The Bible

 

Genesis 1:4

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4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Commentary

 

Morning

  
Two gorgeous red poppies -- one popped, and one just about to.

Morning comes with the rising of the sun, and the sun -- which gives life to the earth with its warmth and light -- represents the Lord in His divinity, bringing spiritual life through love and wisdom. Thus, the morning represents the coming of the Lord into our lives, and all the things that flow from it: the love, joy and enlightenment He brings; the peace and tranquility of passing the spiritual obscurity of night; the anticipation of the learning and usefulness of a new day; and the awareness of The Lord's renewed presence.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 179; Apocalypse Revealed 151; Arcana Coelestia 2333 [1-3], 2540, 2780, 5740, 8211, 8812, 10134, 10200, 10413; True Christian Religion 764 [1-2])

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #45

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45. The description of the essence of the Divine Love allows us also to see its opposite, the essence of devilish love. Devilish love is self-love, and it goes by the name of love, but regarded in itself is hatred, for it loves no one other than itself, and has no wish to be linked with others for their happiness, but only its own. Its inmost nature is a continual attempt to rule over everyone, to possess everyone's goods, and finally to be adored like a god. This is why the inhabitants of hell do not acknowledge God, but treat as gods those who are more powerful than others; so they have lower and higher, or minor and major deities, depending on the extent of their power. Because each person there has his heart set on that, he has a burning hatred of his own deity; and he in turn of those who are under his control. He looks upon them as worthless servants, to whom he talks politely so long as they worship him, but is fired with rage against the rest, and inwardly or in his heart against his own followers. Self-love is the same as love among thieves, who hug each other when they are engaged in robberies, but later on they ardently long to murder the others and steal their booty from them.

[2] This love is the reason why its desires in hell, where it is sovereign, look at a distance like various kinds of wild beasts; some like foxes and leopards, some like wolves and tigers, some like crocodiles and poisonous snakes. The deserts where they live consist of nothing but piles of stones or bare gravel, interspersed with marshes full of croaking frogs. Mournful birds swoop over their huts wailing. These are the ochim, tziim and iyim mentioned in the prophetic books of the Word which describe the love of domination arising from self-love (Isaiah 13:21; Jeremiah 50:39; Psalms 74:14).

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