Понятие "церковь" в Писании является одновременно сложным и красиво органичным, связанным с учением о природе Господа и вытекающей из него природе человечества.

В Писаниях сказано, что Господь, в Своей сущности - Его реальная сущность - совершенная, бесконечная любовь, любовь, которая питала творение, которая является высшим источником реальности, и которая поддерживает реальность постоянно. Эта любовь выражается в форме совершенной, бесконечной мудрости, которая придавала форму творению и придавала форму реальности.

Глубокая штука! Подробнее об этом можно прочитать в другом месте, но здесь важно то, что все творение, от мельчайших элементов до всей Вселенной, отражает ту же самую структуру. Оно присутствует в самой природе, питается теплом (любовь) и светом (мудрость) солнца. Она присутствует в основных формах жизни, с растениями (которые укоренились, которые мало меняются, которые не чувствуют, которые питаются светом), представляющими элементы мудрости и животные (теплые, чувственные, подвижные, постоянно меняющиеся, питающиеся теплом), представляющие формы любви. Он присутствует в почти универсальном разделении на мужские (мудрость) и женские (любовь) аспекты как растений, так и животных.

Эта структура также есть в каждом из нас. На общем языке мы могли бы называть это нашими сердцами и умами - то, чего мы хотим и что мы думаем. В Писаниях обычно говорится о них как о хорошем (любовь; чего мы хотим в своем сердце) и правдивом (мудрость; что мы знаем в своем разуме) или как о воле (сердце) и понимании (ум). Эти элементы не только определяют нас, но и являются ключом к нашим духовным судьбам. Мы можем использовать их, чтобы принять любовь Господа, прийти на благо жизни и, в конце концов, попасть на небеса. Мы также можем использовать их, чтобы отвергнуть любовь Господа и отправиться в ад.

И есть другие слои. В Писании говорится, что все человеческие общества находятся в человеческой форме, с функциями, аналогичными человеческому телу. Это относится и к маленьким группам, таким как семьи, и к большим компаниям, и к целым народам, и, в конечном счете, ко всей человеческой расе в этом мире, и ко всей небесной сфере в следующем.

Среди наиболее важных человеческих обществ, естественно, есть церкви. Поскольку понятие "церковь" основано на человеческой форме, то церкви, о которых говорится в Писании, могут принимать различные формы. На одном конце шкалы, любой человек, у которого есть истинные представления о добре и зле и который живет ими, является церковью сам по себе. На другом конце шкалы все те, кто верит в любовь к ближнему - и действует от этой веры - вместе составляют одну церковь.

Между этими двумя крайностями лежит множество других разновидностей, но большинство ссылок на "церковь" в Писании означает сообщество тех, кто имеет Слово, знает Господа и следует Его заповедям. Эти люди имеют доступ к лучшей возможной истине и глубочайшему пониманию природы Господа и того, чего Он хочет от нас.

Такая церковь играет жизненно важную роль: Через это Господь проникает в сознание людей и желание быть добрыми во внутренние глубины их сердец, простираясь далеко за пределы самой церкви, чтобы прикоснуться к каждому человеку в этом мире. На самом деле, в Писании говорится, что по существу существует брак между Господом и Церковью, при котором Церковь выступает в роли невесты и жены, производя истинные идеи и добрые желания так же, как жена производит детей.

Чтобы защитить эту функцию, Господь убедился, что на протяжении всей истории (и хорошей части предыстории) всегда существовала церковь, выполнявшая эту роль.

Первой из них была Древнейшая Церковь, представленная Адамом; она была вдохновлена любовью Господа. Вторая - Древняя Церковь, представленная Ноем; она была вдохновлена любовью к ближнему и познанием Господа. Третьим была Израильская Церковь, которая не имела внутренней любви к добру, но сохранила идеи Господа. Четвертой была первобытная христианская церковь, которая имела новое, более прямое понимание, основанное на учении Господа. Пятое, согласно Писаниям, должно основываться на более глубоком понимании, предлагаемом через Писания и их объяснения Библии.

Можно сказать гораздо больше, но подчеркнем еще один момент:

Мы, как индивидуумы, являемся тем, кем мы являемся, основываясь на том, что мы любим, а не на том, что мы знаем. Мы попадем в рай или ад, основываясь на том, что мы любим, а не на том, что мы знаем. Знать, думать и искать истину - это важные вещи, но их цель - формировать, направлять и служить нашей любви; любовь - это, в конечном счете, то, что имеет значение. В Писаниях в изобилии и многократно ясно говорится о том, что то же самое происходит и с церквями: В конечном счете, они основаны на любви, а не на знании, на их решимости служить ближнему, а не на их внешних формах поклонения. И если церкви разделяют эту общую цель служения ближнему, то они, по сути, едины, а доктринальные вариации не имеют большого значения.

(Ссылки: Апокалипсис открытый 533; Небесные тайны 407, 768, 1799 [3-4], 2048, 2853 [2-3], 2910, 2982, 3310, 3773, 3963 [2], 4292, 4672, 4723, 5826 [2-3], 6637, 6648, 8152, 9256 [4-5], 9276 [2]; Увеселения премудрости о любви супружеской 116; Небе и Аде 57; The Word 8; Учение Нового Иерусалима Относительно Священного Писания 99, 104)

1799. 'Behold, a son of my house is my heir' means that in the Lord's kingdom there would be only that which is external. This is clear from the meaning in the internal sense of 'an heir' and of 'inheriting'. 'Becoming an heir' or inheriting means eternal life in the Lord's kingdom. All who are in the Lord's kingdom are heirs, for the source of the life in them is the Lord's life, which is the life of mutual love, and for that reason they are called 'sons'. The Lord's sons or heirs consist of all who have His life in them, for it is from Him that their life comes, and it is from Him that they have been born, that is, regenerated. Those born of another are that other's heirs; and so it is with all who are being regenerated by the Lord, for in that case they are receiving the life that is the Lord's.

[2] In the Lord's kingdom there are those who are external, those who are more interior, and those who are internal. Good spirits who dwell in the first heaven are external, angelic spirits who dwell in the second heaven are more interior, and angels who dwell in the third heaven are internal. Those who are external are not as close to or near the Lord as those who are more interior, and these in turn are not so close or near as those who are internal. Out of Divine love, or mercy, the Lord wills to have everyone near to Himself, so that they do not stand outside, that is, in the first heaven. His will is that they should dwell in the third heaven, and if possible not merely with Him but abiding in Him. Such is the nature of Divine or the Lord's love. But since at that time none but external things existed with the Church, He complained of this in the words that occur here - 'Behold, a son of my house is my heir' - by which is meant that in His kingdom there would thus be only that which is external. But comfort followed, and a promise of internal things, as described in the verses that follow next. What the external aspect of the Church is has been stated already in 1083, 1098, 1100, 1151, 1153.

[3] By itself doctrine does not constitute the external aspect of the Church, still less the internal, as stated above. Nor on the Lord's part is it its teachings that make one Church distinct and separate from another, but its life in accordance with those teachings, all of which, as long as they present what is true, regard charity as their basic principle. What else does doctrine do but teach men the kind of people they ought to be?

[4] In the Christian world it is their doctrines that cause Churches to be distinct and separate, and because of these they call themselves Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists or the Reformed, and Evangelicals, among other names. It is solely by reason of their doctrines that they are called by these names. This situation would never exist if they were to make love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour the chief thing of faith. In this case their doctrinal differences would be no more than shades of opinion concerning the mysteries of faith which truly Christian people would leave to individual conscience, and in their hearts would say that a person is truly a Christian when he lives as a Christian, that is, as the Lord teaches. If this were so all the different Churches would become one, and all the disagreements which stem from doctrine alone would disappear. Indeed the hatred one man holds against another would be dispelled in an instant, and the Lord's kingdom on earth would come.

[5] The Ancient Church which existed immediately after the Flood, though scattered among many kingdoms, was of this nature. That is to say, people differed much from one another in matters of doctrine, but for all that, they made charity the chief thing. Also they regarded worship, not from the standpoint of doctrinal teachings which are matters of faith, but from that of charity which is a matter of life. This is what is meant by 'they all had one lip and their words were one', Genesis 11:1, regarding which see 1285.

1151. 'Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras' were just so many nations with whom such worship existed, and who in the internal sense mean just so many differing types of doctrine which were one and the same as the forms of ritual which they observed devoutly. This is quite clear from the Word where these nations are mentioned in various places, for those nations everywhere mean external worship, sometimes external worship corresponding to internal, sometimes the contrary The reason the latter is sometimes meant is that all Churches everywhere altered in the course of time, and altered indeed into something contrary. The fact that the nations named here mean nothing other than external worship, and therefore their doctrinal teachings, which were forms of ritual, becomes clear, as has been stated, from other parts of the Word, chiefly in the Prophets.

[2] Magog, Meshech, Tubal, and Gomer are referred to in Ezekiel as follows,

Son of man, set your face ¹ towards Gog, the land of Magog, the prince, the head of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince, the head of Meshech and Tubal; and I will turn you about, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you back, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company, with shield and buckler, all of them wielding swords: Persia, Cush, and Put with them; Gomer and all on his flanks; Bethtogarmah, the uttermost parts of the north, and all on his Ranks. In the latter years you will come upon the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which have been made a waste. Ezekiel 38:2-6, 8.

The subject in the whole of this chapter is a Church that became corrupted and which at length focused the whole of worship in external things or religious observances once charity, meant by 'the mountains of Israel', had been destroyed. Here 'Gog and the land of Magog, the prince and head of Meshech and Tubal' is worship confined to external things. Anyone may see that Gog and Magog are not the subject, for the Word of the Lord does not deal with worldly things, but embodies Divine matters.

[3] In the same prophet,

Prophesy against Gog and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince, the head of Meshech and Tubal; and I will bring you back, and will split you into six, and make you come up from the uttermost parts of the north and bring you on to the mountains of Israel. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all on your flanks, and the peoples that are with you. Ezekiel 39:1-2, 4.

The subject in the whole of this chapter is likewise external worship separated from internal and made idolatrous. Such worship is meant here by 'Gog, Meshech and Tubal' who are also used to mean the matters of doctrine which people adopt and then confirm from the literal sense of the Word, and in so doing falsify truths and destroy internal worship. For, as has been stated, those same nations also mean contrary things.

[4] In John,

When the thousand years have come to an end, Satan will be loosed from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth. Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. They went up over the breadth ² of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, [and] the beloved city. Revelation 20:7-9.

Here also 'Gog and Magog' has a similar meaning. External worship separated from internal, that is, separated from love to the Lord and from love towards the neighbour, is nothing but idolatrous worship which 'surrounds the camp of the saints and the beloved city'.

[5] Meshech and Tubal are referred to in Ezekiel as follows,

Meshech and Tubal are there, and all their crowd; round about it are its graves; all of them are uncircumcised, pierced by the sword, for they spread their terror in the land of the living. Ezekiel 32:26.

This refers to Egypt, that is, to factual knowledge by means of which people wish to inquire into spiritual things. 'Meshech and Tubal' stands for doctrinal teachings, which were forms of ritual, which are called 'uncircumcised' when love does not exist. Consequently they are 'pierced by the sword, and a terror in the land of the living'.

[6] Javan is referred to in Joel,

You have sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Javanites, ³ to remove them far away from their border. Joel 3:6.

'The sons of Judah' stands for things on the celestial side of faith, 'the sons of Jerusalem' for those on the spiritual side, and so for things that are internal. 'The sons of the Javanites' stands for worship in external things that is separated from internal worship; and because this worship is so far removed from that which is internal it is said that they 'removed them far away from their border'.

[7] 'Javan and Tubal' in Isaiah stands for true external worship itself,

One is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they will come and see My glory, and I will set a sign among them And I will send survivors from them to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the islands far off that have not heard My fame and have not seen My glory; and they will declare My glory among the nations. Isaiah 66:18-19.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom and His Coming. 'Tubal and Javan' stands for those whose worship is external corresponding to internal and who are to be informed about internal things.

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