The Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles

The Lord left his apostles with instructions and with great gifts. The instructions are listed in several distinct places, but the the gifts are more scattered, both in the four gospels and in the book of Acts later, being given as the apostles needed them.

First, about the apostles... just to clarify, here I'm referring to "the disciples" as including anyone who has followed along to hear the Lord, and "the apostles" to mean the twelve men that the Lord recruited specifically, as listed in Matthew 10, Mark 3, and Luke 6.

Who were the apostles? From the lists in Matthew and Mark, which are the same, we have: Simon (Peter), James and John the sons of Zebedee, Andrew (Peter’s brother), Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew (the publican), Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, (as is Matthew, so they are brothers, too), Thaddeus, (also known as Libbeus), Simon the Canaanite (also called Simon the Zealot), and Judas Iscariot. Bartholomew is almost undoubtedly another name for Nathaniel, see John 1. The list in Luke includes another Judas, "Judas the brother of James" and doesn’t have Thaddeus.

The stories of how they were individually chosen differ, especially in the gospel of John, but that these twelve were appointed by the Lord is clear. A point of interest is that - other than Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot they are all from towns around the sea of Galilee - and perhaps those two are as well. These twelve have their names inscribed on the twelve foundations of the walls of the holy city New Jerusalem, in Revelation 21:14 in which there are also the twelve gates. These men were chosen to represent all the different states of the natural human being that can be receptive of the Lord. They are from Galilee because Galilee represents that natural state of the human mind. The number twelve in the Word represents all possible states of mankind.

What is indicated here is that all people, everywhere, can be saved or regenerated if they repent and turn to the Lord in their lives. No one is "outside" of His reach. We are born natural, everyone is, but we are so formed that our minds can be raised to what is higher, called spiritual for our conceptions of Divine truth, or Celestial for our perceptions of Divine good. But we all start in a natural state and can only move upward by listening to the Lord’s teachings in His Word, and following Him as those Apostles did.

Not all of our natural states are states of good; they can be selfish, domineering, and cruel. But the Lord said that He came "not to save the just but to call sinners to repentance". Perhaps this is why Simon the Canaanite and Judas were two that He called. Simon is little known, but in some places in the Word, "Canaan signifies an external worship without a true internal worship". (See Arcana Coelestia 1060). Can the Lord work with that - with external worship that's internally barren? Yes, as a starting point. And, even Judas, who betrayed the Lord so terribly, we are told, repented of his betrayal of the Lord. (Matthew 27:3-5)

The Lord's Instructions to the Apostles

The two most comprehensive sets of instructions are in Luke 10:1-17 where seventy Disciples are sent out two by two, apparently to a specified list of cities that Jesus intends to visit, and then in Matthew 20:1-19 where the chosen twelve Apostles are sent out to all Israel. Later, as recorded in different epistles, the Apostles go out further, through a wide region.

The basic instructions were to preach that the kingdom of heaven is near, that all should be led to repent of their sins, and that all who wish should be baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles should not take any money or extra clothing along, and they were to depend entirely on the Lord’s providence with no doubt that they shall be welcomed, fed, and sheltered. If they were welcomed, they should stay and preach the good news about the risen Lord and His teachings, and if they were not, they should shake from their feet the dust of that place and go on to a place where they were welcome. See Matthew 10, 28, Mark 13, 16, Luke 9, 10:24.

There are several assurances for the twelve. The Lord has told them to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit is sent to strengthen them, and in John 20 where the ten are gathered it is said that He breathed on them and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit". Also, in his long talk with them in John 14, 15, 16) He assures them that his crucifixion and death are necessary to his mission and they should even rejoice that it is coming. He shows them from scripture that it has all been prophesied from long ago, (see Mark 4:34) and that what seems to them a tragedy, is truly His glorification and the end of the work He came to do. They, His twelve, are in the same steam of providence and will be protected. "Don’t be anxious," He tells them, "I will put into your mouths what you are to say, I will bring into your memories the incidents to tell to the people".

Here is a listing of the chapters and verses in John where such things are said: John 14:1-3, 10, 16-18, 26-28, 15:11, 16, 26-27, 16:7, 13-15, 22, 26-27, 33. Or simply read the three chapters and pick out your favorites.

A marvelous gift is mentioned in Matthew 10:13, "But blessed are your eyes for they see and blessed are your ears, for they hear…".

In the book of Acts, the Lord vividly shows the apostles that when they speak in their Galileen dialect every listener will hear their words as his own language in his ears; not gibberish, but Arabic to the Arabs, Greek to the Greeks, and Latin to the Romans.

When Peter starts to preach to a gathering of sympathetic Jews he speaks clearly and unafraid, saying that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God and that people should worship Him openly and repent of how they might have felt earlier. Peter’s talk in Acts 3 and 4 is a bold and powerful one. No more hiding behind locked doors.

The early history of the Christian church shows just how well all this worked out. You know what? The Apostles preached to the peoples in the Near East 2000 years ago, and their preaching is just as relevant today as it was then: "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Being at hand has nothing to do with the date or the state of political history in the world, it has to do with the inside of your mind. The Lord is just as close to you now as He was then, and He never turns away, though we might turn away from him. Remember that He said "behold I stand at the door and knock and if anyone hears and opens the door He will come right in." This hasn’t changed nor will it ever change, but He leaves us in freedom to ignore His knocking, if that is what we want. We have to make the choice, but He is always ready if we choose to open the door.

803. And power was given him over every tribe, and tongue, and nation. That this signifies domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and over the doctrine of faith and love, is evident from the signification of power, as denoting domination; and from the signification of tribe, as denoting the truths and goods of the church in general (concerning which see above, n. 39, 330, 430, 431, 454, 657). And from the signification of tongue, as denoting the doctrine of the church, also confession and religion (concerning which also see above, n. 330, 455, 625, 657); in the present case, the doctrine of faith. And from the signification of nation, as denoting the good of love, also the doctrine of love and of the church thence (concerning which see above, n. 175, 331, 625, 657). Hence it is evident that by power being given to the beast over every tribe, and tongue, and nation, is signified domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and over the doctrine of faith and love. And whereas by the beast is signified the doctrine of faith separate from the life, proved and enforced by reasonings from the natural man, it follows, that to this faith is given domination over everything pertaining to the church and its doctrine.

That this domination was given to it is evident from this fact, that faith alone is the universal principle that rules in the churches; for it is regarded as the essential means of salvation. This also is clear from the doctrines of the churches, also from the oral confession of the men of the church, and, in general, from their lives; also, from this fact, that they do not know what charity and love are, consequently they do not know what works are. And because such is the domination of faith separated, therefore it domineers also over all the truths and goods of the church; and it extinguishes them by falsifying, perverting, and adulterating them. For where that faith rules, there is no longer anything good, and, consequently, nothing true.

[2] It is known, that faith from love is an essential means of salvation, and that therefore it is a principle of the doctrine of the church. But because it is of importance to know how a man may be in enlightenment, so as to learn the truths which must constitute his faith; and in affection, so as to do the goods which must constitute his love, thus whether his faith be the faith of truth, and his love the love of good, this shall be shown in order, as follows:

1. Let him read the Word every day, either one or two chapters, and learn from a master, and from preachings, the dogmas of his religion; and especially let him learn that God is one, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth (John 3:35; 17:2; Matthew 11:27; 28:18), that the Word is holy, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that there is a life after death.

2. Let him learn from the Word, from a master, and from preachings, what works are sins, and that in particular they are adulteries, thefts, murders, false witness, and various others mentioned in the Decalogue; likewise that lascivious and obscene thoughts are also adulteries, that frauds and illicit gains are also thefts; that hatred and revenge are also murders; and that lies and blasphemies are also false witness; and so on. Let him learn all these things from infancy until the age of adolescence.

3. When a man begins to think from himself - which is the case after the age of adolescence, it must then be the first and chief thing with him, to desist from doing evils, because they are sins against the Word, thus against God; and that if he does them, life eternal is not his, but hell; and afterwards as he advances in years, to shun them, as accursed, and turn away from them even in thought and intention. But in order to desist from them, and shun and be averse to them, he must supplicate the Lord for aid. The sins, from which he must desist, and which he must shun and be averse to, are principally adulteries, frauds, illicit gains, hatreds, revenge, lies, blasphemies, and conceit.

4. So far as a man desists from those things because they are contrary to the Word, and thence opposed to God, so far communication is given him with the Lord, and conjunction with heaven is effected. For the Lord enters, and with the Lord heaven, as evils are removed. For these and their falsities are the sole hindrances. The reason is, that man is in the midst between heaven and hell; wherefore hell acts from the one part, and heaven from the other. In proportion, therefore, as the evils from hell are removed, in the same proportion the goods from heaven enter; for the Lord says,

"Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will enter in unto him" (Apocalypse 3:20).

But if a man desists from doing those evils from any other reason than that they are sins, and contrary to the Word, and thence opposed to God, no conjunction with heaven is affected with him, because his desisting is from himself, and not from the Lord. The Lord is in the Word, insomuch that He is called the Word (John 1:1-4), because the Word is from Him. That hence there is conjunction of heaven with the man of the church by means of the Word, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 303-310).

5. So far, then, as a man detests those sins, so far good affections enter. Thus, so far as he detests adulteries, so far chastity enters. So far as he detests frauds and unlawful gains, so far sincerity and justice enter. So far as he detests hatred and revenge, so far charity enters. So far as he detests lies and blasphemies, so far truth enters. And so far as he detests conceit, so far enter humility before God, and the love of his neighbour as himself, and so on. Hence it follows, that to shun evils is to do goods.

6. So far as a man is in those good affections, so far he is led by the Lord and not of himself; and so far as he acts from them, so far he does goods, because he does them from the Lord and not from himself. In such case he acts from chastity, sincerity, justice, charity, and truth, in humility before God; and no one can act from these of himself.

7. The spiritual affections, which the Lord bestows on the man who is in these and who acts from them, are the affection of knowing and understanding the truths and goods of heaven and the church, together with the affection of willing and doing them; also the affection of fighting with zeal against falsities and evils, and dissipating them, both in himself and in others. Hence man has faith and love, and also he has intelligence and wisdom.

8. In this and no other way is a man reformed. And so far as he knows and believes truths, and wills and does them, so far he is regenerated, and from natural, becomes spiritual. It is similar with respect to his faith and love.

[3] If evils are not removed because they are sins, all that a man thinks, says, wills, and does, are neither goods nor truths before God; however they may appear to be so before the world. The reason is, that they are not from the Lord, but from man. For it is the love of man and of the world from which they are derived, and which is in them. Most people at this day believe that they will go to heaven if they have faith, live piously, and do goods; and yet they do not hold evils in aversion because they are sins, consequently they either commit them, or believe them to be allowable; and those that believe them to be allowable, commit them when opportunity is given. But let them know, that their faith is not faith, that their piety is not piety, and their goods are not goods; for they flow from the impurities which lie interiorly concealed in man, the external things deriving all their quality from internal things. For the Lord says,

"Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and platter, that the outside may be clean also" (Matthew 23:26).

From these things it is now evident that if a man were to fulfil all things of the law, if he gave much to the poor, if he did good to the fatherless and the widow, indeed, if he also gave bread to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, took in strangers and clothed the naked, visited the sick and them that are bound in prison; if he preached the gospel strenuously, converted the Gentiles, frequented temples, heard preachings with devotion, attended the sacrament of the Supper frequently, spent his time in prayer, with other things; and his internal were not purified from hatred and revenge, from craftiness and malice, from insincerity and injustice, from the filthy delight of adultery, from the love of self and the love of ruling thence, and from the arrogance of his own intelligence, from contempt of others in comparison with himself, and from all other evils and the falsities thence, still all these works would be hypocritical, and from the man himself and not from the Lord. But, on the other hand, these very works, when the internal is purified, are all goods, because they are from the Lord in a man, who cannot do otherwise than perform such things, because he is in the love and faith of doing them.

What is here said, has been testified to me from a thousand examples in the spiritual world. I have heard that it has been granted to many to recall the actions of their life in the world, and to enumerate the goods they had done; but when their internal was opened it was discovered to be full of all evil and falsity thence. Then it was revealed to them, that the goods which they enumerated were done from themselves, because for the sake of themselves and the world, and that they flowed from their interior evils; whence they appeared either as scorched with fire, or as sooty.

[4] But the case is different with those who have abstained from doing evils, as a result of the Word, and have afterwards shunned and become averse to them, on account of their being sins, and contrary to love to God and charity towards the neighbour. The works of such persons, although they were similarly perceived as done from themselves, were all good, and similarly from the light of heaven, appeared to be as white snow and wool (Isaiah 1:12-18).

These are the works that are meant in the Word by works, which can by no means be separated from faith; for faith separate from them is dead; and a dead faith is a faith of falsity from an evil love; or it is the idea that a thing is so, the life being still evil.

That to abstain from evils from any other reason whatever than from the Word does not purify the internal man is evident from the origin of evil works, and from the origin of good works. As, for example, he who abstains from adulteries from fear of the civil law and its punishments; from fear of the loss of reputation and thence of honour; from fear of harm arising from poverty, covetousness, or avarice; from fear of sickness as a result of these; from fear of brawls at home with a wife and consequent intranquillity of life; from fear of being beaten by the servants of an injured husband; from infirmity arising either from abuse, age, or impotence; indeed, even from natural and hence moral good, as not being becoming and honest, etc.; and for these reasons alone lives chastely, still he is interiorly unchaste and an adulterer if he does not abstain from them from a spiritual belief that adulteries are infernal because contrary to the Divine Law, and thence contrary to the fear of God and to the love of his neighbour. And so in all other cases.

[5] From what has been adduced it may now be seen what the internal and the external are, also what faith and love are; that is to say, that faith and love are a man's when his internal has been purified from evils in the manner above mentioned; and that they are not his if it be not purified; and that where faith and love are, there heaven is; and that where faith and love are not, there is hell. More may be seen upon this subject below (n. 825).