Illusionary Notion of Power and Dominion

Selection from Arcana Cœlestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.   Matthew 12:24-30

With evil and infernal spirits there reigns the love of self and of the world. Hence they think that they are the gods of the universe, and that they can do much. When they are vanquished, although they perceive that they can do nothing at all, there still remains the notion of power and dominion; and they think that they can contribute much to the Lord's power and dominion, and therefore in order that they may reign together with the good spirits, they offer them their services. But as the things by which they think that they can effect anything are nothing but evil and falsity; and in the Lord, or in celestial love, there is nothing but good and truth ... there was nothing of the kind in the Lord, or that the Lord had no power from evil and falsity.

Dominion from evil and falsity is altogether contrary to dominion from good and truth.

• Dominion from evil and falsity consists in desiring to make all slaves.
• Dominion from good and truth in desiring to make all free.
• Dominion from evil and falsity consists in destroying all
• Dominion from good and truth in saving all.

From which it is evident that dominion from evil and falsity is of the devil, and that dominion from good and truth is of the Lord. That the two kinds of dominion are altogether contrary to each other. None can serve two masters (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13).

(Arcana Cœlestia 1749)

Conjunction with the Lord

Selection from Arcana Cœlestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.   John 1:12, 13

The conjunction of the Human Essence with the Divine Essence was procured and effected by the Lord by continual combats of temptations and victories, and this from His own power.

He who apprehends the mode of the conjunction and union in any other way is much mistaken.

By this He became righteousness. The conjunction or union was effected with the Celestial of Love, that is, with Love itself, which, as before said, is Jehovah.

The conjunction of men with the Lord is also effected by temptations, and by the implanting of faith in love.

Unless faith is implanted in love, that is, unless a man by the things that are of faith receives the life of faith, that is, charity, there is no conjunction.

This alone is to follow Him, namely, to be conjoined with the Lord just as the Lord as to His Human Essence was conjoined with Jehovah. Hence also all such are called "sons of God," from the Lord who was the only Son of God, and hence they become images of Him.

(Arcana Cœlestia 1737)

The Strong Force of Love

Selection from Arcana Cœlestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

In the Ancient Church, Jehovah was called "God Most High" for the reason that "height" represented and therefore signified what is internal, and thus "the Most High" signified what is inmost. Hence the worship of the Ancient Church was upon high places, mountains, and hills. The inmost also has the same relation to the exterior and the outermost, as the highest bears to the lower and the lowest.

The Most High or the Inmost is the Celestial of Love, or Love, itself. Jehovah, or the Lord's internal man, was the very Celestial of Love, that is, Love itself, to which no other attributes are fitting than those of pure Love, thus of pure Mercy toward the whole human race which is such that it wills to save all and make them happy to eternity, and to bestow on them all that It has; thus -

out of pure mercy to draw all who are willing to follow to heaven, that is, to Itself, by the strong force of love.

This Love itself is Jehovah.

Of nothing can Am or Is be predicated except of Love.  From this Love - because in Love, or of Love itself - is the very Being [Esse] of all life, that is, Life itself.  And because Jehovah alone is Being of life, or Life itself, as He alone is Love, each and all things have thence their being and their life; nor can anyone be and live of himself except Jehovah alone, that is, the Lord alone; and as no one can be and live of himself except the Lord alone.  It is a fallacy of sense that men seem to themselves to live of themselves.

The angels plainly perceive that they do not live of themselves, but from the Lord, since they live in the very Being of the Lord's life, because in His love.  But yet to them above all others there is given the appearance as of living from themselves, together with ineffable happiness.  This therefore is to live in the Lord, which is never possible unless we live in His love, that is, in charity toward the neighbor.

(Arcana Cœlestia 1735)