From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #999

Study this Passage

  
/ 1232  
  

999. And out of the mouth of the false prophet, signifies the doctrine of faith separated from life, and of justification by it confirmed from the Word falsified. This is evident from the signification of "the false prophet," as being the doctrine of falsity from truths of the Word falsified. This is signified by the "false prophet" because a "prophet" means the doctrine of truth from the Word, and in the highest sense the Word (See above, n. 624); so a "false prophet" means the contrary of this. Moreover, "the false prophet" here has the same signification as "the beast coming up out of the earth," for it is said, "out of the mouth of the beast and of the false prophet." For there were two beasts by which the dragon has been further described, one seen coming up "out of the sea," the other "out of the earth;" and "the beast out of the sea" signifies confirmations of faith separated from the life by reasonings from the natural man, but "the beast out of the earth" signifies confirmations from the Word of faith separated from the life, and the consequent falsifications of the Word. And because the doctrine of the church was made from this, and that doctrine teaches the separation of faith from the life and justification by that separated faith, so this second beast is meant by "the false prophet."

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] From true conjugial love there is power and protection against the hells, because it is against the evils and falsities that ascend from the hells, and for the reason that through conjugial love man has conjunction with the Lord, and the Lord alone has power over all the hells; also because through conjugial love man has heaven and the church; consequently as the Lord unceasingly protects heaven and the church from the evils and falsities that rise up from the hells, so He protects all who are in true conjugial love because heaven and the church is with these and with no others. For heaven and the church are the marriage of good and truth, from which is conjugial love, as has been said above. And this is why through conjugial love man has peace, which is inmost joy of heart from a complete safety from the hells and a protection from infestations of the evil and falsity therefrom.

  
/ 1232  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #1232

Study this Passage

  
/ 1232  

1232. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy signifies that acknowledgment of the Lord and conjunction with Him is the life of all doctrine from the Word. This is evident from the signification of "the testimony of Jesus," as being the acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine and reception of the Divine truth from Him (See just above, n. 1230), and thus conjunction with the Lord, for conjunction is effected through the acknowledgment of the Lord and reception of the Divine truth from Him. Also from the signification of "the spirit of prophecy," as being the life of all doctrine from the Word, "spirit" signifying life because the Holy Spirit is meant, which is the Divine proceeding from the Lord, and the Divine proceeding is the essential life of man, and "prophecy" signifies doctrine from the Word. (That "prophecy" signifies doctrine from the Word, see n. 624, 999). That "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" signifies that acknowledgment of the Lord and conjunction with Him is the life of all doctrine from the Word, and that "the spirit of prophecy" means the Holy Spirit, which testifies respecting the Lord and thus is doctrine, is evident from the Lord's words in John:

Jesus said, When the Paraclete is come, whom I shall send unto you from the Father, the spirit of truth, he shall bear witness of Me; and ye also shall bear witness (John 15:26-27).

"The spirit of truth," which is elsewhere called "the Holy Spirit," means the Divine that proceeds from the Lord; and its "testimony" means enlightenment, preaching, confession, acknowledgment; and "the disciples," who would also bear witness, signify all who acknowledge and receive the Lord.

Revelation 20

EXPLANATION.

(Contents of the several verses.)

By "the dragon" are meant all in the reformed Christian world who do not go to the Lord immediately and who do not shun evils as sins.

All who were such were removed (verses Revelation 20:1-3).

Those from the lower earth, who were there concealed on account of the dragon, lest they should be seduced, were raised up into heaven (verses Revelation 20:4-6).

Afterwards those who were in external worship only and not in any internal worship were let loose, in order that such might be disclosed. These perished (Verses Revelation 20:7-9).

After this all who were meant by "the dragon" were condemned (Verse Revelation 20:10).

The hells were so reduced to order as to correspond by opposition to the new heaven but only those who had lived since the lord's coming (Verses Revelation 20:11-15).

  
/ 1232  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.