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Deuteronomio 1

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1 ESTAS son las palabras que habló Moisés á todo Israel de esta parte del Jordán en el desierto, en el llano delante del mar Bermejo, entre Parán, y Thopel, y Labán, y Haseroth, y Dizahab.

2 Once jornadas hay desde Horeb, camino del monte de Seir, hasta Cades-barnea.

3 Y fué, que á los cuarenta años, en el mes undécimo, al primero del mes, Moisés habló á los hijos de Israel conforme á todas las cosas que Jehová le había mandado acerca de ellos;

4 Después que hirió á Sehón rey de los Amorrheos, que habitaba en Hesbón, y á Og rey de Basán, que habitaba en Astarot en Edrei:

5 De esta parte del Jordán, en tierra de Moab, resolvió Moisés declarar esta ley, diciendo:

6 Jehová nuestro Dios nos habló en Horeb, diciendo: Harto habéis estado en este monte;

7 Volveos, partíos é id al monte del Amorrheo, y á todas sus comarcas, en el llano, en el monte, y en los valles, y al mediodía, y á la costa de la mar, á la tierra del Cananeo, y el Líbano, hasta el gran río, el río Eufrates.

8 Mirad, yo he dado la tierra en vuestra presencia; entrad y poseed la tierra que Jehová juró á vuestros padres Abraham, Isaac, y Jacob, que les daría á ellos y á su simiente después de ellos.

9 Y yo os hablé entonces, diciendo: Yo no puedo llevaros solo:

10 Jehová vuestro Dios os ha multiplicado, y he aquí sois hoy vosotros como las estrellas del cielo en multitud.

11 Jehová Dios de vuestros padres añada sobre vosotros como sois mil veces, y os bendiga, como os ha prometido!

12 ¿Cómo llevaré yo solo vuestras molestias, vuestras cargas, y vuestros pleitos?

13 Dad me de entre vosotros, de vuestras tribus, varones sabios y entendidos y expertos, para que yo los ponga por vuestros jefes.

14 Y me respondisteis, y dijisteis: Bueno es hacer lo que has dicho.

15 Y tomé los principales de vuestras tribus, varones sabios y expertos, y púselos por jefes sobre vosotros, jefes de millares, y jefes de cientos, y jefes de cincuenta, y cabos de diez, y gobernadores á vuestras tribus.

16 Y entonces mandé á vuestros jueces, diciendo: Oid entre vuestros hermanos, y juzgad justamente entre el hombre y su hermano, y el que le es extranjero.

17 No tengáis respeto de personas en el juicio: así al pequeño como al grande oiréis: no tendréis temor de ninguno, porque el juicio es de Dios: y la causa que os fuere difícil, la traeréis á mí, y yo la oiré.

18 Os mandé, pues, en aquel tiempo todo lo que habíais de hacer.

19 Y partidos de Horeb, anduvimos todo aquel grande y terrible desierto que habéis visto, por el camino del monte del Amorrheo, como Jehová nuestro Dios nos lo mandó; y llegamos hasta Cades-barnea.

20 Entonces os dije: Llegado habéis al monte del Amorrheo, el cual Jehová nuestro Dios nos da.

21 Mira, Jehová tu Dios ha dado delante de ti la tierra: sube y posée la, como Jehová el Dios de tus padres te ha dicho; no temas ni desmayes.

22 Y llegasteis á mí todos vosotros, y dijisteis: Enviemos varones delante de nosotros, que nos reconozcan la tierra y nos traigan de vuelta razón del camino por donde hemos de subir, y de las ciudades adonde hemos de llegar.

23 Y el dicho me pareció bien: y tomé doce varones de vosotros, un varón por tribu:

24 Y se encaminaron, y subieron al monte, y llegaron hasta la arroyada de Escol, y reconocieron la tierra.

25 Y tomaron en sus manos del fruto del país, y nos lo trajeron, y diéronnos cuenta, y dijeron: Es buena la tierra que Jehová nuestro Dios nos da.

26 Empero no quisisteis subir, antes fuisteis rebeldes al dicho de Jehová vuestro Dios;

27 Y murmurasteis en vuestras tiendas, diciendo: Porque Jehová nos aborrecía, nos ha sacado de tierra de Egipto, para entregarnos en mano del Amorrheo para destruirnos.

28 ¿A dónde subimos? Nuestros hermanos han hecho desfallecer nuestro corazón, diciendo: Este pueblo es mayor y más alto que nosotros, las ciudades grandes y muradas hasta el cielo; y también vimos allí hijos de gigantes.

29 Entonces os dije: No temáis, ni tengáis miedo de ellos.

30 Jehová vuestro Dios, el cual va delante de vosotros, él peleará por vosotros, conforme á todas las cosas que hizo por vosotros en Egipto delante de vuestros ojos;

31 Y en el desierto has visto que Jehová tu Dios te ha traído, como trae el hombre á su hijo, por todo el camino que habéis andado, hasta que habéis venido á este lugar.

32 Y aun con esto no creisteis en Jehová vuestro Dios,

33 El cual iba delante de vosotros por el camino, para reconoceros el lugar donde habíais de asentar el campo, con fuego de noche para mostraros el camino por donde aduvieseis, y con nube de día.

34 Y oyó Jehová la voz de vuestras palabras, y enojóse, y juró diciendo:

35 No verá hombre alguno de estos de esta mala generación, la buena tierra que juré había de dar á vuestros padres,

36 Excepto Caleb hijo de Jephone: él la verá, y á él le daré la tierra que pisó, y á sus hijos; porque cumplió en pos de Jehová.

37 Y también contra mí se airó Jehová por vosotros, diciendo: Tampoco tú entrarás allá:

38 Josué hijo de Nun, que está delante de ti, él entrará allá: anímale; porque él la hará heredar á Israel.

39 Y vuestros chiquitos, de los cuales dijisteis serán por presa, y vuestros hijos que no saben hoy bueno ni malo, ellos entrarán allá, y á ellos la daré, y ellos la heredarán.

40 Y vosotros volveos, y partíos al desierto camino del mar Bermejo.

41 Entonces respondisteis y me dijisteis: Pecado hemos contra Jehová; nosotros subiremos y pelearemos, conforme á todo lo que Jehová nuestro Dios nos ha mandado. Y os armasteis cada uno de sus armas de guerra, y os apercibisteis para subir al monte.

42 Y Jehová me dijo: Diles: No subáis, ni peleéis, pues no estoy entre vosotros; porque no seáis heridos delante de vuestros enemigos.

43 Y os hablé, y no disteis oído; antes fuisteis rebeldes al dicho de Jehová, y persistiendo con altivez, subisteis al monte.

44 Y salió el Amorrheo, que habitaba en aquel monte, á vuestro encuentro, y os persiguieron, como hacen las avispas, y os derrotaron en Seir, persiguiéndoos hasta Horma.

45 Y volvisteis, y llorasteis delante de Jehová; pero Jehová no escuchó vuestra voz, ni os prestó oído.

46 Y estuvisteis en Cades por muchos días, como en los días que habéis estado.

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Apocalypse Explained #608

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608. And sware by him that liveth unto the ages of the ages.- That this signifies truth from His own Divine, is evident from the signification of swearing, as denoting asseveration and confirmation, and when stated of the Lord, as denoting truth, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of, "him that liveth unto the ages of the ages," as denoting the Divine from eternity, which alone lives, and which is the source of life to all in the universe, both to angels and men. That this is the signification of him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, may be seen above (n.289, 291, 349). That to swear signifies asseveration and confirmation, but, in the present case, truth, because from the angel, by whom the Lord is meant, is evident from this fact, that to swear is to assert and confirm the truth of a statement, and when done by the Lord, means Divine verity. For oaths are taken only by those who are not interiorly in truth itself, that is, by those who are not interior but only exterior men; therefore they are never taken by angels, and much less therefore by the Lord. But the reason why He is said to swear in the Word, and why the sons of Israel were allowed to swear by God, is, that they were merely exterior men, and because when the asseveration and confirmation of the internal man, comes into the external, it takes the form of an oath. And in the Israelitish church all things were external, and these represented and signified things internal. The case is similar also in regard to the Word in the sense of the letter. It is therefore evident that by the angel swearing by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, is not meant that he thus sware, but that he said in himself that it was the truth, and that this falling into the natural sphere, became, according to correspondences, changed into the form of an oath.

[2] Now because to swear is only an external act corresponding to the confirmation of the mind of the internal man, and consequently signifies it, therefore in the Word of the Old Testament it is said to be lawful to swear by God, and even God Himself is said to take an oath. That this signifies confirmation, asseveration, and the absolute truth, or that a thing is true, is evident from the following passages.

Thus in Isaiah:

"Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength" (62:8).

And in Jeremiah:

"Jehovah of hosts hath sworn by his soul" (51:14; Amos 6:8).

And again, in Amos:

"The Lord Jehovih hath sworn by his holiness" (4:2).

And again, in the same prophet:

"The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob" (8:7).

And in Jeremiah:

"Behold, I have sworn by my great name" (44:26).

Jehovah swearing by His right hand, by His soul, by His holiness, and by His name, signifies by the Divine Truth; for the right hand of Jehovah, the arm of His strength, His holiness, His name, and His soul, mean the Lord as to Divine Truth, thus Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord. The signification of the excellency of Jacob is similar, for the mighty one of Jacob means the Lord as to Divine Truth.

[3] That to swear, when stated of Jehovah, signifies confirmation from Himself, or from His Divine, is evident in Isaiah:

"By myself have I sworn, the word has gone out of my mouth, and shall not be recalled" (45:23).

And in Jeremiah:

"I swear by myself, saith Jehovah, that this house shall become a desolation" (22:5).

Because swearing, when stated of Jehovah, signifies Divine Truth, therefore it is said in David,

"Jehovah hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it" (Psalm 132:11).

[4] Jehovah God, or the Lord, never swears, for it does not belong to God Himself, or the Divine Truth, to swear; but when God, or the Divine Truth, wills to have anything confirmed before men, then that confirmation, passing into the natural sphere, becomes an oath or takes the solemn formula of an oath in the world. It is therefore evident, that although God never swears, yet in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is the natural sense, it may be said that He swears. This therefore is the signification of swearing when stated of Jehovah or the Lord in the preceding passages, and also in the following.

Thus in Isaiah:

"Jehovah of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass" (14:24).

And in David:

"I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant. O Lord, thou swearest unto David in truth" (Psalm 89:3, 35, 49).

And again:

"Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent" (Psalm 110:4).

And in Ezekiel:

"I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, and thou becamest mine" (16:8).

And in David:

"Unto whom I sware in my anger" (Psalm 95:11).

And in Isaiah:

"I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth" (54:9).

And in Luke:

"To remember his holy covenant; the oath which he sware to our father Abraham" (1:72, 73).

And in David:

"He was mindful of his covenant which he made with Abraham, and his oath with Isaac" (Psalm 105:8, 9).

And in Jeremiah:

"That I may establish the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers" (11:5 32:22).

"The land which I sware to give to your fathers" (Deuteronomy 1:35 10:11; 11:9, 21; 26:3, 15; 31:20; 34:4).

[5] From these things it is evident what is meant by the angel lifting up his hand to heaven, and swearing by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages.

Similarly in Daniel:

"I heard the man (vir) clothed in linen, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto the heavens, and sware by him that liveth unto the ages of the ages" (12:7).

This signifies affirmation before the angels concerning the state of the church, that what follows is Divine Truth.

[6] Since the church instituted with the sons of Israel was a representative church, in which all things that were commanded were natural things, representing and consequently signifying spiritual things, therefore the sons of Israel, with whom the church was, were allowed to swear by Jehovah, and by His name, also by the holy things of the church, and this represented, and therefore signified, internal confirmation, and also truth. This will be evident from the following passages.

Thus in Isaiah:

"He who blesseth himself in the earth let him bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth let him swear by the God of truth" (65:16).

And in Jeremiah:

"Swear by the living Jehovah, in truth, in judgment, and in justice" (4:2).

And in Moses:

"Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear in his name" (Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20).

And in Isaiah:

"In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt swear to Jehovah of hosts" (19:18).

And in Jeremiah:

"If in learning they will learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, Jehovah liveth" (12:16).

And in David:

"Every one that sweareth by" God "shall glory, but the mouth of them that speak a lie shall be stopped" (Psalm 63:11).

To swear by God, signifies to speak truth, for it follows, "but the mouth of them that speak a lie shall be stopped." That they swore by God, see also Genesis 21:23, 24, 31; Joshua 2:12; 9:20; Judges 21:7; 1 Kings 1:17.

[7] Since the ancients were allowed to swear by Jehovah God, it therefore follows that it is a most serious evil to swear falsely or to lie; as is evident from these passages.

Thus in Malachi:

"I will be a witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers" (3:5).

And in Moses:

"Thou shall not swear a lie by my name, so that thou profane the name of thy God," and "thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain" (Deuteronomy 5:11; Leviticus 19:12; Zech. 5:4).

And in Jeremiah:

"Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see if there be those that say, By the living Jehovah; surely they swear falsely. Thy sons have destroyed me, and sworn by no god" (5:1, 2, 7).

And in Hosea:

"Israel, swear not, Jehovah liveth" (4:15).

And in Zephaniah:

"And I will cut off them that swear by Jehovah, and that swear by their king; and them that are turned back from Jehovah" (1:4, 5, 6).

And in Zechariah:

"Love not the oath of a lie" (8:17).

And in Isaiah:

"Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which swear by the name of Jehovah, not in truth, nor in justice" (48:1).

And in David:

"He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully" (Psalm 24:4).

[8] From these passages it is clear, that the ancients, who were in the representatives and significatives of the church, were allowed to swear by Jehovah God, in order to testify truth, and by that oath it was signified that they thought what was true, and willed what was good. But it was more especially permitted to the sons of Jacob, since they were altogether natural and external men, and not internal and spiritual; and mere external or natural men desire to have the truth attested and confirmed by oaths, whereas internal or spiritual men do not desire it, yea, are averse from oaths, and account them horrible, especially those in which God and the holy things of heaven and the church are appealed to, and they are satisfied with saying and with having it said, that a thing is true, or that it is so.

[9] Since swearing is not of the internal or spiritual man, and since the Lord, when He came into the world, taught men to be internal or spiritual, and to that end afterwards abrogated the external things of the church, and opened the internal things of it, therefore he also forbad swearing by God and by the holy things of heaven and the church. This is clear from his own words in Matthew:

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shall not swear, but shall perform unto the Lord thine oaths; I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne; neither by the earth; for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black" (5:33-36).

In this passage those holy things which must not be made use of in taking oaths are mentioned, namely, heaven and earth, Jerusalem and the head. And heaven means the angelic heaven, wherefore it is called the throne of God (that by the throne of God is meant that heaven, may be seen above, n. 253, 462, 477); the earth means the church (see above, n. 29, 304, 413, 417), it is therefore called the footstool of God's feet (that the footstool of God's feet means the church, see above, n. 606); Jerusalem means the doctrine of the church, it is therefore called the city of the great God (Dei) (that a city denotes doctrine, may be seen above, n. 223); and the head means intelligence therefrom (see above, n. 553, 577); it is therefore said, "thou canst not make one hair white or black," which signifies, that man can understand nothing of himself.

[10] Again, in the same Evangelist:

"Woe unto you, ye blind guides, because ye say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whosoever shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by Him that dwelleth therein. And he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Him that sitteth thereon" (23:16-22).

The reason why they were not to swear by the temple and by the altar, is, that to swear by them, was to swear by the Lord, by heaven, and by the church. For the temple, in the highest sense, means the Lord as to Divine Truth, and, in the respective sense, heaven and the church as to the same, also all worship from Divine Truth (see above, n. 220). And the altar signifies the Lord as to Divine Good, and, in the respective sense, heaven and the church as to that good, also all worship from Divine Good (see above, n. 391). And because by the Lord are meant all Divine things which proceed from Him, for He Himself is in them, and they are of Him, therefore he who swears by Him, swears by all things that are of Him. Similarly, he who swears by heaven and by the church, swears by all the holy things which pertain to them, for heaven embraces and contains them; and similarly the church; it is therefore said, that the temple is greater than the gold of the temple, because the temple sanctifies the gold, and that the altar is greater than the gift which is upon it, because the altar sanctifies the gift.

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

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Apocalypse Explained #349

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349. And the four-and-twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth unto ages of ages. That this signifies humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart of all those who are in truths from good, that the Lord alone liveth, and that from Him alone is life eternal, is clear from the signification of four-and-twenty elders, as denoting all those who are in truths from good (concerning which see above, n. [270] 1 ); from the signification of falling, down and worshipping, as denoting humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart, that all good and truth that have life in themselves, are from the Lord (concerning which also see above, n. 290, 291); and from the signification of Him that liveth, when said of the Lord, as denoting that He alone lives, and that from Him is life eternal (concerning which also see above, n. 82, 84, 186, 289, 291).

[2] Since it is at this day believed in the world, that the life which every one has, is given and implanted, and is thus his own, and that it does not flow in continually, I wish to say something respecting it. That it is believed that life is in man so as to be man's, is only an appearance arising from the perpetual presence of the Lord, and from His Divine love, willing to be conjoined with man, to be in him, and impart to him its own life, for such is the nature of the Divine love; and because this is perpetual and continuous, man supposes that the life thus in him is his own; notwithstanding it is known that there is no good and truth in man that does not come from above, and thus flow in. Similarly love and faith; for the whole of man's love is from good, and the whole of his faith is from truth; for what a man loves is to him good, and what he believes is to him truth. Hence it is in the first place evident, that no good and no truth, so neither love nor faith, is in man, but that they flow in from the Lord, life itself being in good and truth, and not elsewhere. The receptacle of the good of love with man is the will, and the receptacle of the truth of faith with him is the understanding; and to will good is not of man, neither to believe truth. These two faculties are those in which all the life of man is, outside of them there is none; hence also it is evident that the life of those faculties, consequently, the life of the whole man, is not in man, but flows in. That evil and falsity, or the will and the love of evil, and the understanding and the faith of falsity, are with man, is also from influx; but that influx is from hell. For man is kept in the freedom of choosing, that is, of receiving good and truth from the Lord, or of receiving evil and falsity from hell, and man is kept in this for the sake of reformation, for he is kept between heaven and hell, and hence in spiritual equilibrium, which is freedom. This freedom itself is not in the man, but it is together with the life which flows in. (Concerning the freedom of man, and its origin, see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 293, 537, 540, 541, 546, [589]-603 2 , and in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem [n. 141-147].)

[3] Those who are in hell also live from the influx of life from the Lord, for good and truth similarly flow into them; but they turn the good into evil, and the truth into falsity; and this is done because they have inverted their interior recipient forms by a life of evil; and all influx is varied according to the forms. In the same way also man's thought and will [are varied] when they act in members distorted from the birth, or in injured organs of sensation. And similarly also the light of heaven when it flows into objects whose colours vary, and the heat of heaven when it flows into the same whose odours are varied, according to the interior receptive forms. But it should be known, that the life itself is not changed and varied, but that by means of it there is presented an appearance of the recipient form, through which and from which the life passes, nearly in the same manner as every one appears by the same light in a mirror according, to his own quality.

[4] Moreover, all man's senses, namely, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, are not in the man, but are excited and produced from influx; in the man there are only organic receptive forms; these possess no sense until something adequate from without flows in. It is the same with the internal organs of sensation of the thought and affection, which receive influx from the spiritual world, as with the external organs of sensation that receive influx from the natural world. That there is one only fountain of life, and that all life is thence, and continually flows in, is well known in heaven, and is never called in question by any angel of the higher heavens, for they perceive the influx itself. That all lives are like streams from one only and perpetual fountain of life, has been also rendered evident to me from much experience, and has been seen in the spiritual world with those who believed that they lived from themselves, and would not believe that they lived from the Lord. These, when the influx into the thought was withheld from them as to some part, lay deprived of life, as it were, and presently on the influx approaching, they revived, as it were, from death; and they afterwards confessed that the life in them was not their own, but flowed continuously into them, and that men, spirits, and angels were only forms receptive of life.

[5] The wise, there, conclude that it is so from this fact, that nothing can exist and subsist from itself, but from what is prior to itself, and thence that neither can that which is prior exist from itself, save in successive order from a First; and thus life itself, viewed in itself, is only from Him, who alone is Life in Himself. Hence also they know, and likewise from a spiritual idea perceive, that everything must be in connection with a First in order that it may be something, and that it is something only as it is in such connection. From these considerations it is evident how foolishly they think who derive the origin of life from nature, and suppose that man learns to think through the influx of interior nature and its order, and not from God, who is the very Being (Esse) of life, and from whom is all the order of both worlds, - the natural and the spiritual, - according to which the life flows in, - life eternal into those who can be disposed to receive life according to Divine order, but an opposite life, which is called spiritual death, into those who cannot be so disposed, thus who live contrary to Divine order. The Divine good which proceeds from the Lord, is that from which order exists, and Divine truths are the laws of order. (As may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 279.)

[6] Let every one take heed lest he believe that the Divine Life with any one, even indeed with the evil and in hell, is changed; for, as said above, the life itself is not changed or varied, but by it an appearance of the receptive form is presented, through which and from which it passes; nearly in the same manner as every one appears in a mirror according to his own quality, by light, which still remains in its own state, and only produces the form to the sight; and as the same life presents itself to be felt according to the form of the organ of the body, thus after one manner in the eye, after another in the hearing, and otherwise in the smell, taste, and touch. If it is believed that the life is varied and changed, it is from the appearance, which is a fallacy like the fallacy from the appearance that influx is physical, whereas influx is spiritual. (Concerning this matter more may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 9; to which may be added what is adduced concerning the influx of life, in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem from the Arcana Coelestia 277, 278; and concerning the influx of life with animals, in the Arcana Coelestia 5850, 6211; and in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 39, 108, 110, 435, 567; likewise in the small work concerning the Last Judgment 25.)

[7] These things are said in order that it may be known, that there is one only Life, and that whatever things live, live from it. It shall now be shown that the Lord is that Life itself, or that He alone lives, since this is signified by Him that liveth unto ages of ages. That there is one only Divine, and that this is not distinguished into three persons, according to the faith of Athanasius, is evident from what has been frequently said above, and especially from what will be specifically said upon this subject at the end of this work; and because the Lord's Divine, which is the one only Divine, assumed the Human, and made this also Divine, therefore each is the Life from which all live. That this is the case may be known from the words of the Lord Himself, in the following passages. In John:

"As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, so also the Son quickeneth whom he will. As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself" (5:21, 26).

By the Father is here meant the Lord's very Divine which assumed the Human, for this Divine was in Him from conception, and because He was conceived from it, therefore He called this the Father, and not another. By the Son is meant the Lord's Divine Human; that this also is life itself, the Lord teaches in express words, by saying as the Father quickeneth, the Son also quickeneth whom He will; and, as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself. To have life in Himself is to be Life itself; others however are not life, but have life thence.

[8] In the same:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (14:6).

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, are spoken of the Lord's Human; for He also says, "No one cometh unto the Father, but by me," His Father being the Divine in Him, which was His own Divine; whence it is evident, that the Lord also as to His Human is the Life, consequently, that it also is Divine.

[9] In the same:

"Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. He that liveth and believeth in me shall never die" (11:25, 26).

These words also the Lord spake concerning His Human; and because He is Life, and all have life from Him, and those who believe in Him have life eternal, therefore He says that "He is the resurrection and the life," and that "he who believeth in me shall never die." By believing in the Lord is signified to be conjoined with Him in love and faith; and by never dying is signified not to die spiritually, that is, to be damned, for the life of the damned is called death.

[10] In the same:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (1:1, 4, 14).

That by the Word is meant the Lord, is known; that His Human is the Word, is evident, for it is said that the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and that His Human was equally Divine with the Divine itself which assumed the Human, is evident from this circumstance, that a distinction is made between them, and that each is called God, for it is said, "the Word was with God, and the Word was God; and in him was life." That all live from Him is meant by, the life was the light of men. The light of men is the life of their thought and understanding; for the proceeding Divine, which is specifically meant by the Word, appears in heaven as the light by which the angels not only see, but also think and understand, and are wise according to its reception (see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 126-140). This, the light proceeding from the Lord, is life itself, which not only enlightens the understanding, as the sun of the world does the eye, but also vivifies it according to reception; and when that light is received in the life, it is then called the light of life. In the same:

"Jesus said, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (8:12).

[11] And He is also called, in the same, the Bread of life.

"The bread of God is he who cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. I am the Bread of life" (6:33, 35, 47, 48, 51).

The Bread of God and the Bread of life is that from which all have life. Since life, which is called intelligence and wisdom, is from the Lord, it follows also that life in general is from Him; for the particulars of life which make its perfection, and are insinuated into man according to reception, are all things of the general life. It is perfected in proportion as the evils into which man is born are removed from it.

[12] That those who are conjoined with the Lord by love and faith receive life eternal, that is, the life of heaven, which is salvation, is evident from the following passages. In John:

"I am the Vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth, and as a branch he is withered" (15:5, 6).

In the same:

"Every one who believeth on me, hath life everlasting (3:14-16).

In the same:

"He that believeth on the Son, hath life everlasting; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him" (3:36).

"Whoever believeth on the Son, hath life eternal, and I will raise him up at the last day" (6:40, 47, 48 3 ).

In the same:

"The sheep follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish" (10:27, 28).

And in the same:

"Search the Scriptures; they testify of me; but ye will not come unto me, that ye may have life" (5:39, 40).

Mention is made in the Word of believing in God, and of believing the things which are from God; and to believe in God is the faith which saves, but to believe the things that are from God is an historical faith, which without the former does not save, and therefore, is not true faith; for to believe in God is to know, to will, and to do; but to believe the things that are from God, is to know, which is possible without willing and doing. Those who are truly Christians know, will, and do; but those who are not truly Christians, only know; but the latter are called by the Lord foolish, and the former wise (Matthew 7:24, 26).

Footnotes:

1. NCBS editor's note: Original text has 271 but appears to be referencing 270.

2. NCBS editor's note: Original text has 586-603, but appears to be referencing 589-603.

3. NCBS editor's note: John 6:54 is also included here in some versions of this work.

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