all in heaven and is the life of heaven (7211, 9128). In the angels the Lord dwells in what is His own (9338, 1 0125, 1 0151, 1157).

Consequently those who are in heaven are in the Lord (3637, 3638).

The Lord's conjunction with angels is measured by their reception of the good of love and charity from Him (904, 4198, 4205, 4211, 4220, 6280, 6832, 7042, 8819, 9680, 9 682, 9683, 10106, 10810).

The entire heaven has reference to the Lord (. 551, 552). The Lord is the common center of heaven (3633, 3641).

All in heaven turn themselves to the Lord, who is above the heavens (9828, 1 130, 10189).

Nevertheless angels do not turn themselves to the Lord, but the Lord turns them to Himself (10189).

It is not a presence of angels with the Lord, but the Lord's presence with angels (9415).

In heaven there is no conjunction with the Divine Itself, but conjunction with the Divine Human (4211, 47 24, 5663).

[12] Heaven corresponds to the Divine Human of the Lord; consequently heaven in general is as a single man, and for this reason heaven is called the Greatest Man (2996, 2998, 3624-3649, 3741-3745, 4625).

The Lord is the Only Man, and those only are men who receive the Divine from Him (. 1894).

So far as they receive are they men and images of Him (8547).

Therefore angels are forms of love and charity in human form, and this from the Lord (3804, 4735, 4797, 4985, 5199, 5530, 98 79, 1 177).

[13] The whole heaven is the Lord's (2751, 7086).

He has all power in the heavens and on earth (1607, 10089, 10827).

As the Lord rules the whole heaven He also rules all things depending thereon, thus all things in the world (2025, 2026, 4 523, 4524).

The Lord alone has the power to remove the hells, to withhold from evils, and to hold in good, thus to save (. 10019).

Footnotes: