The Fullness of the Time

Selection from Invitation To The New Church ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

... without the Lord's Advent, no man could have been regenerated, and hence saved; and that this is meant by "the Lamb taking away the sins of the world." This may be evident from the state of the spiritual world before the Lord's Coming; which was such that not a single truth of faith, nor any good of charity, could pass from the Lord to man. (from no. 5)

By the "fulness of time" is signified consummation and desolation; because "time" signifies the state of the church

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. (Rev. 10:5-6)

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day! For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. (Ezek. 30:1-3)

The same also is signified by "Time, times, and half a time"

And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Rev. 12:14)

And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. ...

And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Dan. 7:25; 12:7)

• The times in the world are spring, summer, autumn; the fullness of these times is winter.
• The times as to light are morning, noon, evening; and their fullness is the night, etc., etc.

This is meant by the Lord's coming in "the fullness of the time," or of "times"; that is, when there is no longer any truth of faith, and good of charity left.

THE FULLNESS OF THE TIME

Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? ...

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (Rom. 11:12, 25)

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Gal. 4:3-5)

... having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him (Eph. 1:9, 10)

But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. ( Gen. 15:16)

The desolation of the truth of the church may be compared with consummations on the earth;

• heat, namely, and all the above [times or seasons] are consummated by winter and then spring comes
• light on earth is consummated by the night, when the morning comes.

Wherefore, the Lord in Revelation said to those under the altar

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Rev. 6:9-11)

A number of passages are to be quoted from Revelation, showing that the church has been laid waste, even to its ultimate.

(from Invitation To The New Church 10; 12)

... And Now Again

Selections from Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? ...

... Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun 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: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ...

... But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ... (Matthew 24:3, 29, 30, 37)

WHEN THE END OF A CHURCH IS AT HAND

When the end of a church is at hand, then the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, are revealed and taught. This is done that the good may be separated from the evil. There is a separation because the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which are celestial and spiritual, are received by the good, but are rejected by the evil.

Moreover, the interior things of the Word, which are revealed at the end of the church, are serviceable for doctrine and life to the New Church that is also then established. That this is so is evident from this, — that when the end of the Jewish Church was at hand the Lord Himself opened and taught the interior things of the Word, and especially revealed those things in the Word that had been foretold of Himself — and when these had been opened and revealed, the externals of the church were abrogated, which consisted chiefly of sacrifices and rituals and statutes which shadowed forth the Lord, and represented and thence signified the interior things of the church which He was revealing. That this would be done was predicted in various passages in the prophets.

The like has been done at the present time; for it has now pleased the Lord to reveal many arcana of heaven, especially the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, which has heretofore been wholly unknown, and with that He has taught the genuine truths of doctrine. This revelation is meant by "the coming of the Lord" in Matthew 24:3, 30, 37.

A revelation is necessary at the end of the church in order, as has been said, that by means of it the good may become separated from the evil, and a New Church established, and this not only in the natural world where men are, but also in the spiritual world where spirits and angels are — for in both worlds there is a church, and revelation takes place in both, and thereby separation, as also the establishment of a New Church. ...

As regards the successive states of the churches on our globe, they have evidently been similar to the successive states of a man who is being reformed and regenerated, namely, that to become a spiritual man, he is first conceived, next is born, then grows up, and is afterwards led on further and further into intelligence and wisdom. The church, from the most ancient times to the end of the Jewish Church, progressed like a man who is conceived, born, and grows up, and is then instructed and taught; but the successive states of the church after the end of the Jewish Church, or from the time of the Lord even to the present day, have been like a man increasing in intelligence and wisdom, or becoming regenerate. For this end the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, were revealed by the Lord when He was in the world; and now again, things still more interior are revealed; and in the measure that things interior are revealed can man become wiser; for to become interior is to become wiser, and to become wiser is to become interior. (from Apocalypse Explained 641)

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THE TWO WITNESSES THAT WERE SLAIN AND LIVED AGAIN

At the end of the church, when there is no faith because there is no charity, the interior things of the Word which are to serve the New Church for doctrine and life are disclosed. This was done by the Lord Himself, when the end of the Jewish Church was at hand; for the Lord Himself then came into the world and opened the interiors of the Word, especially those relating to Himself, love to Him and love towards the neighbor, and faith in Him, which before lay hidden in the interiors of the Word, since they were in its representatives, and thence in the particular things of the church and of worship. These truths, therefore, that were disclosed by the Lord were interior truths, and in themselves spiritual; and these afterwards served the New Church for doctrine and life, as has been said just above. These truths, however, were not immediately received, nor until after a considerable lapse of time, as is well known from ecclesiastical history; and for the reason that they could not be received until all things in the spiritual world had been reduced to order — for as the spiritual world is conjoined to the natural world with men, so unless that world had been first reduced to order, men in the natural world could not have understood or perceived the goods of love and the truths of doctrine; this is why so long a time intervened before the Christian Church was universally established in the European world; for all effects that exist in the natural world derive their origin from causes in the spiritual world, especially those that relate to the things of the church. These things have been said to make known what is signified in particular by the command to the two witnesses "to go up into heaven," namely, that no harm be done by the evil to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine that are disclosed in the last time of the church.

It was similar when the Most Ancient Church, which was before the flood, came to its end, for then the representatives of celestial things, which existed among the most ancient people, were gathered up into one body by those who were called "Enoch," and were preserved for the use of the New Church after the flood; and this was called a representative church, because its laws and statutes, and in general its worship, consisted of representatives, or of such things in the natural world as corresponded to spiritual things in the spiritual world. The like was done with these, that is, they were separated from the evil by being taken into heaven and thus protected, and this till the old church came to its end, when a New Church was to be established. This is described by these words in Genesis:

And Enoch walked with God and he was no more, for God took him (Gen. 5:24).

That such is the signification of "Enoch, and his walking before God, and being taken by God" may be seen in Arcana Coelestia (n. 518-523), where this is explained.

The like is done at the present day. This church, which is called Christian, has at this day come to its end, therefore the arcana of heaven and the church have now been revealed by the Lord, to serve as the doctrine of life and faith for the New Church, which is meant by "the New Jerusalem" in Revelation. This doctrine, too, has been taken up into heaven lest harm be done to it by the evil before the establishment of the New Church. Such, therefore, is the signification of this respecting the two witnesses, that "they went up into heaven;" also of what follows in the next chapter, where it treats of "the woman about to bring forth a child," before whom stood the dragon:

That the child was caught up to God and to His throne (Rev. 12:5).

What is there meant in particular by the "woman" and the "child" will be told in the explanation of the next chapter. From this it can now be seen what arcanum is involved in what is here said of the two witnesses that by command "they went up into heaven in the cloud." (from Apocalypse Explained 670)

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BEFORE THE CHURCH HAS BEEN FULLY DEVASTATED

The Word is revealed interiorly, that is, as to the spiritual sense, before the church has been fully devastated, because then the New Church will be established into which those who are of the former church are invited; and for the New Church interior Divine truth is revealed; and this could not have been revealed before for reasons that will be given in what follows. A like thing is now done as was done at the end of the Jewish Church; for at its end, which was when the Lord came into the world, the Word was opened interiorly; for when the Lord was in the world He revealed interior Divine truths that were to be for the use of a New Church about to be established by Him and that did serve that church. For like reasons the Word has been opened interiorly at this day, and still more interior Divine truths have been revealed therefrom for the use of the New Church, that will be called the New Jerusalem.

What the Divine providence of the Lord was in revealing Divine truths can be seen from the successive establishment of churches. There have been several churches on our globe one after another. There was the Most Ancient, that was before the flood; there was the Ancient, that was after the flood; then the Hebrew; and then the Israelitish; after this the Christian; and now the New Church is beginning. Inmost Divine truths were revealed to those who were of the Most Ancient Church; more external Divine truths were revealed to those of the Ancient Church; and most external or ultimate Divine truths to the Hebrew Church, and afterwards to the Israelitish, with which church all Divine truth finally perished, for at last there was nothing in the Word that had not been adulterated. But after the end of the Israelitish Church interior Divine truths were revealed by the Lord for the Christian Church, and now still more interior truths for the church that is to come. These interior truths are such as are in the internal or spiritual sense of the Word. All this makes clear that there has been a progression of Divine truth from inmosts to ultimates, thus from wisdom to mere ignorance; and that now there is a progression of it from ultimates to interiors, thus from ignorance again to wisdom. (from no. 948)

(from Apocalypse Explained 641; 670; 948)

The Internal Sense Guarded

Selections from Heavenly Doctrines ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The soldiers took His garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part, also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore one to another, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for whose it shall be; that the Scripture might be fulfilled which saith, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did (John 19:23-24).

He who is not aware that in every particular of the Word there is an internal sense which is spiritual, cannot see any arcanum in these things; he knows only that the soldiers divided the garments and not the tunic; and beyond this he knows nothing; when not only in this fact is there a Divine arcanum, but also in every particular of what is recorded concerning the passion of the Lord.

The arcanum in this fact is that the garments of the Lord signified Divine truth, thus the Word, because the Word is Divine truth —

• the "garments" that they divided, the Word in the letter

• the "tunic" the Word in the internal sense to "divide them" signifies to disperse and falsify

• "the soldiers" signify those that are of the church, who should fight in behalf of Divine truth

This is why it is said, "These things therefore the soldiers did."

From this it is clear that the meaning of these words in the spiritual sense is that the Jewish Church dispersed the Divine truth which is in the sense of the letter, but could not disperse the Divine truth which is in the internal sense.

That the "garments of the Lord" signified Divine truth, thus the Word, was shown above; that His "tunic" signified Divine truth, or the Word, in the internal sense, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9826, 9942; that to "divide" is to disperse and separate from good and truth, thus to falsify, see n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9094; that "the soldiers" signify those that are of the church, here of the Jewish church, who should fight in behalf of Divine truth, is clear from the spiritual sense of "warfare" and of "war;" that "war" signifies spiritual combats, which are of truth against falsity, see n. 1659, 1664, 8295, 10455; it is therefore said of the Levites, whose function pertained to such things as are of the church, that they were discharging military duty and were serving in war, when they were exercising their ministry in the tent of the assembly (Num. 4:23, 35, 39, 43, 47; 8:23, 24).

(from Apocalypse Explained 64)

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The Literal Sense Of The Word Is A Guard

To The Genuine Truths That Lie Hidden Within

It is a guard in this respect, that it can be turned this way or that, and explained according to the way it is taken, yet without injury or violence to its internal. It does no harm for the sense of the letter to be understood in one way by one person and in a different way by another; but it does harm for the Divine truths that lie hidden within to be perverted, because this inflicts violence on the Word. The sense of the letter is a guard against this, and the guard is effectual in the case of those who are in falsities from their religion, but do not confirm those falsities, for these persons do the Word no violence.

This guard is signified by cherubs, and in the Word is described by them. This is signified by the cherubs that were stationed at the entrance of the garden of Eden after Adam and his wife had been cast out, of which we read as follows:

When Jehovah God had driven out the man, He made to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life (Gen. 3:24).

The "cherubim" signify a guard; the "way of the tree of life" signifies the access to the Lord which men have by means of the Word; the "flame of a sword that turned every way" signifies Divine truth in ultimates, this being like the Word in the sense of the letter, which can be so turned.

The same is meant by,

The cherubs of gold that were placed upon the two ends of the mercy seat that was upon the ark in the Tabernacle (Exod. 25:18-21).

As this was signified by cherubs,

The Lord spoke with Moses from between them (Exod. 25:22; 37:9; Num. 7:89).

That the Lord does not speak to man except in what is full, and that the Word in the sense of the letter is Divine truth in fullness. So therefore did the Lord speak to Moses from between the cherubs. In nowise different was the signification of,

The cherubs on the curtains of the Tabernacle, and on the veil (Exod. 26:1, 31),

for the curtains and veils of the Tabernacle represented the ultimate things of heaven and the church, and therefore of the Word. Nor in anywise different was the signification of,

The cherubs in the midst of the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 6:23-28).

The cherubs carved on the walls and doors of the temple (1 Kings 6:29, 32, 35).

The cherubs in the new temple (Ezek. 41:18-20)

As cherubs signified a guard that the Lord, heaven, and Divine truth such as is within the Word be not approached immediately, but mediately through ultimate things, it is said of the king of Tyre,

Thou sealest up the measure, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty; thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering; thou, O cherub, art the outspreading of that which covereth; I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, in the midst of the stones of fire (Ezek. 28:12-14, 16).

"Tyre" signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, and therefore its "king" signifies the Word, in which and from which are these knowledges. It is evident that the Word in its ultimate, which is the sense of the letter, is here signified by that king, and also that a guard is signified by a "cherub," for it is said, "thou sealest up the measure; every precious stone was thy covering"; and "thou, O cherub, art the outspreading of that which covereth"; and also "O covering cherub." That the "precious stones" mentioned in this passage mean truths of the literal sense of the Word. As "cherubs" signify what is ultimate of Divine truth as a guard, it is said in David:

Jehovah bowed the heavens also and came down; and He rode upon a cherub (Ps. 18:9-10).

O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth (Ps. 80:1).

Jehovah sitteth upon the cherubim (Ps. 99:1).

To "ride upon cherubs" and to "sit upon them" means upon the ultimate sense of the Word.

Divine truth in the Word, and the quality of it, are described by the cherubs in the first, ninth, and tenth chapters of Ezekiel; but as no one can know what is signified by the several particulars of the description of them, except one to whom the spiritual sense has been opened, it has been disclosed to me what in brief is signified by all the things said about the cherubs in the first chapter of Ezekiel, which are as follows:

• The external Divine sphere of the Word is described (Ezek. 1:4);

• It is represented as a man (Ezek. 1:5);

• And conjoined with spiritual and celestial things (Ezek. 1:6);

• The natural of the Word, its quality (Ezek. 1:7);

• The spiritual and the celestial of the Word conjoined with its natural, their quality (Ezek. 1:8-9);

• The Divine love of the good and truth celestial, spiritual, and natural therein, severally and also together (Ezek. 1:10-11);

• They all look to the one thing (Ezek. 1:12);

• The sphere of the Word from the Lord's Divine good and Divine truth, from which the Word is alive (Ezek. 1:13-14);

• The doctrine of good and truth in the Word and from the Word (Ezek. 1:15-21);

• The Divine of the Lord above the Word and in it (Ezek. 1:22-23);

• And from it (Ezek. 1:24-25);

• The Lord is above the heavens (Ezek. 1:26);

• And Divine love and Divine wisdom are His (Ezek. 1:27-28).

These summaries have been compared with the Word in heaven, and are in conformity with it.

(from Doctrine of the Sacred Scriptures 97)