Das Obras de Swedenborg

 

Heaven and Hell # 302

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302. I have talked with angels about the conjunction of heaven with the human race, and I said that, while the man of the Church declares that all good is from God, and that angels are with man, yet few believe that angels are conjoined to man, still less that they are in his thought and affection. To this the angels replied that they know that there is such a belief and even such a mode of speaking in the world, and especially, to their surprise, within the Church, where yet there is the Word to teach men about heaven and its conjunction with man. Nevertheless, there is such a conjunction that man is unable to think the least thing apart from the spirits adjoined to him, and on this his spiritual life depends. They said that the cause of ignorance of this matter is man's belief that he lives from himself, without a connection with the First Being (Esse) of life; and that he does not know that this connection exists by means of the heavens; and yet if that connection were broken man would instantly fall down dead. If man believed, as is really true, that all good is from the Lord and all evil from hell, he would not make the good in him a matter of merit nor would evil be imputed to him; for he would then look to the Lord in all the good he thinks and does, and all the evil that inflows would be cast down to hell whence it comes. But because man does not believe that there is any influx into him either from heaven or from hell, and so supposes that all the things that he thinks and wills are in himself, and therefore from himself, he appropriates the evil to himself, and the inflowing good he defiles with merit.

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

Das Obras de Swedenborg

 

The White Horse # 9

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9. In the Word there is a spiritual sense which is called its internal sense.

No one can know what is the spiritual or internal sense of the Word unless he knows what correspondence is: 2895, 4322. Every single thing which is in the natural world, right down to the very least thing, corresponds to something spiritual, and so signifies it: 1886-1889, 2987-3003, 3213-3227. Spiritual things, to which the natural things correspond, appear in nature under another guise, with the result that they are not recognized: 1887, 2395, 8920. Hardly anyone knows where divine quality is in the Word, though it is there in its internal or spiritual sense, the existence of which is not known today: 2899, 4989.

What lies hidden in the Word is nothing other than what its internal or spiritual sense contains, in which the Lord, the glorification of His human form, His kingdom, and His Church are dealt with, and not natural things, which are of the world: 4923. In very many places the prophetical elements are not understood, and so are of no benefit, without the internal sensefrom examples in 2608, 8020, 8398 just as what is signified by the White Horse in the Book of Revelation, from 2760. What is meant by the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven given to Peter: Preface to Genesis 22 and 9410. What is meant by flesh, blood, bread, and wine in the Holy Supper: 8682. What is meant by the prophecies of Jacob concerning his sons: Genesis 49 and 6306, 6333-6465. What is meant by many other prophecies about Judah and Israel which do not match with [aspects of] that nation, and do not coincide with one another in their literal sense: 6333, 6361, 6415, 6438, 6444. In addition there are very many others: 2608. Further, what is said about correspondence may be seen in the work Heaven and Hell, 87-115, 303-310.

Concerning the internal or spiritual sense of the Word in general: 1767-1777, 1869-1879. There is an internal sense in every single part of the Word: 1143, 1984, 2135, 2333, 2395, 2495, 2619. These ideas do not appear in the literal sense but still they are in it: 4442.

  
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Das Obras de Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia # 9511

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9511. 'At the two ends of the mercy-seat' means celestial good and spiritual good. This is clear from the meaning of 'a cherub at one end' as access through celestial good; and from the meaning of 'a cherub at the other end' as access through spiritual good. The same thing is meant here by 'the two ends' as by the Lord's 'right' and 'left'. His 'right' means the good of celestial love, which is the good of love to the Lord, and His 'left' means the good of spiritual love, which is the good of love towards the neighbour. So it is also that everything in the right side of a person corresponds to celestial good, and everything in the left to spiritual good; for everything in the human being corresponds to heaven. People who are governed by those two kinds of good are meant by 'to sit on the Lord's right and left' in Mark,

To sit at My right and at My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. Mark 10:40.

'Giving to those for whom it has been prepared' means granting it in mercy to those who are governed by good in life and faith, 9305, thus who are governed by celestial good and by spiritual good.

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