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Luke 12

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1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:

9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:

12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I if it be already kindled?

50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.

55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.

56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #187

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187. (Verse 2) Be wakeful. That this signifies that they should procure for themselves life is evident from the signification of being wakeful, as denoting to be in spiritual life, but here, because those whose life is merely moral and not spiritual are treated of, the expression be wakeful denotes that they should procure for themselves spiritual life. The reason why awake and being wakeful signifies this life, is, that spiritual life is to moral life without spiritual as wakefulness is to sleep, or as noon day light is to evening, indeed, to darkness. But that this is the case is neither known nor perceived by those who are in natural life alone, nor by those who are in moral life without spiritual, for this life is also natural life. The reason why such neither know nor perceive this is, that they are in natural light alone, and this light in respect to spiritual light is as the darkness of evening to the light of noon-day, and the darkness of evening appears to them as light; for their interior sight, which is that of the thought, is formed for that darkness just as the sight of owls, bats, and other birds which fly by night, is formed for the shade; hence it is that they believe themselves to be in the light because they can reason, when nevertheless they are in darkness. That this is the case is quite evident from the state of such people after death, when they become spirits; then, when they are with their own, they believe that they are in light, because they then not only see all the things that are around them, but also because they can think and speak of anything whatever; but, still, when the light of heaven flows into them, their light is changed into darkness, and they become so blind as to the understanding that they cannot even think. The angels also, in the heavens, when they look down on those who are in such light, see nothing but absolute darkness. That spiritual life, in respect to moral life without it, is as wakefulness to sleep, is still further evident from the fact that those who are in spiritual life are in angelic wisdom and intelligence, which is of such a nature as to be incomprehensible and ineffable to those who are in natural light alone; and this is not only the case with men whilst they live in the world, but also after death when they become spirits, and when intelligence and wisdom constitute wakefulness.

From these considerations it is now evident that, be wakeful signifies here that they should procure for themselves spiritual life.

[2] To watch, has a similar signification in the following passages. In Matthew:

"Watch therefore, for ye know not in what hour your Lord shall come" (24:42).

In Mark:

"Watch, for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch" (13:35-37).

He who is ignorant of the internal sense of the Word supposes that by the above words is meant the Last Judgment, and that every one ought to be prepared for it; but it is the different states of man as to his love and faith, when he dies, that are here meant, for then his last judgment takes place; and evening, night and cock-crowing signify those states. Evening signifies a state of cessation of faith and charity, which takes place when a man comes into the exercise of his own judgment, and extinguishes in himself those things which he had imbibed in his childhood. Night signifies a state devoid of faith and charity; cock-crowing or daybreak, a state of commencing faith and charity, when man loves truths and submits to reformation by means of them. In the state in which man dies he remains, and is judged according to it; hence the meaning of these words is evident:

"Watch, lest the Lord, coming suddenly, find you sleeping. What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch;"

namely, that by watching is meant the reception of life from the Lord, which life is spiritual, and that by sleeping is meant natural life without spiritual. (That evening signifies a state of the cessation of faith and charity may be seen Arcana Coelestia 3056, 3197, 3833, 8431, 10134, 10135; that night is a state when there is no faith and charity, n. 221, 709, 2353, 6000, 7870, 7947; and that daybreak before morning, or cock-crowing, signifies a state of commencing faith and charity, n. 10134.)

[3] In Luke:

"Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to recline, and will come forth and serve them. Be ye therefore ready also for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not" (12:37, 40).

Here also, by those that are watching are meant spiritual watchers, these being those who receive spiritual life from the Lord, for such come into the light of intelligence and wisdom concerning Divine truths, but those who do not receive spiritual life remain in the shade and in darkness concerning those truths; therefore the latter are in a state of sleep, but the former in a state of wakefulness. By the Lord's girding Himself, making them recline, and coming forth to serve them, is signified that He will communicate to them the goods of heaven, all of which are from the Lord.

[4] In Matthew:

"The kingdom is like ten virgins; five were prudent, and five were foolish. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. But when the bridegroom came, they all trimmed their lamps." And when the foolish came, which had no oil in their lamps, and said, "Lord, Lord, open to us," the Lord said, "I say unto you, I know you not. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (25:1-13).

By the ten virgins are meant all those who belong to the church; by five are meant some of them, this being the signification of that number; by lamps are signified the things of faith, and by oil those of love. By the five prudent virgins therefore are meant those who are in love and thence in faith; but by the five foolish virgins are meant those who are not in love, but in faith alone; and because the latter have no spiritual life, therefore, because these are shut out of heaven, the Lord said to them "I say unto you, I know you not"; for those only have spiritual life who are in love and charity, because these are they who possess faith; hence it is quite clear that the words,

"Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh,"

signify that they may receive spiritual life, which pertains to those who are in love and thence in faith. (These things may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia 4635-4638.)

[5] In Luke:

"Watch, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (21:36).

Here also, to watch means to receive spiritual life: to pray always signifies to prepare themselves.

[6] In the Apocalypse:

"Behold, I come as a thief; blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked" (16:15).

That by watching is here signified the reception of spiritual life from the Lord, is clear from the fact that it is said,

"Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked."

Garments signify the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, whereby man has spiritual life; and to walk naked signifies life without such knowledges as means, thus a life not spiritual but merely natural. That garments signify knowledges of truth and good may be seen below (n. 195), and that by being naked is signified the deprivation of them, see Arcana Coelestia 1073, 5433, 5954, 9960).

[7] In Lamentations:

"Arise, cry out in the night, in the beginning of the watches; lift up thy hands to the Lord upon the souls of thy young children who have fainted through hunger, at the head of every street" (2:19).

Night here signifies a state in which there is no faith, as above; the beginning of the watches signifies a state when faith commences, thus a state of enlightenment, which exists when man becomes spiritual. By young children are meant those who love truths and desire to obtain them. To faint through hunger at the head of every street is to be deprived of spiritual life through a defect of the knowledges of truth and good. (That hunger denotes a defect of knowledges, and a desire for them, may be seen, n. 1460, 3364, 5277, 5279, 5281, 5300, 5360, 5376, 5893; and that streets denote truths of doctrine, n. 2336.)

[8] Because being wakeful signifies the reception of spiritual life, it follows that sleeping signifies natural life without spiritual, since natural life compared with spiritual is as sleep to wakefulness, as said above. In this sense the word sleeping is used in Matthew:

"The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat" (13:24, 25).

In Jeremiah:

"When they have grown warm, I will set their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may sleep the sleep of an age and not awake" (51:39, 57).

In David:

"Consider and hear me, Jehovah, my God! lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death" (Psalms 13:3).

Again:

"The stout-hearted are become a prey, they have slept their sleep. At thy rebuke both the chariot and the horse have fallen into a deep sleep" (Psalms 76:5, 6).

The chariot and the horse signify the doctrine of the church and the understanding thereof, which are said to fall into a deep sleep when they are without truths, and hence the same is said of the member of the church who is without spiritual life by means of these. (That chariots and horses in the Word signify doctrine and the Intellectual, may be seen in the small work, The White Horse 1-5.)

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.