Seeing The Lord's Kingdom Representatively in a Mental View of the Universe

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

And He led him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them; and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. Genesis 15:5

Things internal are led forth, when with the eyes of the body a man contemplates the starry heaven, and thence thinks of the Lord's kingdom. Whenever a man sees anything with his eyes, and sees the things that he looks upon as if he saw them not, but from them sees or thinks of the things which are of the church or of heaven, then his interior sight, or that of his spirit or soul, is "led forth abroad." The eye itself is properly nothing but the sight of his spirit led forth abroad, and this especially to the end that he may see internal things from external; that is, that he may, from the objects in the world, reflect continually upon those which are in the other life; for this is the life for the sake of which he lives in the world. Such was the sight in the Most Ancient Church; such is the sight of the angels who are with man; and such was the Lord's sight.

"Heaven" in the Word, in the internal sense, does not signify the heavens which appear to the eyes; but the Lord's kingdom, universally and particularly. When a man who is looking at internal things from external sees the heavens, he does not think at all of the starry heaven, but of the angelic heaven; and when he sees the sun, he does not think of the sun, but of the Lord, as being the Sun of heaven. So too when he sees the moon, and the stars also; and when he sees the immensity of the heavens, he does not think of their immensity, but of the immeasurable and infinite power of the Lord. It is the same when he sees all other things, for there is nothing that is not representative.

In like manner as regards the things on the earth; as when he beholds the dawning of the day he does not think of the dawn, but of the arising of all things from the Lord, and of progression into the day of wisdom. So when he sees gardens, groves, and flower-beds, his eye remains not fixed on any tree, its blossom, leaf, and fruit; but on the heavenly things which these represent; nor on any flower, and its beauty and pleasantness; but on what they represent in the other life. For there is nothing beautiful and delightful in the skies or on the earth, which is not in some way representative of the Lord's kingdom. This is the "looking toward heaven" which signifies a representation of the Lord's kingdom in a mental view of the universe.

The reason why all things in the sky and on earth are representative, is that they have come forth and do continually come forth, that is, subsist, from the influx of the Lord through heaven. It is with these things as it is with the human body, which comes forth and subsists by means of the soul; on which account all things in the body both in general and in particular are representative of the soul.

The soul is in the use and the end; but the body is in the performance of them.

All effects, whatever they may be, are in like manner representatives of the uses which are the causes; and the uses are representative of the ends which belong to the first principles.

They who are in Divine ideas never come to a stand in the objects of the external sight; but from them and in them constantly see internal things. The veriest internal things themselves are those which are of the Lord's kingdom, thus those which are in the veriest end itself. It is the same with the Word of the Lord; he who is in Divine things never regards the Lord's Word from the letter; but regards the letter and the literal sense as being representative and significative of the celestial and spiritual things of the church and of the Lord's kingdom. To him the literal sense is merely an instrumental means for thinking of these. Such was the Lord's sight.

The "stars" are frequently mentioned in the Word, and everywhere they signify things good and true, and also, in the contrary sense, things evil and false; or what is the same, they signify angels or societies of angels, and also in the contrary sense evil spirits and their associations. When they signify angels or societies of angels, they are then fixed stars; but when evil spirits and their associations, they are wandering stars, as I have very frequently seen.

That all things in the skies and on the earth are representative of celestial and spiritual things, has been evidenced by this plain indication, that things similar to those which appear before the eyes in the sky and on the earth, are also presented to view in the world of spirits, and this as plainly as in clear day; and there they are nothing but representatives. For instance, when the starry heaven appears, and the stars therein are fixed, it is instantly known that they signify things good and true; and when the stars appear wandering, it is instantly known that they signify things evil and false. From the very glow and sparkle of the stars it may also be known of what kind they are; besides numberless other things. Hence, if one is willing to think wisely, he may know what is the origin of all things on the earth, namely, that it is the Lord; and the reason why they come forth on the earth not ideally but actually, is that all things, both celestial and spiritual, which are from the Lord, are living and essential, or as they are called substantial, and therefore they come forth into actual existence in ultimate nature.

From these passages may be seen what is meant by the words of the Lord in Matthew:

In the consummation of the age, immediately after the affliction of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Matt. 24:29).

And in Luke:

There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations in despair, the sea and the waves roaring (Luke 21:25);

where by "the sun" the sun is not meant at all, nor by "the moon" the moon, nor by "the stars" the stars, nor by "the sea" the sea; but the things which they represent, namely, by "the sun" the celestial things of love, by "the moon" the spiritual things, by "the stars" things good and true, that is, the knowledges of what is good and true, which are thus darkened near the consummation of the age, when there is no faith, that is, no charity.

(from Arcana Coelestia 1805-1808)

Finding the Mystical Secrets in the Word

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

• Beasts signified affections and inclinations, such as man has in common with them.

• Beasts were employed in the sacrifices in accordance with their signification.

• All things in the three kingdoms of nature are representative of the spiritual and celestial things of the Lord's kingdom.

• There are correspondences of all things.

These quotations have been brought together to show that not only all beasts, but also all things in the world, correspond, and according to their correspondences represent and signify spiritual and celestial things, and in the supreme sense the Divine things of the Lord; and from this to show the nature of the Ancient Churches, which were called Representative Churches; namely, that all their holy rites represented the things of the Lord and His kingdom, thus the things of love and faith in Him. By means of such things heaven was then conjoined with the man of the church - for the internal things were presented in heaven. 

To the same end the Word of the Lord was given, for each and all things therein, down to the smallest jot, correspond and have a signification; consequently through the Word alone is there a connection of heaven with man.

That this is the case no one at this day knows. Therefore when a natural man reads the Word, and searches where the Divine lies hidden in it, and when on account of its ordinary style he does not find it in the letter, he first begins to hold it in low esteem, and then to deny that it has been dictated by the Divine Itself, and sent down through heaven to man; for he does not know that the Word is Divine by virtue of its spiritual sense, which is not apparent in the letter, but nevertheless is in the letter - this sense is presented in heaven when a man reads the Word with reverence; this sense treats of the Lord and His kingdom. 

It is these Divine things from which the Word is Divine, and by means of which holiness flows through heaven from the Lord down into the literal sense, and into the very letter itself. But so long as a man does not know what the spiritual is, he cannot know what the spiritual sense is, thus not what correspondence is. And so long as a man loves the world more than heaven, and himself more than the Lord, he does not wish to know or apprehend these things; although all the intelligence of ancient times was from this source, as is also the wisdom of the angels. The mystical secrets which many diviners have in vain busied themselves to trace in the Word, lie hidden solely in its spiritual sense.

(from Arcana Coelestia 9280)

The Distinction Between a Representative Church and The Representative OF a Church

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

A representative church is when there is internal worship in external, and the representative of a church when there is no internal worship, but nevertheless there is external. In both there are nearly similar outward rituals, that is, similar statutes, similar laws, and similar precepts. But in the representative church the externals correspond with the internals, so as to make a one; whereas in the representative of a church there is no correspondence, because the externals are either devoid of internals, or are at variance with them. In a representative church celestial and spiritual love is the principal, but in the representative of a church bodily and worldly love is the principal. Celestial and spiritual love is the internal itself; but where there is no celestial and spiritual love, but only bodily and worldly love, the external is devoid of an internal. The Ancient Church, which was after the flood, was a representative church; but that which was instituted among the posterity of Jacob was only the representative of a church.

To make this evident let the distinction be illustrated by examples —

• In the Representative Church Divine worship took place on mountains, because mountains signified celestial love, and in the supreme sense the Lord; and when they were holding worship on mountains, they were in their holy state, because they were at the same time in celestial love.

• In the Representative Church Divine worship took place also in groves, because groves signified spiritual love, and in the supreme sense the Lord as to this love; and when they were holding worship in groves, they were in their holy state, because at the same time in spiritual love.

• In the Representative Church when they were holding Divine worship, they turned their faces to the rising of the sun, because by the rising sun was also signified celestial love. And so when they looked at the moon they were in like manner penetrated with a certain holy reverence, because the moon signified spiritual love. It was similar when they looked at the starry heaven, because this signified the angelic heaven or the Lord's kingdom.

• In the Representative Church they had tents or tabernacles, and Divine worship in them, and this holy; because tents or tabernacles signified the holy of love and worship; and so in innumerable other things.

• In the Representative of a Church there was indeed in the beginning a like Divine worship upon mountains, and also in groves, and they also turned their faces toward the rising of the sun, and looked at the moon and the stars, and similarly held worship in tents or tabernacles. But as they were in external worship without internal, or in bodily and worldly love, and not in celestial and spiritual love, and thus worshiped the mountains and groves themselves, and the sun, moon, and stars, as also their tents or tabernacles, and thus made the rituals idolatrous which in the Ancient Church were holy, they were therefore restricted to what was common to all, namely, to the mountain where Jerusalem was, and at last where Zion was, and to the rising of the sun as seen thence and from the temple, and also to a tent in common, which was called the tent of meeting, and finally to the ark in the temple; and this to the intent that a representative of a church might exist when they were in a holy external; as otherwise they would have profaned holy things.

From this it is evident what the distinction is between a Representative Church and a Representative of a Church —

• in general, that they who were of the Representative Church communicated with the three heavens as to their interiors, to which these external things served as a plane

• They who were in the Representative of a church did not communicate with the heavens as to their interiors; but still the external things in which they were kept could serve as a plane, and this miraculously of the Lord's providence, to the intent that something of communication might exist between heaven and man, by means of some semblance of a church; for without the communication of heaven with man through something of a church, the human race would perish.

(from Arcana Coelestia 4288)