496. Vers. 11:6. Ceux-ci ont pouvoir de fermer le Ciel, afin qu'il ne tombe point de pluie dans les jours de leur prophétie, signifie que ceux qui ont de l'aversion pour ces deux Essentiels de la Nouvelle Église ne peuvent recevoir aucun vrai venant du Ciel. Ici, par le Ciel est entendu le Ciel Angélique ; par conséquent par la pluie est signifié le vrai de l'Église qui en procède ; c'est pourquoi, par fermer le Ciel, afin qu'il ne tombe point de pluie, il est signifié qu'ils ne peuvent recevoir aucun vrai de l'Église venant du Ciel ; le vrai de l'Église, venant du Ciel, est le vrai de la doctrine d'après la Parole : il est dit que les Témoins ont ce pouvoir, mais il est entendu, ici comme ci-dessus, Nos. 494, que non pas eux ont le pouvoir de fermer le Ciel, mais que ceux-là se le ferment, qui ont de l'aversion pour ces deux Essentiels de la Nouvelle Église, parce qu'ils demeurent dans leurs faux. Que la Pluie signifie le Divin Vrai venant du Ciel, on le voit par ces passages :

— « Elle découlera comme la pluie, ma doctrine ; elle distillera comme la rosée, ma parole. » — Deutéronome 32:2.

— « Si vous servez d'autres dieux, Jéhovah fermera le Ciel, en sorte qu'il n'y ail point de pluie. » — Deutéronome 11:11, 14, 16-17.

— « Je mettrai ma vigne en désolation ; aux nuées je commanderai de ne point faire pleuvoir sur elle de pluie. » — Ésaïe 5:6.

— « Retenues ont été les pluies, et de pluie d'arrière-saison il n'y a point eu ; mais cependant un front de femme prostituée t'est resté. » — Jérémie 3:3.

— « De même que descend ta pluie du Ciel, de même sera ma parole, qui sort de ma bouche. » — Ésaïe 55:10-11.

— « Fils de Sion, soyez dans la joie et dans l'allégresse en Jéhovah, car il vous a donné la pluie juste à propos. » — Joël 2:23.

— « une pluie de bienveillances tu fais dégoutter, ô Dieu! » — Psaumes 68:10.

— « Il descendra comme la pluie sur l'herbe du pré ; dans ses jours fleurira le juste. » — Psaumes 72:6-7.

— « Jéhovah viendra comme la pluie pour nous, comme une pluie d'arrière-saison qui arrose la terre, » — Hosée 6:3.

— « Sur eux dégouttera ma parole, et ils M'attendront comme la pluie ; et leur bouche ils ouvriront pour la pluie de l'arrière-saison. » — Job 29:22-23.

— « Fils de l'homme, dis : Toi, (tu es) une terre qui n'a point été nettoyée, qui n'a point eu de pluie au jour de la colère ; complot de ses prophètes au milieu d'elle. » — Ézéchiel 22:24-25 ; — et en outre ailleurs, — Ésaïe 30:23 ; Jérémie 5:24 ; 10:12-13 ; 14:3-4 ; 51:16 ; Ézéchiel 34:26-27 ; 4:7-8 ; Zacharie 10:1 ; Psaumes 65:10-11 ; 135:7 ; 2 Samuel 23:3-4.

— Pluie inondante au lieu de dévastation du vrai, — Ézéchiel 13:11, 13-14 , Ézéchiel 38:23.

— Au lieu de tentation, — 7:24-27

105. Verse 5. Be mindful therefore of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works, signifies the remembrance of former things, and the remembrance of having deviated from the truth; and this, in order that the good of life of the church at its beginning may come into mind. This is evident from the signification of "be mindful," as being here the remembrance of former things; from the signification of "whence thou hast fallen," as being deviation therefrom, thus deviation from the truth; from the signification of "repent," as being that it may come into mind; and from the signification of "doing the first works," as being the good of life of the church at its beginning. (That "works" mean all those things of life that proceed from love and faith, see n. 98; and that "first works," which are of charity, are those of the church at its beginning, see just above, n. 104.) That a life in accordance with knowledges is the essential of the church, and not knowledges apart from such a life, can be seen by everyone who thinks about it; for knowledges, so long as there is no life according to them, reside in the memory only; and so long as they reside there only they do not affect man's interiors; for memory is given to man to be a receptacle, from which may be taken what will be serviceable to the life; and things are serviceable to the life when a man wills them and does them.

[2] The whole spirit of man is nothing but his will; when, therefore, man becomes a spirit, he is unable to resist anything that is favored by his will, for the whole man strives after it. That this is so is well known in the spiritual world; and I have occasionally seen the trial made, whether a spirit could do anything contrary to his will, from which he exists, and it was found that he could not. From this it was clear that man's will is what gives form to his spirit, and that man's spirit after it has left the body is his will. Whether you say will or love it is the same, for what a man loves he wills; so whether you say that the spirit of man cannot resist his will, or that it cannot resist his love, it is the same. The knowledges of good and truth, before they enter a man's will or love, contribute nothing whatever to his salvation, because they are not within the man: but out of him. But still knowledges are necessary, for without them man can know nothing of spiritual life, and he who knows nothing of spiritual life cannot become spiritual; for that which a man knows he can think, can will, and can do, but not that which he does not know. But yet if knowledges enter no deeper than into the memory and into thought therefrom, they do not affect him, and consequently do not save him.

[3] It is believed by many in the world at this day, especially by those who make faith alone the essential of the church, that to know doctrinals and from mere knowing to believe that they are true, saves man, however he may live; but I can affirm that no one is saved by these alone. I have seen many, even the most learned, cast into hell; but on the other hand, those who have lived according to the knowledges of truth and good from the Word I have seen raised up into heaven. From this it is clear that knowledges are of no avail, but a life according to them; and that knowledges merely teach how man ought to live. To live according to the knowledges of truth and good is to think that one must do thus and not otherwise because it is commanded by the Lord in the Word. When man thus thinks and thus wills and does, he becomes spiritual. Yet it is necessary for those within the church to believe in the Lord, and when they think of Him to think of His Divine in the Human, since from His Divine Human everything of charity and faith proceed.