4
Jiems dar neatsigulus, visi Sodomos miesto vyrai, jauni ir seni, iš visų miesto dalių apsupo namus.
Genesis 19:4
Arcana Coelestia #2335
2335. 'For we will spend the night in the street' means that He was willing, so to speak, to judge from truth. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'the street' and from the meaning of 'spending the night'. 'Street' is mentioned in various places in the Word, and in the internal sense has a similar meaning to 'a way', namely, truth; for a street is a way within a city, as will be clear from the places quoted in the next paragraph. That here 'spending the night' is judging may become clear from the meaning of 'the night'. It has been shown above in 2323 that 'the evening' means the penultimate state of the Church when faith is starting to be no more. It also means the visitation which takes place prior to judgement. From this it is evident that night which follows is the last state when faith is no more, and also when judgement takes place. From this it is plain that in the internal sense 'spending the night in the street' means judging from truth.
[2] As for judgement it is twofold, that is to say, there is judgement from good and judgement from truth. People who have faith are judged from good, but those who do not have it are judged from truth. The fact that those who have faith are judged from good is quite clear in Matthew 25:34-40, while those who do not have it are judged from truth, in verses 41-46. Those judged from good are saved since they have accepted good, but those judged from truth are condemned because they have rejected good. Good is the Lord's, and those who acknowledge this in life and faith are the Lord's, and are therefore saved; but those who do not acknowledge it in life, nor consequently in faith, cannot be the Lord's nor thus be saved. They are judged therefore according to the actions done in their life and according to their thoughts and ends in view. And when judged according to these they are inevitably condemned, for the truth is that of himself man can do, think, and intend nothing but evil, and of himself rushes towards hell insofar as he is not held back from that place by the Lord.
[3] The situation with regard to judgement from truth is this: The Lord never judges anyone except from good, for His will is to lift all men, however many these may be, up to heaven, indeed if it were possible, up to Himself. For the Lord is mercy itself and good itself, and mercy itself and good itself cannot possibly condemn anyone. It is man who, in rejecting good, condemns himself. As a person has fled habitually from good during his lifetime, so in the next life he flees from it, and therefore from heaven and the Lord. For the Lord cannot be present except within good. He is present in truth as well, but not in truth separated from good. That the Lord does not condemn anyone, that is, does not judge them to hell, He Himself declares in John,
God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world but that the world might be saved through Him. This is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, but men preferred darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:17, 19.
And in the same gospel,
If anyone hears My words, yet does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. John 12:47.
[4] See in addition what has been said already on these matters in 223, 245, 592, 696, 1093, 1683, 1874, 2258. When judgement was dealt with above in 2320, 2321, it was shown that all judgement belongs to the Lord's Divine Human and His Holy proceeding, according to the Lord's words in John,
The Father does not judge anyone, but has given all judgement to the Son. John 5:22.
Now however it is said that the Lord does not judge anyone by condemning him. This shows the nature of the Word in the letter - that unless understood from a sense other than the letter, namely from the internal sense, it would be unintelligible. The internal sense alone shows what is really involved in judgement.
John 3
1
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
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The same came to him by night, and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him."
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Jesus answered him, "Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can't see the Kingdom of God."
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Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"
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Jesus answered, "Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can't enter into the Kingdom of God!
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That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.
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Don't marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.'
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The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don't know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9
Nicodemus answered him, "How can these things be?"
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Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and don't understand these things?
11
Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don't receive our witness.
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If I told you earthly things and you don't believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
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No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
14
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15
that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
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For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
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For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
18
He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn't believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
19
This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.
20
For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn't come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.
21
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God."
22
After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them, and baptized.
23
John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came, and were baptized.
24
For John was not yet thrown into prison.
25
There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John's disciples with some Jews about purification.
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They came to John, and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, the same baptizes, and everyone is coming to him."
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John answered, "A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.
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You yourselves testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before him.'
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He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. This, my joy, therefore is made full.
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He must increase, but I must decrease.
31
He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the Earth belongs to the Earth, and speaks of the Earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
32
What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness.
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He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true.
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For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure.
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The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.
36
One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won't see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."
