Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
— SUMMARIES —
1. There have been four Churches on this earth since the time of the creation: a First, which is to be called the Adamic; a Second, the Noachian; a Third, the Israelitish; and a Fourth, the Christian.2. There have been four Periods, or successive States, of each Church, which in the Word are meant by "morning," "day," "evening," and "night."
3. In each Church the four changes of states have been consecutive; the first of which has been the Appearing of the Lord Jehovih and Redemption, and then was its Morning, or Rise; the second has been its Instruction, and then was Mid-day, or Progression; the third has been its Decline, and then was its Evening, or Vastation; the fourth has been its End, and then was its Night, or Consummation. After its End, or Consummation, the Lord Jehovih appears and executes a judgment on the men of the former Church, and separates the good from the evil, and raises the good to Himself Into heaven, and removes the evil from Himself into hell. After these things, of the good raised to Himself He forms a new heaven, and of the evil removed from Himself, a new hell; and in both He establishes order, so that they may remain under His control and under obedience to Him to eternity; and then through the new heaven He successively inaugurates and establishes a New Church on earth. From this new heaven, the Lord Jehovih derives and produces a New Church on earth; which takes place by means of a Revelation from His mouth or from His Word, and by inspiration.
4. These periodical changes of state which occurred in succession in the first, or Most Ancient Church, which was the Adamic, are described by Moses in the first chapters of Genesis; but by celestial representatives, and by other things, belonging to the world, to which spiritual things correspond.
5. The periodical changes of state which occurred in succession in the second, or Ancient Church, which was the Noachian, are also described in Genesis, and here and there in the four remaining books of Moses
6. The periodical changes of state which occurred in succession in the third Church, which was the Israelitish, are also described in Moses, and afterwards in Joshua, in the Books of the Judges, of Samuel, and of the Kings, and likewise in the Prophets.
7. The periodical changes which occurred in succession in the fourth Church, which is the Christian, are described in the Word of both Testaments; its Rise, or Morning, in particular, in the Evangelists, and in the Acts and writings of the Apostles; its Progression towards Noon-day, in the ecclesiastical history of the first three centuries; its Decline, or Evening, by the history of the centuries immediately following; and its Vastation even to Consummation, which is its Night, in the Apocalypse.
8. After those four Churches, a New one is to arise which will be TRULY CHRISTIAN, foretold in Daniel and in the Apocalypse, and by the Lord Himself in the Evangelists, and looked for by the Apostles.
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9. The Church successively declines from the truths of faith and the goods of charity, and it declines in the same proportion also from the spiritual understanding and genuine sense of the Word.10. Consequently, the Church departs in the same proportion from the Lord, and removes Him from itself.
11. In proportion as this is effected, it tends towards its end.
12. It is the end of the Church, when there remains no longer any truth of faith or genuine good of charity.
13. The Church is then in falsities and the evils therefrom, and in evils and the falsities therefrom.
14. Hence, from the deceased out of the world hell increases, so that it raises itself up towards heaven, and interposes itself between heaven and the Church, like a black cloud between the sun and the earth.
15. This interposition prevents the access of any truth of faith, and thence any genuine good of charity, to the men of the Church; but, instead of them, falsified truth, which in itself is falsity, and adulterated good, which in itself is not good.
16. Then naturalism and atheism take possession together.
17. This state of the Church is meant and described in the Word, by "Vastation," "Desolation" and "Consummation."
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18. While Vastation lasts, and before Consummation supervenes, the Lord's Advent is announced, also Redemption by the Lord, and after this there is a New Church.19. While the Israelitish Church still endured, these three were announced in many passages of the Word in the Prophets.
20. The Coming of the Lord.
21. Redemption.
22. A New Church. Almost everywhere in the prophetic Word, Vastation and Consummation, also the Last Judgment, the Lord's Coming, a New Church, and Redemption, are treated of.
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23. As regards Redemption in particular, through which alone Salvation takes place, it was accomplished by Jehovah God incarnate, who is our Lord Jesus Christ.24. The first part of Redemption was a total subjugation of the hells.
25. The second part of Redemption was the separation of the evil from the good, and the casting down of the evil into hell and the raising of the good into heaven.
26. And, lastly, there is the arrangement in order of all in hell, and the arrangement in order of all in heaven.
27. And then, at the same time, Instruction concerning the truths which are to be of faith, and the goods which are to be of charity.
28. And thus the Establishment of a New Church.
29. The final and efficient Cause of Redemption was the Regeneration of man, and thereby salvation.
30. The Lord, because He is the only Redeemer, is therefore the only Regenerator, and thus the only Saviour.
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31. By His first Advent, and the Redemption then wrought, the Lord was not able to form a new heaven of Christians, and from that a New Church, because there were as yet no Christians, but they came into existence gradually through the preachings and writings of the Apostles.32. Neither was He able afterwards, since from the beginning so many heresies broke forth that scarcely any doctrine of faith appeared in its own light.
33. And at length the Apostolic Doctrine was increasingly torn, rent asunder, and adulterated by abominable heresies.
34. This is meant by "the abomination of desolation," and by "the affliction such as was not, either will be," and by "the darkening of the sun, moon, and stars," in the Evangelists, in Daniel, and also in the Prophets; likewise by "the Dragon" and many other things, in the Apocalypse.
35. Because the Lord foresaw these things, therefore of necessity if man were to be saved, He promised that He would come again into the world and accomplish a Redemption, and would thus institute a New Church, which would be truly Christian.
36. The Lord Himself foretold His Second Coming, and the Apostles frequently prophesied respecting it, and John openly so in the Apocalypse;
37. In like manner respecting the New Church which is meant by the "New Jerusalem" in the Apocalypse.
38. This Second Redemption was effected in the same way as the first (of which above, from n. 23 to 30),
39. And also for the sake of the Regeneration, and hence the Salvation, of the men of the Church, as its final and efficient cause.
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40. The falsities which have hitherto desolated, and have at length consummated, the Christian Church, were chiefly the following:41. They receded from the worship of the Lord, preached by the Apostles, and from faith in Him. They separated the Divine Trinity from the Lord, and transferred it to three Divine Persons from eternity, consequently to three Gods.
42. They divided saving faith among these three Persons.
43. They separated charity and good works from that faith, as not at the same time saving.
44. They deduced justification-that is, remission of sins, regeneration, and salvation-from that faith alone, independently of man's co-operation.
45. They denied to man free-determination in spiritual things, thus asserting that God alone operates in man, and that man on his part does nothing.
46. From this necessarily flowed forth Predestination, by which religion is abolished.
47. They decreed that the Passion of the Cross is Redemption.
48. From these heresies, falsities burst forth in such abundance that there does not remain a single genuine truth which is not falsified, nor, consequently, a single genuine good which is not adulterated.
49. The Church knows absolutely nothing about this, its Desolation and Consummation, nor can it know, until the Divine Truths announced by the Lord in the work entitled THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, are seen in light and acknowledged. The Word is thus obscured and darkened, so that not a single truth any longer appears in it.
50. For many reasons this New Christian Church is not being established through any miracles, as the former was.
51. But, instead of them, the spiritual sense of the Word is revealed, and the spiritual world disclosed, and the nature of both heaven and hell manifested; also, that man lives as a man after death; which things surpass all miracles.
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52. This NEW TRULY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, which is at this day being established by the Lord, will endure to eternity, as is proved from the Word of both Testaments; also it was foreseen from the creation of the world; and it will be the Crown of the four preceding Churches, because it will have TRUE FAITH and TRUE CHARITY.53. In this New Church there will be spiritual peace, which is "glory," and internal blessedness of life, as is also proved from the Word of both Testaments.
54. These things will exist in this New Church, by reason of its conjunction with the Lord, and through Him with God the Father.
55. An invitation addressed to this Church and to the whole Christian world; and an exhortation to worthily receive the Lord, who has Himself foretold that He would come into the world for the sake of this Church and to it.
LASTLY, ABOUT MIRACLES —
1. Miracles were performed in the Church before the Lord's Advent, because, at that time, men were external, or natural, and could not be led to their representative worship except by miracles. The Miracles performed in Egypt, in the wilderness, in the land of Canaan, and even to the present time, are to be enumerated. And that, yet, they never influence men.
2. After the Lord's Advent, when man from external became internal, and when the capacity of being able to know was imparted to man, miracles were withheld. Also, if that capacity were impeded, man would become more external than before.
3. Miracles would abolish worship truly Divine, and introduce the former idolatrous worship; as also has taken lace for very many centuries back. Nevertheless, the latter have not been Divine miracles, but such as were wrought by the magicians of old.
4. At this day, in place of miracles, there has taken place a manifestation of the Lord Himself, an intromission into the spiritual world, and enlightenment there, by immediate light from the Lord, in such things as are the interior things of the Church. But, above all, the opening of the spiritual sense in the Word, in which the Lord is in His own Divine light.
5. These Revelations are not miracles; since every man is in the spiritual world as to his spirit, without any separation from his body in the natural world - I, however, with a certain separation, though only as to the intellectual part of my mind, but not as to the voluntary; - and as regards the spiritual sense, the Lord through it is with all who approach Him in faith in the above light; also, through that sense He is in man's natural light.
(Summary from Appendix to True Christian Religion
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I was seeing in the night vision; and behold there was coming with the clouds of the heavens, one like unto the Son of man. And unto Him was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; and all people, nations, and tongues shall worship Him. His dominion is the dominion of an age which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not perish. Daniel 7:13, 14
I John saw a new heaven and a new earth. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, descending from God out of Heaven made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And an angel spake with me, saying, Come, I will show thee the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit upon a mountain great and high, and showed me a great city, the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. He who sitteth upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:1, 2, 5, 9, 10What this church is to be is fully described in the Apocalypse, where the end of the former church and the beginning of the new are treated of. This New Church is described by the New Jerusalem, by its magnificence, and by its being the future bride and wife of the Lamb
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife Revelation 19:7; 21:2, 9.Besides these I will cite only the following quotation from the Apocalypse: When the New Jerusalem was seen descending from heaven it was said:
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His peoples, Himself shall be with them, their God.
And the nations that are saved shall walk in the light of it; and there shall be no night there.
I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning Star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let them come. And he that wisheth, let him take the water of life freely.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen. Revelation 21:3, 24-25; 22:16-17, 20.NOTE: After this work — THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION Containing THE UNIVERSAL THEOLOGY Of THE NEW CHURCH FORETOLD BY THE LORD IN DANIEL 7:13, 14; AND IN REVELATION 21:1, 2 — was finished the Lord called together His twelve disciples who followed Him in the world; and the next day He sent them all forth throughout the whole spiritual world to preach the Gospel that THE LORD GOD JESUS CHRIST reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ages and ages, according to the prediction in Daniel (7:13, 14), and in Revelation -
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (11:15)
Also that blessed are those that come to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9).This took place on the nineteenth day of June, 1770. This is what is meant by these words of the Lord:
He shall send His angels and they shall gather together His elect, from the end of the heavens to the end thereof (Matt. 24:31).
(True Christian Religion 790, 791)