Selection from The New Evangelic & Apostolic Word ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
The understanding of the Word, or what is the same, the understanding of the truth, is destroyed when there is no good with man, that is, when there is no love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor — for good with man, or what is the same, love with him, is the fire of his life, and truth with him, or the faith of truth, is the light therefrom. Consequently, such as the good is, or such as the love is in man, such is truth, or such the faith of truth in him.From this it can be seen that when evil or an evil love is with man, there can be no truth or faith of truth with him — for the light that goes forth from such fire is the light that those have who are in hell, which is a fatuous light like the light from burning coals, which light, when light from heaven flows in, is turned into mere thick darkness. Such also is the light that with the evil, when they reason against the things of the church, is called natural light [lumen].
That they would falsify and thereby extinguish truths is meant also by the Lord's words in Matthew:
Jesus said to the disciples, The brother shall deliver up the brother, the father the son; children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death (Matt. 10:21).And in Luke:
Ye shall be delivered up by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death (Luke 21:16)."Parents," "brethren," "children," ["kinsfolk,"] and "friends," do not mean here parents, brethren, children, kinsfolk, friends, nor do "disciples" mean disciples, but the goods and truths of the church, also evils and falsities; it is also meant that evils would extinguish goods and falsities truths.
(from Apocalypse Explained 366)
He who does not know that by "brethren," "companions," "neighbors," and many other names of relationship are signified the goods and truths of the church and of heaven, and their opposites, which are evils and falsities, cannot know what is involved in many other passages in the Word where these names occur, as in the following:Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth; I am not come to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes shall be those of his own household. Whosoever loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whosoever loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whosoever doth not take up his cross and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me (Matt. 10:34-38);spiritual combats are here treated of, which are temptations to be undergone by those who are to be regenerated, thus the contentions arising in man between the evils and falsities which are with him from hell, and the goods and truths which are with him from the Lord. Because these combats are here described, it is said, "whosoever doth not take up his cross, and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me;" by the "cross" being meant the state of man when in temptations. He who does not know that such things are signified by "man" and "father," by "daughter" and "mother," by "daughter-in-law" and "mother- in-law," must believe that the Lord came into the world in order to take away peace in homes and families, and introduce dissension; and yet He came to give peace and to take away dissensions, according to His own words in John 14:27: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid and elsewhere.
That the dissension of the internal and the external man is described in this passage, is evident from the signification in the internal sense of "man" and "father," of "daughter" and "mother," and of "daughter-in-law" and "mother-in-law," in which sense - "man" [homo] denotes the good which is from the Lord; "father" denotes the evil which is from man's own; "daughter" denotes the affection of good and truth; "mother" denotes the affection of evil and falsity; "daughter-in-law" denotes the truth of the church adjoined to its good; and "mother-in-law" denotes falsity adjoined to its evil. And because the combat between goods and evils, and between falsities and truths, with man is described, it is also said that "a man's foes shall be those of his own household," for by "those of his own household" is signified the things that appertain to man, thus which are his own; and "foes" in a spiritual sense denote the evils and falsities which assault goods and truths. That such things are signified by "man," "father," "daughter," "mother," "daughter-in-law," and "mother-in-law," has been shown throughout in these explications.
In like manner is it with these words:
The brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall give them to death (Matt. 10:21).
If any man cometh unto Me, and hateth not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own soul also, he cannot be My disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26, 27, 33).Who does not see that these words are to be understood otherwise than according to the letter, at least from the fact of its being said without restriction that father, mother, wife, children, brethren, sisters, are to be hated, in order that it may be possible for a person to be a disciple of the Lord? And yet it is according to the Lord's commandments that no one is to be hated, not even an enemy. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (Matt. 5:43, 44).
It is evident that things belonging to man, which are evils and falsities in their order, are meant by these names, for it is also said that he must hate his own soul, and that he must renounce all that he hath, that is, the things that belong to him. A state of temptation, that is, of spiritual combat, is also here described, for it is said, "whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple." To be a disciple of the Lord is to be led by Him and not by self, thus by the goods and truths which are from the Lord, and not by the evils and falsities which are from man.
In like manner is the Word to be understood elsewhere, where these names are mentioned, as in these passages:
They do not attend unto My words; and as for My law, they reject it. Therefore thus said Jehovah, Behold I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people; so that the fathers and the sons together shall stumble against them, the neighbor and his companion, and they shall perish (Jer. 6:19, 21).
I will scatter them, a man with his brother, even the fathers and the sons together; I will not pity, nor spare, nor have compassion, that I should not destroy them (Jer. 13:14).
Jehovah hath multiplied those who stumble; yea, they fell a man upon his companion (Jer. 46:16).
I will commingle Egypt with Egypt; and they shall fight a man against his brother, and a man against his companion (Isa. 19:2).In these passages also similar things are meant by "fathers," "sons," "brothers," and "companions."
(from Arcana Coelestia 10490)