The Bible

 

Exodus 20:1-6 : The First Commandment: No False Gods

Study

1 And God spake all these words, saying,

2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Commentary

 

False Gods: Mysteries of the 10 Commandments Explained

By Jonathan S. Rose, Curtis Childs

At face value, the Ten Commandments can seem intense and unforgiving. But Emanuel Swedenborg’s understanding of the internal sense of the Bible—spiritual meanings that lie beneath the literal words—can give us a new perspective on these familiar rules.

In this episode of their Swedenborg and Life web series, hosts Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose study the inner meaning of the first commandment.

(References: Apocalypse Revealed 950; Arcana Coelestia 8864, 8865, 8868, 8869, 8875, 8878, 8879, 8880, 8881)

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This video is a product of the Swedenborg Foundation. Follow these links for further information and other videos: www.youtube.com/user/offTheLeftEye and www.swedenborg.com

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #345

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345. And honour, and glory. That this signifies that to Him alone belong all Divine good and Divine truth, and thence all the good of love and the truth of faith which angels and men possess, is clear from the signification of honour and glory, when said of the Lord, as denoting the Divine good and the Divine truth (concerning which also see above, n. 280). And because by honour and glory, when said of the Lord, are signified Divine good and Divine truth, consequently, when said of man, by honour and glory are signified all the good of love and the truth of faith, from which angels and men have all wisdom and intelligence. These things are said by those who are in the ultimates of heaven, who know, although they do not see and perceive, this; for all those who belong to the church know, because it is according to doctrine, that all good and truth are from God, and those who lead a good life retain and believe this, neither do they examine how it happens; hence it is that they also are in heaven, although in its ultimate. But those who become spiritual, not only know, but also see and perceive that it is so; consequently they are in the higher heavens. When these come into the spiritual world, they see truths and perceive them in the light of heaven; nor do they admit the precept received by many in the world, that the understanding should be under some blind obedience to faith. It is different with those who are in the ultimates of heaven, who, because they do not see and perceive, remain in that precept; but still they are instructed, and being instructed, they know truths.

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