Commentary

 

261 - Daily and Yearly Preparation for Heaven

By Jonathan S. Rose

Title: Daily and Yearly Preparation for Heaven

Topic: Salvation

Summary: The daily sacrifices, weekly sabbaths, and three annual feasts prescribed in the Old Testament are a picture of how to prepare for heaven.

Use the reference links below to follow along in the Bible as you watch.

References:
2 Peter 2:22, 10
Numbers 28:1
Exodus 23:14, 17
Leviticus 23:1, 5, 10, 33
Deuteronomy 16:1, 9, 13-14
Luke 6:1
Acts of the Apostles 2:1; 20:16
Nehemiah 8:13-14
Ezekiel 45:21, 25
Zechariah 14:16
John 7:2, 37

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The Bible

 

Acts 20:16

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16 For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9254

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9254. Verses 4-9 When you meet your enemy's ox or his ass going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him. When you see the ass of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would cease from removing [it] for him, 1 you shall surely remove [it] with him. 2 You shall not turn aside 3 the judgement of your needy one in his dispute. You shall keep yourself well away from the word of a lie; 4 and do not kill the innocent and the righteous, for I will not justify the wicked. And you shall not accept a gift, 5 for a gift 5 blinds those whose eyes are open and perverts the words of the righteous. And a sojourner you shall not oppress; and you know the soul of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

'When you meet your enemy's ox or his ass going astray' means unauthentic good and unauthentic truth with those who are outside the Church. 'You shall surely bring it back to him' means teaching and correcting. 'When you see the ass of one who hates you lying under its burden' means falsity that does not accord with the Church's good, as a result of which they will perish. 'And you would cease from removing [it] for him' means not receiving truth. 'You shall surely remove [it] with him' means nevertheless exhorting and striving hard to correct. 'You shall not turn aside the judgement of your needy one in his dispute' means not destroying the small amount of truth with those lacking in knowledge. 'You shall keep yourself well away from the word of a lie' means detesting falsity arising from evil. 'And do not kill the innocent and the righteous' means detesting the destruction of good, interior and exterior. 'For I will not justify the wicked' means that such malevolence is contrary to Divine righteousness. 'And you shall not accept a gift' means detesting any kind of gain. 'For a gift blinds those whose eyes are open' means that gain prevents truths from being seen. 'And perverts the words of the righteous' means that it causes things which are seen to look like the truths of good. 'And a sojourner you shall not oppress' means that those with a desire to receive instruction in the Church's truths must not be molested with evils of life. 'And you know the soul of a sojourner' means their desire and life. 'For you were sojourners in the land of Egypt' means that they were protected from falsities and evils when they were molested by those from hell.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. hold back from helping him to lift the burden from the animal

2. i.e. help him lift the burden

3. i.e. pervert or overturn

4. i.e. Have nothing to do with a false charge against someone

5. i.e. a bribe

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