The Bible

 

Genesis 1:8

Study

       

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Commentary

 

Resurrection, the first

  

'The first resurrection,' mentioned in Revelation 20:5, 6, does not mean a first resurrection, but the essence and primary part of resurrection, which is salvation and eternal life. There is only one resurrection to life. A second does not happen, and is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 6; Apocalypse Revealed 851; Revelation 20:5-6)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Spiritual Experiences #4851

  
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4851. Itching and rubbing of the anus.

In the night my anus began to itch, and I rubbed it until it hurt. And when I had done this a number of times some [spirits] below were noticed, and I realized that it came from them and that it was due to the fact that in the world they had believed themselves to be rational and yet they were not rational. They actually had not only believed but also taken pride in their being wiser than others when in reality they were anything but wise. Such pride produces an itching and scratching of the anus. The spirits were Wolf, Er[ik] Benzelius and Lars Benzelst[ierna] and Gust[av] Benzelst[ierna] 1 . When they became aware that this was being thought about them, they began to put their minds to work on something that would show they were rational, but that thing was a profanation of the Lord, which was done with cunning and malice. But they were told and shown that that ill-will is in no way intelligence, but that it is insanity, consequently entirely the opposite of intelligence, [and] so by it they had shown themselves to be irrational.

Footnotes:

1. Probably Pastor Johan Christoph Wolf together with Archbishop Erik Benzelius and his sons.

  
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Thanks to the Academy of the New Church, and Bryn Athyn College, for the permission to use this translation.