1. Teachings for the New Jerusalem on the Lord

The Entire Sacred Scripture Is about the Lord, and the Lord Is the Word

WE read in John,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and nothing that was made came about without him. In him there was life, and that life was the light for humankind. And the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not grasp it. And the Word became flesh and lived among us; and we saw his glory, glory like that of the only-begotten child of the Father. He was full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3, 5, 14)

In the same Gospel,

Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

And elsewhere in the same Gospel,

While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light. I have come into the world as a light so that anyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. (John 12:36, 46)

We can see from this that the Lord is God from eternity and that he himself is that Lord who was born into the world. It actually says that the Word was with God and that the Word was God, as well as that nothing that was made came about without him, and then that the Word became flesh and that they saw him.

There is little understanding in the church of what it means to call the Lord “the Word.” He is called the Word because the Word means divine truth or divine wisdom and the Lord is divine truth itself or divine wisdom itself. That is why he is also called the light that is said to have come into the world.

Since divine wisdom and divine love are one with each other and have been one in the Lord from eternity, it also says “in him there was life, and that life was the light for humankind.” The life is divine love, and the light is divine wisdom.

This oneness is what is meant by saying both that “in the beginning the Word was with God” and that “the Word was God.” “With God” is in God, since wisdom is in love and love is in wisdom. This is like the statement elsewhere in John, “Glorify me, Father, together with yourself, with the glory I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5). “With yourself” is “in yourself.” This is why it adds “and the Word was God.” It says elsewhere that the Lord is in the Father and the Father is in him [John 14:10], and that the Father and he are one [John 10:30].

Since the Word is the divine wisdom of the divine love, it follows that it is Jehovah himself and therefore the Lord, the one by whom all things were made that were made, since everything was created out of divine love by means of divine wisdom.

107. (ix) FROM THIS TIME ON NO ONE FROM CHRISTIAN COUNTRIES CAN COME INTO HEAVEN, UNLESS HE BELIEVES IN THE LORD GOD THE SAVIOUR, AND APPROACHES HIM ALONE.

We read in Isaiah:

Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth, and the former ones shall not be remembered, neither shall they rise above the heart, and behold, I shall make Jerusalem an exultation, and its people happiness, Isaiah 65:17-18.

and in Revelation:

I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and I saw the holy Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride for her husband; and He that sat on the throne said, Behold, I shall make all things new, Revelation 21:1-2, 5.

We read in many places that only those who are written down in the Book of Life of the Lamb will enter heaven (Revelation 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27). Heaven there does not mean the heaven we see with our eyes, but the heaven of the angels; Jerusalem is no city coming out of the sky, but a church which will come down from the Lord out of the other heaven; and the Book of Life of the Lamb does not mean some book written in heaven which is to be opened, but the Word, which is from the Lord and about Him. In the preceding sections of this chapter the doctrine that Jehovah God, who is called the Creator and Father, came down and took upon Himself human form, in order that He could be approached and be joined, has been confirmed, proved and established. Does anyone on approaching a person address himself to his soul? How could one do so? Rather he addresses himself to the person whom he sees before him, and speaks to him directly face to face. The case is similar with God the Father and God the Son, since God the Father is in the Son, as the soul is in the body.

[2] The following passages in the Word establish that one must believe in the Lord God the Saviour:

God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life, John 3:15-16.

He who believes in the Son is not judged, but he who does not believe has already been judged, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God, John 3:18.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; but he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God will rest upon him, John 3:36.

The bread of God is that which comes from heaven, and gives life to the world; he who comes to me shall not be hungry, and he who believes in me shall never be thirsty, John 6:33, 35.

This is the will of Him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him should have everlasting life, and I should raise him up on the last day, John 6:40.

They said to Jesus, What shall we do to perform God's work? Jesus answered, This is God's work, to believe in Him whom the Father has sent, John 6:28-29.

In truth, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life, John 6:47.

Jesus cried out saying, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. If anyone believes in me, streams of living water will flow from his belly, John 7:37-38.

If you have not believed that I am, you will die in your sins, John 8:24.

Jesus said, I am the resurrection and life; he who believes in me, though he die, shall live; but everyone who lives and believes in me shall not ever die, John 11:25-26.

Jesus said, I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness, John 12:46; 8:12.

So long as you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may be sons of light, John 12:36.

We read that they will abide in the Lord and the Lord in them (John 14:20; 15:1-5; 17:23), which they can do through faith.

Paul preached both to Jews and to gentiles repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, Acts of the Apostles 20:21.

I am the way, truth and life; no one comes to the Father except through me, John 14:6.

[3] The following passages prove that he who believes in the Son believes in the Father, since, as said before, the Father is in Him, just as the soul is in the body:

If you knew me, you would also know my Father, John 8:19; 14:7.

He who sees me sees Him who sent me, John 12:45.

He who receives me receives Him who sent me, John 13:20.

The reason is that no one can see the Father and live (Exodus 33:20). For this reason the Lord says:

No one has ever seen God; His only-begotten Son who is in the Father's revealed Him, John 1:18.

No one has seen the Father, except Him who is with the Father; He has seen the Father, John 6:46.

You have never heard the Father's voice, nor have you seen His appearance, John 5:37.

But those who do not know anything about the Lord, like those in two of the three continents, Asia and Africa, not to mention the Indies, if they believe in one God, and live in accordance with the commandments of their own religion, are saved by their faith and their life. Sin is imputed to those who know, not to those who are ignorant, just as blind people who knock into things are not blamed. For the Lord says:

If you were blind, you would not have any sin; but now you say that you can see, therefore your sin remains, John 9:41.