THE LORD

by Emanuel Swedenborg

Translated from the Latin by George F. Dole

The Portable New Century Edition

Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pennsylvania

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Teachings for the New Jerusalem on the Lord

Preface:

Some years ago, I published five small works:

1. Heaven and Hell

2. The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Teachings

3. Last Judgment

4. White Horse

5. Planets and Worlds in the Universe

Many things were presented in these works that had previously been unknown. Now the following works are to be offered to the public at the command of the Lord, who has been revealed to me.

- Teachings for the New Jerusalem on the Lord

- Teachings for the New Jerusalem on Sacred Scripture

- Teachings about Life for the New Jerusalem: Drawn from the Ten Commandments

- Teachings for the New Jerusalem on Faith

- Supplements on the Last Judgment [and the Spiritual World]

- Angelic Wisdom about Divine Providence

- Angelic Wisdom about Divine Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience, Infinity, and Eternity

- Angelic Wisdom about Divine Love and Wisdom

- Angelic Wisdom about Life

“Teachings for the New Jerusalem” means teachings for the new church now to be established by the Lord. The fact is that the old church has come to its end, as can be seen from what is said in of the booklet Last Judgment and from more that will be said in the forthcoming booklets just listed.

The twenty-first chapter of Revelation tells us that after the judgment the New Jerusalem will come. As you will see under the last heading below, this New Jerusalem means a new church.

2533. That 'now return the man's wife' means that the spiritual truth of doctrine was by him to be brought back untouched from the rational is clear from the meaning of 'a wife' as spiritual truth, dealt with in 2507, 2510, and from the meaning of 'a man' as doctrine itself. Actually when Abraham who represents the Lord in that state is called 'a man' he means celestial truth, which is the same as doctrine from a celestial origin; for 'man' in the internal sense means the understanding part of the mind, see 158, 265, 749, 915, 1007, 2517. From this it is evident that 'resuming the man's wife' means bringing back the spiritual truth of doctrine untouched. Its being brought back untouched from the rational is meant because 'Abimelech' who was required to return her means doctrine that has regard to rational things, or what amounts to the same, means the rational things comprising doctrine, 2510.

[2] It has been stated above that although the doctrine of faith is in itself Divine and so stands above all human, even angelic, range of understanding, it has nevertheless been expressed in the Word in a rational manner in accordance with man's range of understanding. It is like a parent who is teaching small boys and girls. When teaching them he explains every single thing in accordance with their own mentality, even though he himself thinks from what is more interior or higher. Otherwise he would be teaching without their learning, or it would be like casting seed on bare rock. The same applies also to the angels who in the next life instruct the simple in heart. Although the angels possess celestial and spiritual wisdom they nevertheless do not go above the heads of those they are teaching but use simple ideas to talk to them, yet advance by degrees to higher ideas as the instruction advances. For if they were to speak from angelic wisdom the simple would not grasp anything at all and so would not be led on to the truths and goods of faith. Much the same would happen if in the Word the Lord had not taught in a rational manner in accordance with man's range of understanding. Nevertheless in its internal sense the Word is raised up to angelic understanding. But even so, that highest level of meaning on which the Word exists with angels is infinitely lower than the Divine. This shows what the Word is like in origin, and so what it is in itself, and thus that at every point it embodies more than the whole of heaven is capable of comprehending, even as to one small part, though in the letter it seems so ordinary and so crude.

[3] The fact that the Lord is the Word, because the Word derives from Him and He is in the Word, is clear in John,

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. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1, 4, 14.

See also Revelation 19:11, 13, 16. And because the Lord is the Word, He is doctrine also, for no other doctrine exists which is itself Divine.