Selection from Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
THE SANCTUARY OF DIVINE TRUTH IN ITS HOLINESS
It appears as if the Divine truths in the heavens, which are called spiritual and celestial, are more holy than the Divine truths in the literal sense of the Word, which are natural. But the Divine truths in the heavens, which are called spiritual and celestial, are comparatively like the lungs and heart in man, which, unless they were encompassed by ribs, and contained by the pleura and diaphragm, would not form the breast; for without these integuments - in fact, unless they were connected with them by bonds - they could not perform their vital functions. The spiritual things of the Word are like the breath of the lungs; its celestial things like the systole and diastole of the heart, and its natural things like the pleura, the diaphragm, and the ribs, with the moving fibres annexed, by means of which the motions are reciprocated.
Moreover, the spiritual and celestial things of the Word are comparatively like the holy things of the tabernacle, these being the table, upon which was the shew bread; the golden altar, upon which was the incense; the perfumes and censer; also the lampstand with the lamps; and still more interiorly the cherubim, the mercy-seat, and the ark. All these were the holy things of the Jewish and Israelitish church; but still they could not be called holy and the sanctuary until they were covered over by curtains and veils. For without those coverings they would have stood under the naked sky, exposed to showers and storms, to the birds of heaven and the wild beasts of the earth, and also to robbers' by which they would be violated, plundered, and dispersed. So would it be with the Divine truths in the heavens, called spiritual and celestial, unless they were enclosed by natural truths, such as are the truths of the literal sense of the Word.
Natural truths, which are the truths of the literal sense of the Word, are not the real truths of heaven, but they are the appearances thereof; and appearances of truth encompass, enclose, and contain the truths of heaven, which are genuine truths; and cause them to be in connection and order, and to cohere, as do the cardiac and pulmonary organs with their integuments and ribs, as said above. And when they are in connection and in order, then first they are holy, and not before. The literal sense of our Word does this by the appearances of truth, of which its ultimate consists; this is why this sense is essentially holy and Divine, and a sanctuary.
But he who separates the appearances of truth from genuine truths, and calls the literal sense holy by and of itself, and not by these, and from these, and together with these, is much deceived. He who sees only the literal sense separates them, and does not examine its meaning, as is the case with those who do not read the Word from doctrine.
By the cherubim in the Word is meant guard and protection, lest the holy things of heaven should be violated, and lest the Lord should be approached except by love. And hence the literal sense of the Word is signified by them, for it guards and protects. It guards and protects in this way, in order that a man may think and speak according to the appearances of truth, while he is well-disposed, simple, and as it were a child; but he must beware lest he confirms the appearances to the destruction of genuine truth in the heavens.
Now because in the ultimate sense of the Word, which is called the literal sense, are all interior things, that is to say, the spiritual and celestial things that are in the Words of the three heavens together - for those things are there that are in the Word with the angels of the third heaven, in its inmost contents; and those that are in the Words of the angels of the lower heavens, in its mediate contents, and these are encompassed with and included in such things as exist in nature in our world - the literal sense of our Word is from the latter and the former. Hence it is evident that the Divine truth in the literal sense of our Word is in its fulness.
That is called full which contains in itself all prior things from the first, or all things higher from the highest, the ultimate being that which includes them. The fulness of the Word may be compared to a common marble vessel, wherein are innumerable smaller crystal vessels, and in these still more numerous made of precious stones, in which and around which are the most exquisite delicacies of heaven; these are for those who from the Word perform excellent uses. That the Word is of such a quality is not seen by a man while he is in the world, but it is seen when he becomes an angel.
Because the Word in ultimates is such, it follows that it is not fully the Word before it is in that ultimate, thus before it is in the literal sense. For if that were not the case the Word would be like a temple in the air and not on the earth; or like a man with flesh without bones. And whereas Divine truth in its ultimate is in its fulness, and also in its power, for while it is that it is also in all, therefore the Lord never operates except from primaries by means of ultimates, consequently in fulness. For He does not reform and regenerate a man except by means of truths in ultimates, which are natural. And it is from this that such as is a man's quality in the world, such he remains after his departure out of the world, to eternity. It is from this also that heaven and hell are from the human race, and that, angels were not immediately created; for a man in the world is in his fulness, therefore he can be conceived and born there, and afterwards be filled with knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, and become an angel. To create angels otherwise is not possible.
Because the Lord does all things from primaries by means of ultimates, and in ultimates He is in His power and in His fulness, therefore it pleased the Lord to take upon Him the Human, and to be made Divine truth, that is, the Word; and thus from Himself to bring into order all things in heaven, and all things in hell, that is, to execute a Last Judgment. This the Lord could accomplish from the Divine in Himself, which was in primaries, by His Human, which was in ultimates, and not from His presence or abode in the men of the church, as formerly; for these had entirely fallen away from the truths and goods of the Word, in which the Lord had His habitation with men previously. This was the primary cause of the Lord's Advent into the world; and also that He might make His Human Divine. For by this means He had the power of keeping all things in heaven and all things in hell in order for ever. This is meant by sitting at the right hand of God (Mark xvi. 19). The right hand of God is the Divine Omnipotence, and to sit at the right hand of God denotes the being in that by means of the Human.
That the Lord ascended into heaven with His Human glorified even to the ultimates, He Himself witnesses in Luke:
Jesus said unto his disciples, "See my hands and my feet, that I myself am, feel me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have." (24: 39).These things the Lord said just after His resurrection. Flesh and bones are the ultimates of the human body, on which the strength of it depends.
The absolute truth is, that no one can understand the Word without doctrine; for he may be led away into errors of every kind, to which he may incline from some love, or to which he may be drawn from some principle, by which his mind becomes vague and uncertain, so that at length it is, as it were, without truth. But he who reads the Word from doctrine sees all the things that confirm it, and also many things which are hidden from the eyes of others. Nor does he allow himself to be drawn into strange [doctrines]. Hence it is that his mind is made up so that he sees definitely.
The reason why the Word may be turned to confirm even heresies, unless it is read from doctrine, is, that its literal sense consists of pure correspondences, and these, for the most part, are appearances of truth, and in part, genuine truths, which can be neither seen nor distinguished unless doctrine be the lamp.
But doctrine cannot be procured except from the Word, and only by those who are enlightened by the Lord. Those who love truths because they are truths, and incorporate them in their life, are enlightened. Moreover, everything of doctrine must be confirmed by the literal sense of the Word, because therein Divine truth is in its fulness and in its power, and by this a man is in conjunction with the Lord, and associated with the angels.
In a word, he who loves truth because it is truth may, as it were, interrogate the Lord in doubtful matters of faith, and receive answers from Him, but nowhere else than in the Word, because the Lord is the Word.
(from Apocalypse Explained 1087 -1089)