There are two stories of Christmas. We usually blend them into one chronological account, but they are very distinct. One appears in the Gospel of Matthew, 1:18-25, 2:1-23, and the other in Luke 2: 6-20.

Matthew tells the story from Joseph’s point of view. The angel appears to him, telling him not to fear to take Mary as his wife, even though she is expecting a Child. He names the child. The wise men appear, and then Joseph is warned to flee to Egypt, and told to return when Herod died.

Luke is Mary’s story - in fact, she alone could have recounted these things to Luke. The story of Zacharias and Elisabeth; Mary’s visit to Elisabeth; the birth of John; the angel appearing to Mary, the birth of Jesus, and the tale of the shepherds all speak of Mary’s part in this event.

There are remarkably consistent differences in the accounts. In the Matthew story the angel always appears in a dream, and he gives commands. “Do not be afraid to take to yourself Mary your wife.” “Call His name Jesus.” “Do not return to Herod” was the command to the wise men. “Arise, take the young child and Mary his mother, and flee into Egypt.” “Return, for they are dead who sought the young Child’s life.” Specific commands, which Joseph and the wise men obeyed.

In the Luke story the angel is actually seen, and carries on conversations with both Zacharias and Mary. An angel choir appears to the shepherds. What is surprising is that no actual commands are given. Zacharias is told that his prayer will be answered, and he will have a son. Mary is told she will be with child of the Holy Spirit, and she willingly accepts it. The shepherds are told the tidings of great joy, but it is they who say, one to another, “Let us now go, even to Bethlehem, and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”

Another amazing difference is the presence of Herod and his people in Matthew. He is shown in his wickedness and deceit, pretending to wish to worship Jesus while plotting to kill Him. He uses his counselors, none of whom are interested in the actual birth of the Christ, though they now know that a star has heralded His birth. Then there is the terrible story of Herod’s murder of the little ones around Bethlehem.

None of this appears in Luke. There is just a glancing reference: “There was in the days of Herod the king of Judea......” What a different tone, therefore, appears in Luke. It is one of peace and rejoicing, of wonder and gratitude, spoken from the heart by Zacharias, by Mary, and by Simeon. By contrast, Matthew tells of Joseph’s sadness and thought of putting Mary away privately, of Herod’s treachery and the sin of infanticide. And Matthew tells also how futile were Herod’s efforts, for the angel of the Lord provided that Joseph brought the infant Lord safely out of his reach.

So what are these two stories telling us about our lives, here, today? They speak of how the Lord is born in our minds and hearts. Let us leave Zacharias and Elisabeth and John out of this sermon. John represents repentance, and his birth precedes the birth of Jesus. But after we have repented of our sins, then the Lord Himself comes to be born in us. That birth is the implanting within us of charity - the ability to love others unselfishly. It is this birth which makes us into angels, which puts the stamp of eternal love in our hearts, which causes us to be “born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

When charity begins to become felt in us we respond in two distinct ways. Matthew tells how our understanding reacts to His coming. Luke speaks of how His birth receives a response in the new will which the Lord is creating in us.

Joseph seems to represent the good of truth. He was a carpenter, working with tools of iron on wood to shape it, and his very act pictures the efforts of the human understanding, taking the truths of revelation and working to apply them to a life of goodness.

Joseph at first feared that Mary had been unfaithful to him, and that the child was conceived of a man. When we have done the deeds of repentance, and the Lord begins to create this wonderful, heavenly love inside of us, we too will doubt. How can I, a person who has been selfish up to date, how can I feel these tender, loving thoughts towards others? How can I be moved to do kind deeds with no thought of reward? I must be deceiving myself. This is just human-born selfishness under another guise.

But an angel of the Lord told Joseph that this birth was unique in all of history. The angel represents an insight from within, the presence of the Lord within the truths that we have learned, which gives us assurance that indeed unselfish love can be ours. The Word has promised that it will be so. Don’t doubt it. You can be a truly loving, unselfish, caring person. And when you feel this love inside of you, call it by its proper name. Call it “Jesus,” which means, “Jehovah is the Savior.” Realize that this is salvation come into your heart.

Joseph obeyed the angel. We need to believe that charity can be ours, and unite ourselves to the innocent love for the truth (which is what Mary represents).

Then, when this beautiful charity blossoms in our hearts, new truths come to herald that birth. The wise men had studied the Word, knew that a star would appear when the Christ was born, and took a long journey to find Him. The truths they represent, learned because we are moved to study and reflect on His Word, are the ones that tell us how to live the life of love. They are conscious truths, and they spur us to action.

The wise men gave three gifts to Jesus, and for two thousand years they were the last people on earth to know why these gifts, and no others, were suitable. For there are only three things we can give to the Lord, only three things we can withhold. Myrrh represents obedience; frankincense, love to others; and gold, love to the Lord Himself. We can withhold these from the Lord and He cannot make us give them to Him. When moved by charity, we plan to offer Him the only gifts which we can possibly give - the offerings of a grateful heart to obey, to love His children, and to love Him.

But the Matthew story contains Herod also. Within each of us there is a powerful love of self, and all sorts of false and horrible thoughts are tied to it. Through this love the hells seek to kill our unselfish instincts. They use deceit, they even use the truths of the Word (as Herod did when seeking to know where Christ should be born). For much of our lives we have given a fairly free rein to our selfish impulses. They don’t relinquish their kingship over us without a struggle. The story of Herod speaks of the plots of the hells to destroy our love for others, and of how the Lord protects us. When we obey the commands of His Word our love grows, quietly and secretly, in a safe place where Herod cannot find it.

So we come to the gospel of Luke. Why is Herod not mentioned there? It is in the Lord’s amazing mercy that there are times when selfishness seems to be a distant memory. We know it’s there - “In the days of Herod the King,” Luke says. We know that battles lie ahead, but there are moments when we see the joy of life, and these feelings give us an inner reason to fight for heaven. When you first fall in love, you feel only unselfish love for that person. At times you read the Word, and feel in its pages the certainty of the Lord’s love, and its promise of a heaven, a life of charity, just for you!

Selfishness seems far off. You know it will come back, but right now you know that there is a life beyond selfishness. There truly is a greater love that leaves self behind, and at times, at oh-so-precious times, you are allowed to feel it. The Lord touches our hearts, and the best image of that is Christmas night in the stable in Bethlehem.

In our peaceful states there is Mary, the innocent affection for truth. We often call it idealism. It is a deep-seated conviction about the highest ideals in life. We see deeply into the Word, see the values it teaches, we want a value system that will last for all time. We want the Lord to be our God, the God of our hearts and minds. In our innocent times we just don’t question these things, we long for them. Mary, betrothed, and longing for marriage, represents this innocent love, longing to experience the full heavenly marriage of good and truth, to make ideals work.

Mary went to Bethlehem, for that little town represents new truth, the truth of the internal sense of the Word. To go from Galilee to Bethlehem is to go upward, into the deeper regions of our minds, and experience that love which is the birth of the Lord in us. It is to feel, in the living waters of the Word, that we do love others, and this love is “God with us.”

Yet the inn at Bethlehem had no room for the infant Jesus. Many spiritual truths in our minds have languished, and lost their meaning. Other needs have crowded them out, even falsified them. There are many places in our minds where we know the truth, but that knowledge is full of earthly concerns which take the joy, the wonder out of it.

In His mercy the Lord prepares other places in our minds. The spiritual manger stands for lower truths, simple ideals long held precious. For example, you have truths in your minds about how to care for infants and how to teach little children about the Word and how to care for the needs of the elderly or those who are hurting. You understand these truths. A manger, where horses feed, represents such an understanding.

And you have simple, innocent ideas in your minds also which are, as it were, wrapped around charity. These truths tell you that certain things hurt others, that certain things, said with gentleness, touch their hearts. These truths tell you when to deal gently with others, and when to be firm but loving at the same time. They are simple ideas from the Word, first truths, which keep charity warm in your heart. “....and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger.”

How beautiful is the story of the shepherds. They too represent interior truths, long held, which through the night of our selfish lives have kept us turning towards good values. They kept watch over our spiritual flock, our valuable feelings, even though we have often been selfish and uncaring. These values are called forth, and respond with joy when love is born in our hearts.

The story of Luke is one of a free response to the Lord and His creation of heaven in our minds. It is full of joy. Zacharias prophesied, with a heart full of gratitude. Mary’s soul magnified the Lord and her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior. Simeon gave thanks because he had seen the Lord’s salvation, prepared for all people. The shepherds returned, praising God for all that they had seen.

When you feel heartfelt gratitude in your lives because of a special love the Lord has granted you, - why then, stop, stand still, lift up your heart and rejoice in that moment. And know this: that if you persist in following Him, that special love will become your heaven. It will be a love born of no human father. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you, and that holy love growing in you is indeed born of God.

Two stories of Christmas. Both so beautiful. The Lord gave each to us that we may see with our understandings, and feel in our hearts the wonder of this holy birth. They are secret stories, scarce felt because of the noisy pressures of worldly life, but revealed in all their wonder for the New Church. The spiritual Joseph and wise men are conscious, understood truths which are obeyed, and bring deep joy to the human mind. The spiritual Mary and Bethlehem and the manger and the swaddling cloths and the shepherds represent affections for deep ideals, and for practical ideas. These find inner happiness and peace when He comes to us.

For the greatest event in human history was the birth on earth of God Himself. And the greatest event in anyone’s life is when there is born to you the love from God that will never die. This is truly the spirit of Christmas.

(Referenser: Apocalypse Explained 706; Matthew 2)

695. And to give the reward to thy servants the prophets and to the saints.- That this signifies heaven to those who are in truths of doctrine and in a life according to them, is evident from the signification of giving reward, as denoting salvation, consequently heaven; from the signification of his servants the prophets, as denoting those who are in truths of doctrine, for those are called servants of the Lord who are in truths, because truths serve to produce, confirm, and preserve good, and whatever serves good, serves the Lord, for all good is from the Lord, and they are called prophets who teach doctrine, therefore in an abstract sense, they signify doctrine (that those are called servants of God who are in truths, may be seen above, n. 6, 409; and prophets, those who teach doctrine, and in an abstract sense doctrines, n. 624); and from the signification of saints, as denoting those who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word, and in a life according them (concerning which see above n. 204). It is therefore evident, that to give the reward to his servants the prophets, and to the saints, signifies heaven to those who are in truths of doctrine and in a life according to them.

[2] That reward signifies salvation, and thus heaven, is evident without enlargement and explanation. But because few know what is properly meant by reward, it shall be stated. Reward properly means that delight, blessedness, and happiness which is contained in the love or affection for good and truth; this love or affection has in itself all that joy of heart which is called heavenly joy, and also heaven. The reason is, that the Lord is in this love or affection, and with the Lord also heaven. It is this joy, therefore, or this delight, blessedness, and happiness, that is properly meant by the reward which those will receive who do good and speak truth from love and affection for good and truth, thus from the Lord, and not in any way from themselves; and as they do this from the Lord, and not from themselves, therefore the reward is not of merit but of grace. From these things it is evident, that he who knows what heavenly joy is, may know also what reward is. What heavenly joy is in its essence may be seen in Heaven and Hell 395-414). This therefore is the signification of the reward which is given to those who are in truths from good; but the reward that those have who are in falsities from evil is joy or delight, and good fortune and happiness, in the world, but hell after their departure out of the world.

[3] From these few things the signification of reward in the following passages is clear.

In Isaiah:

"Behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in might; behold his reward is with him, and his recompense before him" (40:10).

In the same:

"Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation cometh, and his recompense before him" (62:11).

And in the Apocalypse:

"Behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every one as his work shall be" (22:12).

Behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in might, and behold thy salvation cometh, and behold he cometh quickly, signify the first and second coming of the Lord. His reward is with him, signifies heaven, and all things pertaining to it, as above, for where the Lord is, there is heaven, heaven not being heaven from the angels there, but from the Lord with the angels. That they will receive heaven according to the love and affection for good and truth from the Lord, is meant by, his recompense before him, and by giving to every one as his work shall be. The work for which heaven shall be given as a reward, means nothing else than work from the love or affection for good and truth, for every work in man must spring out of that from which heaven exists. For a work derives its all from love or affection, just as an effect derives its all from the efficient cause, therefore as is the love or affection, so is the work. It is consequently evident what is meant by the work according to which it shall be given to every one, and what by recompense.

[4] Similarly in Isaiah:

"I Jehovah, who love judgment, will give the reward of their work in truth, and will make with them a covenant of eternity" (61:8).

The judgment which Jehovah loves signifies truth in faith, affection, and act, for man has judgment from truth, both when he thinks and desires truth, and when he speaks truth and acts according to it. And because this is signified by judgment, therefore it is said, "I will give the reward of their work in truth," that is, heaven according to faith in and affection for truth in act. And as from this there is conjunction with the Lord, from whom reward comes, therefore it is also said, "I will make with them a covenant of eternity"; for covenant, in the Word, signifies conjunction by love, and a covenant of eternity signifies conjunction by the love of good and truth, for this love being of the Lord Himself because it proceeds from Him, is conjunctive.

[5] That to love good and truth for the sake of good and truth is reward, because the Lord and heaven are in that love, is also evident from the following passages.

In Matthew:

"Do not ye your alms before men, to be seen of them, for otherwise ye have no reward of your Father, who is in the heavens. When thou doest alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men; verily I say to you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret; then thy Father who seeth in secret, will reward thee openly. And if thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men; verily I say to you, they have their reward; but thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father, who is in secret; then thy Father who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly" (6:1-6).

By alms, in the most general sense, is signified all the good which a man desires and does, and by praying, in the same sense, is signified all the truth which a man thinks and speaks. Those who do these two things in order to be seen, that is, to make a display, do good and speak truth for the sake of themselves and ofthe world, that is, for the sake of glory, which is the delight of self love, and this they receive from the world. Because delight in glory is the reward of such persons, it is said that they have their reward; but this delight in glory, which in the world seems to them like heaven, is changed into hell after their departure out of the world. But those who do good and speak truth, not for the sake of themselves and of the world, but for the sake of good itself and truth itself, are meant by those who do alms in secret, and who pray in secret, for these act, and pray from love or affection, thus from the Lord. This therefore is to love good and truth for the sake of good and truth; of these therefore it is said, that their Father in the heavens will reward them openly. Thus reward is to be in goods and truths from love or affection, which is the same thing as to be in them from the Lord, since in these is heaven together with all the happiness and blessedness of heaven.

[6] In Luke:

"When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not the rich, lest haply they should call thee in return, and a recompense be made thee, but call the poor, then shalt thou be blessed, for they have not wherewith to recompense thee; for it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection" of the dead (14:12-14).

To make a dinner and a supper, and to call them, signifies the same as giving to eat and drink, or giving bread and wine, namely, to do good to the neighbour, and to teach truth, and thus to be associated in love. Those therefore who do this with a view to be recompensed, do it not for the sake of good and truth, thus not from the Lord, but for the sake of themselves and the world, and thus from hell; while those who do this, not for the purpose of being recompensed, do it for its own sake, namely, for the sake of good and truth; and those who act for the sake of these act from them, thus from the Lord, who is the source of these with man. The heavenly blessedness which is in and thus from those deeds is reward, and is meant by, it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection of the dead.

[7] In the same:

"Rather love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; then shall your reward be much, and ye shall be sons of the Most High" (6:35).

The signification of these words is similar to that above, namely, that good is not to be done for the sake of recompense, that is, for the sake of self and the world, thus not for the sake of reputation, glory, honour, and gain, but for the sake of the Lord, that is for the sake of good itself and truth itself which they have from the Lord, and in which therefore the Lord is. To love enemies and do good to them, means here in the nearest sense, to love the Gentiles and do good to them, and this by teaching them truth and leading them to good by means of it; for the Jewish nation called their own people brethren and friends, but they called the Gentiles foes and enemies. To lend signifies to communicate the goods and truths of doctrine from the Word; hoping for nothing again, signifies, not for the sake of any thing of self and of the world, but for the sake of good and truth. Then shall your reward be much, signifies that then heaven with its happiness and delights shall be theirs; and ye shall be sons of the Most High, signifies because they do these things not from themselves but from the Lord. For he who does good and teaches truth from the Lord is His son, but not he who does good from self; and this is what every one does who looks to honour and gain as the end of his actions.

[8] In Matthew:

"He that receiveth a prophet, in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; he that receiveth a just man, in the name of a just man, shall receive a just man's reward. Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a drink of cold [water] only, in the name of a disciple, he shall not lose his reward" (10:41, 42).

How these words of the Lord are to be understood, no one can see except from their internal or spiritual sense; for who can know what is meant by receiving a prophet's reward, and a just man's reward, and by receiving a prophet and a just man in the name of a prophet and of a just man? also what is meant by the reward which he shall receive who shall give to drink unto one of the little ones a drink of cold [water] only, in the name of a disciple? Without the internal spiritual sense, who can see that these words mean that every one will receive heaven and the joy thereof according to his affection for truth and good, and according to obedience?

[9] That this is the meaning becomes evident, when it is seen that prophet means the truth of doctrine, just man, the good of love, and disciple, the truth and good of the Word and of the church, and that in their name means for the sake of these, and according to their quality in those who do and teach them; also that reward means heaven, as said above, namely, that heaven is with every one in the measure of his affection for truth and good, and according to its quantity and quality. For all things of heaven are inscribed on these affections, since no one can possess these affections except from the Lord, for it is the Divine proceeding from the Lord, in which and from which heaven is.

[10] To give to drink a drink of cold [water] only unto one of the little ones, in the name of a disciple, means to do good and teach truth from obedience, for water signifies truth in affection, and cold water, truth in obedience, for obedience alone is a natural and not a spiritual affection, and is therefore comparatively cold; and a disciple in whose name or for whose sake it is given to drink, signifies the truth and good of the Word and of the church. That a prophet signifies the truth of doctrine, may be seen above (n. 624); that a just man signifies the good of love (n. 204); that a disciple signifies the truth and good of the Word and of the church (n. 100, 122); and that name signifies the quality of a thing and state (n. 102, 135, 148, 676).

[11] In Mark:

"Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye are Christ's, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward" (9:41).

These words also mean that those shall receive the delight of heaven who from affection hear, receive, and teach the truth, because truth and the affection for it are from the Lord, thus for the Lord's sake and consequently also for the truth's sake, since because ye are Christ's signifies for the sake of Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord. That Christ is the Lord as to Divine Truth, and thus Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, may be seen above (n. 684, 685).

[12] In Zechariah:

"The foundation of the house of Jehovah Zebaoth was laid, that the temple might be built; for before these days there was no reward of man, or reward of beast, and to him that went out and to him that came in no peace from the enemy. Now the seed of peace; the vine shall give fruit, and the earth shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew" (8:9, 10, 12).

These things are spoken of a new church to be established by the Lord at the devastation of the old. The new church which shall be established is signified by the house of Jehovah Zebaoth whose foundation was laid, and by the temple which shall be built; the house of Jehovah signifies the church as to good, and the temple, the church as to truth, as may be seen above (n. 220). Before these days there was no reward of man, or reward of beast, signifies that before this no one had any spiritual affection for truth and good, or any natural affection for truth and good, man signifying spiritual affection for truth, beast, natural affection for good, and reward heaven, which those possess who are in affections for truth and good. That man signifies spiritual affection for truth, and consequent intelligence, may be seen above (n. 280, 546, 547); and that beast signifies natural affection (n. 650).

[13] To him that went out and to him that came in, no peace from the enemy, signifies that heretofore they had been infested by hell in every state of life, going out and coming in signifying the state of life from beginning to end, no peace, infestation by evils and falsities therefrom, while enemy signifies hell, the source of evils and falsities. The seed of peace signifies the truth of heaven and of the church, which is from the Lord; this is called the seed of peace, because it defends against the hells, and gives security. The vine shall give its fruit, and the earth its produce, signifies that spiritual affection for truth shall bring forth the good of charity, and natural affection for good and truth shall, bring forth the works of charity, the vine signifying the church as to the spiritual affection for truth, the earth, the church as to the natural affection for truth, fruit, the good of charity, and produce, the works of that good. The heavens shall give dew signifies that these things are from influx through heaven from the Lord.

[14] In John:

"Lift up your eyes, and behold the fields that they are white already for harvest, and he that reapeth receiveth reward and gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together" (4:35, 36).

These things also are said of a new church from the Lord. That it is at hand is signified by the fields being white already for harvest; those of that church who are in the spiritual affection for truth, and thus in heaven, are meant by, he that reapeth receiveth reward, and gathereth fruit unto eternal life; and the Lord Himself, from whom the affection for truth, and heaven are derived, is meant by he that soweth may rejoice together [with him that reapeth.]

[15] In Jeremiah:

"Rachel mourning for her sons, refused to be comforted for her sons, because they were not. But refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears, for there is reward for thy labour; for they shall return from the land of the enemy, and there is hope for thy latter end, for thy sons shall return to their own border" (31:15-17; Matthew 2:18).

That these words refer to the infant boys that were put to death in Bethlehem by command of Herod is evident from the passage cited in Matthew, but what this signified has not yet been known; the signification is this, that when the Lord came into the world, there was no spiritual truth remaining. For Rachel represented the internal spiritual church, and Leah, the external natural church, Bethlehem the Spiritual, and the boys who were put to death, truth from that source. That there was no spiritual truth any longer remaining is signified by Rachel mourning for her sons, and refusing to be comforted for her sons, because, they were not.

[16] That henceforth there will be no grief on that account, because the Lord has been born, from whom there will be a new church, which will be in truths from spiritual affection, is signified by, refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears, for there is reward for thy labour, His reward signifying heaven with those who will be of that church from a spiritual affection for truth, and labour signifying the Lord's combat against the hells, and the subjugation of them, in order that a new church might be established. That a new church will be established in the place of the one that perished, is signified by they shall return from the land of the enemy, and there is hope for thy latter end, also by, thy sons shall return to their own border; to return from the land of the enemy signifies to be brought out of hell, hope for thy latter end, signifies the end of the former church and the beginning of the new, while the sons returning to the border signifies that spiritual truths will exist with those who will be of that new church.

[17] Again in Isaiah:

"I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength in emptiness and vanity; yet surely my judgment is with Jehovah and the reward of my work with my God" (49:4).

This also is said of a new church to be established by the Lord. That it could not be established with the Jewish nation, because truths could not be received by that nation from any spiritual affection, is meant by, I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength in emptiness and vanity. That still a spiritual church is being provided by the Lord, namely, among the nations, is signified by, my judgment is with Jehovah, and the reward of my work is with my God; reward here signifies the church which is in the spiritual affection for truth; labour and work signify the combat of the Lord against the hells, and their subjugation by means of which He restored the equilibrium between heaven and hell, in which man is able to receive truth, and become spiritual. Concerning this equilibrium see Heaven and Hell 589-603), and the Last Judgment 33, 34, 73, 74).

[18] In David:

"Lo, sons are a heritage of Jehovah, a reward the fruit of the womb; as darts in the hand of the mighty, so are sons of youth; happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they shall speak with enemies in the gate" (Psalm 127:3-5).

What sons, the fruit of the womb, darts, the quiver, and enemies in the gate signify, may be seen above (n. 357:10), where it is also shown that reward signifies the happiness which those enjoy who are in heaven.

[19] In the Evangelists:

"Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say every evil word against you falsely," for Christ's sake; "rejoice and be exceeding glad, for your reward is great in the heavens; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11, 12; Luke 6:22, 23).

This is said of those who fight and conquer in temptations induced by evils, thus by hell; temptations are signified by reproaching, persecuting, and saying an evil word falsely for Christ's sake, for temptations are assaults upon and infestations of truth and good by falsities and evils. "Christ" means Divine Truth from the Lord, which is assaulted, and on account of which they are infested. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, because great is your reward in the heavens, signifies heaven and its joy with those who are in the spiritual affection for truth, for such alone fight and conquer, because the Lord is in that affection, and resists and conquers for man in the combats of temptations. For so persecuted they the prophets who were before you, signifies that formerly they similarly assaulted the truths of doctrine with those who were in the spiritual affection for truth, for prophets, in an impersonal sense, signify truths from the Word, or from the Lord.

From what has been now cited from the Word, it is evident that reward signifies heaven in respect to its happiness, blessedness, and delight, which those have who are in the spiritual affection for truth and good, and that the reward is that affection itself; for whether you say that affection, or heaven, it amounts to the same thing, since heaven is in and from that affection.

[20] But those who speak truth and do good, not from a spiritual but only from a natural affection, and who continually think of heaven as a reward, were represented in the Israelitish church by hirelings, concerning whom there were many statutes in that church. As that the hirelings should not eat of the passover (Exodus 12:43, 45); that they should not eat of the holy things (Leviticus 22:10), that the wages of a hireling should not abide with any one all night until the morning (Leviticus 19:13); they should not oppress a "hireling that is poor and needy, of thy brethren, or of the stranger who is in thy land, and in thy gates; in his day thou shalt give him his hire, so that the sun may not go down upon it, lest he cry against thee unto Jehovah and it be in thee a sin" (24:14, 15).

In Malachi:

I will "be against the oppressors of the hireling in his wages, of the widow and of the fatherless, and against them that turn aside the stranger and fear not me" (3:5); and elsewhere.

Hirelings were not to eat of the passover, or of things sanctified, because they represented those who are natural and not spiritual, and the spiritual are of the church, but not the natural. For to look to heaven as a reward for the goods which they do, is natural, since the Natural considers good to be from itself, and thus heaven to be the reward thereof, and this makes good meritorious. But it is otherwise with the Spiritual, which acknowledges that good is not from itself, but from the Lord, and thus that heaven is from mercy, and not from any merit. But because [those signified by hirelings] nevertheless do good, although not from a spiritual but a natural affection, which is obedience, and at the same time think of heaven as a reward, therefore they are mentioned among the needy, the poor, the strangers, the fatherless, and the widows, because they are in a state of spiritual poverty. For genuine truths are to them obscure, because light from heaven does not flow in through the spiritual man into their natural; this is why they are classed among those mentioned above, and why it was commanded that their reward should be given them before the going down of the sun. Such persons are also in the lowest parts of the heavens, where they are in a state of servitude, and are there rewarded according to their works. But more may be seen upon these things in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 150-158).

[21] But hirelings who do not think of reward in heaven, but of reward in the world, that is who do good for the sake of gain, whether it be honours or wealth, consequently from the love of honours or wealth, that is for the sake of self and of the world, are infernal-natural. These hirelings are meant in John:

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd layeth down his soul for the sheep, but the hireling seeth the wolf and forsaketh the sheep, and fleeth, because he is a hireling" (10:11-13),

and in Jeremiah:

"Egypt is a very beautiful heifer; destruction cometh from the north, her hirelings are like fatted calves, for they also have turned themselves back, they flee together, they stood not, because the day of their destruction is come upon them" (46:20, 21);

and also elsewhere, as in Isaiah (16:14; 21:16).

[22] As reward, in the Word, signifies heaven, which those have who are in the spiritual love of truth and good, so reward, in the opposite sense, signifies hell, which those have who are in the love of falsity and evil; this is the signification of reward in David:

"He shall put on cursing as his garment, and it hath entered into the midst of him as waters, and as oil between his bones; this is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, and of them that speak evil against my soul" (Psalm 109:18, 20).

These words, in the spiritual sense, are to be understood of the Lord; for where David speaks of himself in the Psalms, in that sense the Lord is meant, David as a king representing the Lord, and thus signifying Him as to the spiritual Divine, which is the royalty of the Lord. The reward of the Lord's adversaries and of them that speak evil against His soul, is described as hell from the love of falsity and evil, as follows, "he shall put on cursing as his garment, and it hath entered into the midst of him as waters, and as oil between his bones." Hell which is received in externals and in internals is described by those two expressions, cursing put on as a garment describing the hell that is received in externals, and cursing entering into the midst of him as waters, and as oil between his bones describing the hell that is received in internals. It is said as waters and as oil, because waters signify falsities from faith, and oil, evils from love, therefore the two expressions mean the love or affection for falsity and evil, which is hell, as is evident also from this fact, that love imbibes everything which agrees with it, just as a sponge imbibes water and oil; for the love of evil is nourished upon falsities, and the love of falsity is nourished upon evils; and love being such, it is therefore said that cursing enters into the midst of him as waters, and as oil between his bones.

[23] Because reward, in the opposite sense, signifies hell as to the affection for falsity from evil, therefore the falsification of truth is everywhere in the Word called the reward of whoredom.

As in Hosea:

"Rejoice not, O Israel, to exultation as the nations, because thou hast committed whoredom under God; thou hast loved the reward of whoredom upon every corn-floor; the floor and the press shall not feed them [and the new wine (mustum) shall deceive her]" (9:1, 2).

To commit whoredom under God signifies to falsify the truths of the Word, and to apply the holy things of the church to idolatries. To love the reward of whoredom, signifies delight in falsifying and in falsity, and also in idolatry, from infernal love. Upon every corn-floor, signifies all things of the Word and of doctrine from the Word, for corn, from which bread is made, signifies every thing that spiritually nourishes, while the floor signifies where it is collected together, consequently the Word. The floor and the press shall not feed them, signifies not to draw from the Word the good things of charity and of love, that is, those things which nourish the soul, for the floor there denotes the Word as to the goods of charity, and the press, as to the goods of love, the press here meaning oil, for which there were presses as well as for wine. And the new wine shall deceive her, signifies that neither shall there be any truth of good, for new wine (mustum), just as wine (vinum), signifies truth from the good of charity and love.

[24] In Micah:

"All the graven images" of Samaria "shall be beaten to pieces, and all the rewards of her whoredom shall be burned in the fire, and I will lay waste all their idols, for she hath gathered them from the reward of whoredom, therefore to the reward of whoredom shall they return; therefore I will lament and howl, I will go stripped and naked" (1:7, 8).

Samaria means the spiritual church as to the truths of doctrine, here, as to falsities of doctrine; for by their graven images are signified things falsified, which are from [their] own intelligence; the rewards of her whoredom which shall be burned in the fire signify falsifications of truth from the love of falsity from evil, and thence from infernal delight; and as that love is from hell, it is said, that they shall be burned in the fire, fire signifying love in both senses. And I will lay waste all their idols, signifies that falsities must be destroyed; for from the reward of whoredom she gathered them signifies from the love of falsity which is from evil, and from consequent infernal delight; therefore to the reward of whoredom shall they return, signifies that all things of that church will be truths falsified, because such is their source. Therefore I will lament and howl signifies the grief of the angels of heaven and of the men of the church in whom the church is, and thus with whom the Lord is. I will go stripped and naked signifies mourning on account of the vastation of all truth and good. That graven images and idols signify doctrinals from one's own intelligence favouring the loves of self and of the world, and the principles derived therefrom, consequently the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, may be seen above (n. 587, 654).

[25] In Ezekiel:

"Thou hast built thy height at the head of every way, and thy lofty place in every street; neither hast thou been as a harlot to glory in reward; the adulterous woman received strangers instead of her husband; they give reward to all harlots, but thou hast given thy rewards to all thy lovers, and hast bribed them, that they might come unto thee from all sides in thy whoredoms. Thus it was contrary in thee from women in thy whoredoms, that they went not after thee to commit whoredom in giving a reward, and no reward was given thee, therefore thou hast been contrary" (Ezekiel 16:31-44).

This chapter treats of the abominations of Jerusalem, that is, of those things of the Jewish church that are to be abhorred, because they not only perverted and adulterated the goods of the Word, but also adopted falsities of religion and of worship from idolatrous nations, and by that means adulterated the truths and goods of the Word, and confirmed these adulterations. The signification of building a height at the head of every way, and making a lofty place in every street, may be seen above (n. 652:17). That adulteries and whoredoms, in the Word signify adulterations and falsifications of the truth and good of the church, may be seen above (n. 141, 511). Not to have been as a harlot to glory in reward signifies not to have so falsified the truths of the Word from a delight of affection; the adulterous woman received strangers instead of her husband signifies the perversion of the truths and goods of the Word by the falsities of other nations. They give reward to all harlots, but thou hast given thy rewards to all thy lovers, and hast bribed them, signifies that they loved the falsities of religion and of worship of other nations, a reward or gift of whoredom denotes the love of falsifying by means of the falsities of others; that they might come to thee from all sides in thy whoredoms signifies that falsities were searched for in every direction, by means of which they falsified truth. Thus it was contrary in thee from women in their whoredoms, that they went not after thee to commit whoredom in giving a reward, and no reward was given thee, therefore thou hast been contrary, signifies the delight of the love and affection for falsifying the truths of their church by means of the falsities of other religions, and of confirming those falsifications; the delight of love and affection towards the falsities of other religions is here meant by reward or a gift of whoredom.

[26] From what has now been adduced, it is evident what is spiritually meant by reward in both senses; for that which affects with delight and joy is spiritual reward. For example there are riches, possessions, honours, and gifts, with which a man is rewarded for well-doing; these things are not reward spiritually understood, but the delights and joys which proceed from them. Much more is this the case with the heavenly reward, that the man of the church who lives well will receive, which is the spiritual affection for truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, which is the source of blessedness and happiness. Moreover, in heaven there are opulence and magnificence which proceed from heavenly love, as its correspondent; yet in heaven opulence and magnificence are not regarded as reward, but the Spiritual from which they are. This also is meant by the price of a work, and by the reward, which is in the Lord and from the Lord (Isaiah 40:10; 61:8; 62:11; Luke 6:35; 14:12-14; and elsewhere).