The Supreme Among the Doctrinal Things of the Church

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The Most Ancient Church, which was celestial, and which above all others was called Man, adored the Infinite Being, and the derivative Infinite Coming-forth; and because, from the things which could be perceived in their internal man and those which could be felt in their external, and from the visible things in the world, the men of that church could have no perception of the Infinite Being, but could have some perception of the derivative Infinite Coming-forth, they therefore adored the Infinite Coming forth in which is the infinite being. The Infinite Coming-forth in which is the Infinite Being they perceived as a Divine Man, because they knew that the Infinite Coming-forth was brought forth through heaven from the Infinite Being; and as heaven is the Grand Man, corresponding to each and all things that are in man, they therefore could have no other idea of perception concerning the Infinite Coming-forth from the Infinite Being, than as of a Divine Man; for whatever from the Infinite Being passes through heaven as the Grand Man is attended with an image thereof in each and all things. When that celestial church began to fall away, they foresaw that the Infinite Coming-forth could no longer have influx into the minds of men, and that so the human race would perish; therefore it was revealed to them that One should be born who would make the Human in Himself Divine, and in this way become the same Infinite Coming-forth as had been before, and would at last become one with the Infinite Being as also it had been before. From this came their prophecy in Genesis concerning the Lord (Gen. 3:15).

This is described in John in these words:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-4, 14);

the "Word" is the Divine truth, which in its essence is the Infinite Coming-forth from the Infinite Being, and is the Lord Himself as to His Human. This very Human it is from which truth Divine now proceeds and flows into heaven, and through heaven into the minds of men; consequently which rules and governs the universe, as it has ruled and governed it from eternity; for it is one and the same with the Infinite Being, because He conjoined the Human with the Divine, which was done by this, that He made the Human in Himself also Divine. From this it is now evident that the supreme of truth Divine is the Lord's Divine Human, and hence that the supreme among the doctrinal things of the church is that His Human is Divine. (Arcana Coelestia 4687)

There are two essentials which constitute the church, and hence two principal things of doctrine - one, that the Lord's Human is Divine; the other, that love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor make the church, and not faith separate from love and charity. (Arcana Coelestia 4723)

All the Divine truth in the whole heaven proceeds from no other source than the Lord's Divine Human. That which is from the Divine Itself cannot flow in immediately with any angel, because it is Infinite; but only mediately through the Lord's Divine Human, as is also meant by these words of the Lord, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth" (John 1:18). For this reason also the Lord as to the Divine Human is called Mediator.

This also was from eternity, for the Divine being, without flowing through heaven and becoming thence the Divine coming-forth, could not be communicated to any angel, still less to any spirit, and less still to any man. That the Lord as to the Divine Itself is the Divine being, and as to the Divine Human is the Divine Coming-forth. Neither could the Lord's Human itself have received any influx from the Divine Being, unless in Him the Human had been made Divine; for that which receives the Divine being must also be Divine. From these few things it may be seen that Divine truth does not proceed immediately from the Divine Itself, but from the Lord's Divine Human.

This also do they extinguish in themselves who battle for faith alone and do not live a life of faith; for they believe that the Lord's Human is purely human, not unlike the human of another man; and hence many of them deny the Divine of the Lord, however they may profess Him with the lips. But those who live a life of faith, on bended knees and with humble hearts adore the Lord as God the Savior, and do not then at all think from doctrine of the distinction between the Divine and the human nature; and they do the same in the Holy Supper. Hence it is plain that with them the Lord's Divine Human is in their hearts.

(from Arcana Coelestia 4724)

Him That Contended

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

By His own power the Lord reduced the universal heaven into order,
and subjugated the hells, and at the same time made the Human in Himself Divine.

The power of saving the human race is power over the heavens and over the hells.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18)

Jesus said to the seventy who said that the demons were obedient to them, Behold I give you power to tread upon serpents and upon scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; that nothing at all shall harm you. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father (Luke 10:19, 22).

By these words is described the power of the Lord over the hells; "demons" denote those who are in the hells; "serpents and scorpions" denote evils and the falsities of evil; "to tread upon them" denotes to destroy these evils and falsities; the hells are also meant by "the enemy over which they were to have power."

That the Lord acquired this power when He was in the world, is evident in Isaiah:

Who is this that cometh from Edom, marching in the multitude of his strength, great to save? Mine own arm performed salvation to Me; therefore He became their Savior (Isa. 63:1, 5, 8).

that these things are said of the Lord, is known in the church.

(from Arcana Coelestia 10019)

When the Lord was in the world and glorified His Human, He first made it Divine truth, and by degrees the Divine good of the Divine love; thereafter, from the Divine good of the Divine love, He operates in heaven and in the world, and gives life to angels and men, which is effected by means of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Divine good of the Divine love of His Divine Human — for from this the heavens have come forth, and from it they perpetually come forth, that is, subsist; or what is the same, from it the heavens have been created and from it they are perpetually being created, that is, preserved; for preservation is perpetual creation, as subsistence is perpetual coming-forth.

(from Arcana Coelestia 10076:5)

Reducing The Universal Heaven Into Heavenly Order

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. (Genesis 32:24-29)

And Jacob asked and said, Tell I pray thy name. That this signifies the angelic heaven and its quality, may be seen from the representation of Jacob, as being the Lord as to the Divine natural (of which above); and from the signification of "God," whose name he asked, and also of "men," with whom as a prince he contended and prevailed, as being truths and goods, and thus those who are in truths and goods (see n. 4287). And because the angelic heaven is heaven from truths and goods, it is specifically this which is signified by the "God and men" with whom the Lord prevailed. Occasionally also in the Word the angels are called "gods," and this from truths and goods, as in David:

God stood in the congregation of god, He judged in the midst of the gods. I said, Ye are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High (Ps. 82:1, 6);

where it is plainly evident that the "congregation of god," and the "gods," denote the angelic heaven.

In the same:

Who in the sky can be compared unto Jehovah? Who among the sons of the gods can be likened unto Jehovah? (Ps. 89:6).

Again:

Confess ye to the God of gods; confess ye to the Lord of lords (Ps. 136:2-3).

From these passages, as also from the fact that no one can contend as a prince with God and prevail, and likewise from the fact that he who is called "God" was not willing to reveal his name, it is evident that it was the angelic heaven with which the Lord fought. That a deep secret lies hidden in these words is plainly evident from the words themselves: "Wherefore is this that thou dost ask after my name?" for if it had been Jehovah God, He would not have concealed his name; nor would Jacob have asked, "What is thy name?" for to ask the name implies that it is another or others than God Himself.

That the Lord in temptations at last fought with the angels themselves, nay, with the whole angelic heaven, is a secret that has not yet been disclosed.

But the case with regard to this matter is that the angels are indeed in the highest wisdom and intelligence, but have all wisdom and intelligence from the Divine of the Lord. From themselves, or from what is their own, they have nothing of wisdom and intelligence. So far therefore as they are in truths and goods from the Divine of the Lord, so far they are wise and intelligent. That the angels have nothing of wisdom and intelligence from themselves, they themselves openly confess; nay, they are indignant if anyone ascribes to them anything of wisdom and intelligence, for they know and perceive that this would be to take away from the Divine that which is Divine, and to claim for themselves that which is not theirs, and thus to incur the crime of spiritual theft. The angels also say that all that is their own is evil and false, both from their heredity and from actual life when they were men in the world; and that the evil and falsity is not separated or wiped away from them, they being thus justified, but that it all remains with them, and that it is by the Lord that they are withheld from evil and falsity and are kept in good and truth. All the angels confess these things, and no one is admitted into heaven unless he knows and believes them; for otherwise they cannot be in the light of wisdom and intelligence which is from the Lord, consequently not in good and truth. From this it may also be known how it is to be understood that heaven is not pure in the eyes of God, as we read in Job 15:15.

This being the case, in order that the Lord might reduce the universal heaven into heavenly order, He admitted into Himself temptations from the angels also, who, insofar as they were in what is their own, were so far not in good and truth. These temptations are the inmost of all, for they act solely into the ends, and with such subtlety as cannot possibly be noticed. But insofar as they are not in what is their own, so far they are in good and truth, and so far cannot tempt. Moreover the angels are continually being perfected by the Lord, and yet can never to eternity be so far perfected that their wisdom and intelligence can be compared to the Divine wisdom and intelligence of the Lord; for they are finite, and the Lord is infinite; and there is no comparison between what is finite and what is infinite. From all this it can now be seen what is meant by the god with whom Jacob as a prince contended; as also why he was not willing to reveal his name.

(from Arcana Coelestia 4295)

Refuse Not Him That Speaketh

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:14-15)

The Most Ancient Church, called "Man," was celestial; and if this church had remained in its integrity, the Lord would have had no need to be born a man. But as soon as this church began to decline, the Lord foresaw that the celestial church would wholly perish from the world; and on that account the prediction was then made concerning the Lord's coming into the world (Gen. 3:15). After the time of that church there was no longer a celestial church, but a spiritual church; for the Ancient Church which was after the flood was a spiritual church. This church, that is, those who were of the spiritual church, could not have been saved unless the Lord had come into the world. This is meant by the Lord's words in Matthew: They that are well have no need of a physician, but they that are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matt. 9:12-13).  Also by these words in John: And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16). Also by the parable of the hundred sheep, in Matt. 18:11-13.

. . . with the Lord when in the world, all the states of the church were represented, and also in what manner those who belonged to the church were to be saved by Him, and for this reason the same states of the church are likewise signified by these same names.
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Hebrews 11:39 - 12:1-29:

. . . And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh.

For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.

(from Arcana Coelestia 2661)

The Temptations the Lord Sustained

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Evil spirits are those who make the assault.

The Lord never began the combat with any hell, but the hells assaulted Him; as is also the case with every man who is in temptation, or In combat with evil spirits.

In man's case, the angels never make the assault, but always and continually the evil or infernal spirits do so; the angels only ward off and defend. This comes from the Lord, who never desires to bring evil upon anyone, or to thrust him down into hell, even if he were the worst and the most bitter enemy of all; but it is he who brings the evil upon himself, and precipitates himself into hell. This also follows from the nature of evil, and from the nature of good.

It is the nature of evil to desire to maltreat everyone; but that of good to desire to maltreat no one.

The evil are in their very life when they are assaulting; for they continually desire to destroy. The good are in their very life when they are assaulting no one, and when they can be of use in defending others from evils.                                                                                                          (from Arcana Coelestia 1683)
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The Temptations The Lord Sustained —

In the internal sense the temptations are treated of that the Lord sustained in His childhood, concerning which nothing is related in the Word of the New Testament, except concerning His temptation in the wilderness, or soon after He came out of the wilderness, and finally concerning His last temptation in Gethsemane and what then followed.

The Lord's life, from His earliest childhood even to the last hour of His life in the world, was continual temptation and continual victory, is evident from many things in the Word of the Old Testament; and that it did not cease with the temptation in the wilderness is evident from what is said in Luke:

And when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from Him for a season (Luke 4:13)

as also from the fact that He was tempted even to the death on the cross, and thus to the last hour of His life in the world. Hence it is evident that the whole of the Lord's life in the world, from His earliest childhood, was continual temptation and continual victory. The last was when He prayed on the cross for His enemies, and thus for all in the whole world.

In the Word of the Lord's life, in the Gospels, none but the last is mentioned, except His temptation in the wilderness. More were not disclosed to the disciples. The things that were disclosed appear in the sense of the letter so slight as to be scarcely anything; for to speak and to answer in this manner is no temptation, when yet His temptation was more grievous than can ever be comprehended and believed by any human mind. No one can know what temptation is except the one who has been in it. The temptation that is related in Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13, contains all temptations in a summary; namely, that from love toward the whole human race, the Lord fought against the loves of self and of the world, with which the hells were filled.

All temptation is an assault upon the love in which the man is, and the temptation is in the same degree as is the love. If the love is not assaulted, there is no temptation.

To destroy anyone's love is to destroy his very life; for the love is the life.

The Lord's life was love toward the whole human race, and was indeed so great, and of such a quality, as to be nothing but pure love. Against this His life, continual temptations were admitted, as before said, from His earliest childhood to His last hour in the world. The love which was the Lord's veriest life is signified by His "hungering," and by the devil's saying, If Thou art the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread and by Jesus answering that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (Luke 4:2-4; Matt. 4:2-4).

That He fought against the love of the world, or all things that are of the love of the world, is signified by: The devil took Him up into a high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee and the glory of them, for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it; if Thou therefore wilt worship before me, all shall be Thine. But Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind Me, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve (Luke 4:5-8; Matt 4:8-10).

That He fought against the love of self, and all things that are of the love of self, is signified by this: The devil took Him into the holy city, and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, If Thou art the Son of God, cast Thyself down for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee, and upon their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (Matt. 4:5-7; Luke 4:9-12). Continual victory is signified by its being said that after the temptations, "angels came and ministered unto Him" (Matt. 4:11; Mark 1:13).

In brief, the Lord from His earliest childhood up to the last hour of His life in the world, was assaulted by all the hells, against which He continually fought, and subjugated and overcame them, and this solely from love toward the whole human race. And because this love was not human but Divine, and because such as is the greatness of the love, such is that of the temptation, it may be seen how grievous the combats were, and how great the ferocity on the part of the hells. That all this was so, I know of a certainty.      (from Arcana Coelestia 1690)

That "the mountain" means the love of self and the love of the world, may be seen from the signification of a "mountain," concerning which presently. All evil and falsity come forth from the love of self and the love of the world; they have no other origin; for the love of self and the love of the world are the opposites of celestial love and spiritual love; and because they are the opposites, they are what are continually endeavoring to destroy the celestial and spiritual things of the kingdom of God. From the love of self and of the world come forth all hatreds; from hatreds, all revenges and cruelties; and from these, all deceits; in short, all the hells..

That in the Word by "mountains" there is signified the love of self and the love of the world, may be seen from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

The proud eyes of man shall be humbled and the loftiness of men shall be brought low. The day of Jehovah Zebaoth is upon all that is proud and lofty, upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every lofty tower (Isa. 2:11-12, 14-15)

the "high mountains" plainly denote the love of self; and the "hills that are lifted up," the love of the world.

Again:

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low (Isa. 40:4)

here also "mountain and hill" manifestly denote the love of self and the love of the world.

Again:

I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbage (Isa. 42:15);

where also "mountains" denote the love of self, and "hills" the love of the world. In Ezekiel:

The mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the earth (Ezek. 38:20).

In Jeremiah:

Behold I am against thee, O destroying mountain, which destroyest all the earth; and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a mountain of burning (Jer. 51:25);

where Babel and Chaldea are spoken of, by which is signified the love of self and of the world, as before shown.

In the Song of Moses:

A fire is kindled in Mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall devour the earth and her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains (Deut. 32:22)

"the foundations of the mountains" mean the hells, as is plainly said; these are called the foundations of the mountains, because the love of self and the love of the world reign in them, and are from them.

In Jonah:

The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; the deep was round about me; the seaweed was wrapped about my head; I went down to the cuttings-off of the mountains; the bars of the earth were upon me forever; yet hast Thou brought up my lives from the pit, O Jehovah my God (Jonah 2:5-6)

the Lord's temptations against the hells are thus prophetically described by Jonah, when he was in the belly of the great fish. So likewise in other passages of the Word, especially in David. He who is in temptations is in the hells; place has nothing to do with being in the hells, but state.

As "mountains" and "towers" signify the love of self and of the world, it may be seen what is signified by the Lord's being taken by the devil "upon a high mountain," and "upon a pinnacle of the temple," namely, that He was led into temptation combats, the most extreme of all, against the loves of self and of the world, that is, against the hells. "Mountains" also, in the opposite sense, signify celestial and spiritual love.                               (from Arcana Coelestia 1691)
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Scarcely anyone can know what temptations, or combats of temptations, effect. They are the means by which evils and falsities are broken up and dispersed, and by which horror of them is induced; and not only is conscience given, but it is also strengthened thereby, and so the man is regenerated, which is the reason why they who are being regenerated are let into combats, and undergo temptations; and they who do not undergo them in the life of the body, do so in the other life, if they are capable of being regenerated, on which account the Lord's church is called militant. But the Lord alone sustained the most cruel combats of temptations by His own strength or His own power; for He was surrounded by all the hells, and continually conquered them.

It is the Lord alone also who fights in the men who are in the combats of temptations, and who overcomes. Man from his own power can effect nothing at all against evil or infernal spirits; for they are so connected with the hells that if one were overcome, another would rush in, and so on forever. They are like the sea which presses upon every part of a dike; and if the dike should be broken through by a cleft or a crack, the sea would never cease to burst through and overflow, until nothing was left standing. So would it be with man unless the Lord alone sustained in him the combats of temptations.

(from Arcana Coelestia 1692)

The Passion of the Cross

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The Lord Himself sanctified Himself to the Divine, that is, united His Human to His Divine by the combats and victories of temptations.

It is a common belief at this day that the burnt-offerings and sacrifices signified the Lord's passion, and that by this the Lord made expiation for the iniquities of all; indeed, that He took them upon Himself, and thus bore them; and that those who believe are in this manner justified and saved, provided they think, even though it were in the last hour before death, that the Lord suffered for them, no matter how they may have lived during the whole course of their life.

But the case is not really so:

The passion of the cross was the extremity of the Lord's temptation, by which He fully united His Human to His Divine and His Divine to His Human, and thus glorified Himself. This very union is the means by which those who have the faith in Him which is the faith of charity, can be saved. For the supreme Divine Itself could no longer reach to the human race, which had removed itself so far from the celestial things of love and the spiritual things of faith, that men no longer even acknowledged them, and still less perceived them. In order therefore that the supreme Divine might be able to come down to man in such a state, the Lord came into the world and united His Human to the Divine in Himself; which union could not be effected otherwise than by the most grievous combats of temptations and by victories, and at length by the last, which was that of the cross.

Hence it is that the Lord can from His Divine Human illumine minds, even those far removed from the celestial things of love, provided they are in the faith of charity. For the Lord in the other life appears to the celestial angels as a Sun, and to the spiritual as a Moon, whence comes all the light of heaven. This light of heaven is of such a nature that when it illumines the sight of spirits and angels, it also illumines their understanding at the same time.

This is inherent in that light, so that in heaven so much as anyone has of external light, so much has he of internal light, that is, so much of understanding; which shows wherein the light of heaven differs from the light of the world.

It is the Lord's Divine Human which illuminates both the sight and the understanding of the spiritual; which would not take place if the Lord had not united His Human Essence to His Divine Essence; and if He had not united them, man in the world would no longer have had any capacity of understanding and perceiving what is good and true, nor indeed would a spiritual angel in heaven have had any; so that they would have had nothing of blessedness and happiness, consequently nothing of salvation.

From this we can see that the human race could not have been saved unless the Lord had assumed the Human and glorified it.

Hence then anyone may infer what truth there is in the idea that men are saved if they only think from a kind of interior emotion that the Lord suffered for them, and took away their sins, however they may have lived; whereas the light of heaven from the Lord's Divine Human cannot reach to any but those who live in the good of faith, that is, in charity; or what is the same, those who have conscience. The very plane into which that light can operate, or the receptacle of that light, is the good of faith, or charity, and thus conscience.

(Arcana Coelestia 2776)

Concerning Man's Resurrection

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Man has been so created that he cannot die in respect to his Internal, because he is able to believe in God and also to love God, and thus to be conjoined with God in faith and love; and to be conjoined with God is to live forever.

This Internal is in every man who is born. His External is that by means of which he brings into effect the things that belong to faith and love, thus that belong to the Internal. The Internal is what is called the "soul," and the External is what is called the "body."

The external which man carries about in the world has been accommodated to uses in the world. This external is what is laid aside when the man dies; but the external which has been accommodated to uses in the other life does not die. This latter external together with the internal is called a "spirit;" a good spirit and an angel if the man had been good in the world; and an evil spirit if he had been evil.

In the other life the spirit of man appears in the human form absolutely as in the world. He also enjoys the capability of seeing, of hearing, of speaking, and of feeling, as in the world; and is endowed with every capability of thinking, of willing, and of acting, as in the world. In a word, he is a man in respect to each and all things, except that he is not encompassed with that gross body with which he was encompassed in the world. This he leaves behind when he dies, nor does he ever resume it.

It is this continuation of life which is meant by Resurrection. The reason why men believe that they will not rise again until the Last Judgment, when also every visible thing of the world will perish, is that they have not understood the Word, and that sensuous men place the very life itself in the body, and believe that unless this were to live again it would be all over with man.

The life of man after death is the life of his love, and the life of his faith; consequently such as has been his love, and such as has been his faith, during his life in the world, such his life remains forever. The life of hell is for those who have loved themselves and the world above all things; and the life of heaven for those who have loved God above all things and the neighbor as themselves. These are they who have faith; but the former are they who have not faith. The life of heaven is what is called eternal life; and the life of hell is what is called spiritual death.

The Word teaches that man lives after death, as where it is said that "God is not the God of the dead but of the living" (Matt 22:32); that after death Lazarus was taken up into heaven, but the rich man was cast into hell (Luke 16:22, 23); that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are there (Matt. 8:11; 22:32; Luke 16:23-25, 29); that Jesus said to the thief, "This day shalt thou be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43); and in other places.

(Arcana Coelestia 10591 - 10597)

Remembering Man's Liberation from Hell

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Because in the month Abib thou wentest forth from Egypt. (Exodus 34:18)

That this signifies because there was then liberation from hell, is evident from the signification of "the month Abib," as being the beginning of a new state and from the signification of "going forth from Egypt," as being liberation from infestation by falsities, thus also from hell. From all this it can be seen that the feast of the passover, which was also called the feast of unleavened things, was instituted in remembrance of man's liberation from hell by the Lord.

This liberation was effected by the Lord's subjugating the hells and glorifying His Human.

The feast of unleavened things shalt thou keep. That this signifies the worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of liberation from evil and from the falsities of evil, is evident from the signification of a "feast," as being worship and thanksgiving and from the signification of "unleavened things," as being things purified from evil and from the falsities of evil. Consequently, by "the feast of unleavened things" is signified worship and thanksgiving on account of liberation from evil and from the falsities of evil.

As regards this feast, be it known that it properly signifies the glorification of the Lord's Human, thus the remembrance of this and thanksgiving on account of it, for by means of this glorification and the subjugation of the hells by the Lord, man has liberation from evils and salvation. For the Lord glorified His Human by combats against the hells and at the same time by continual victories over them. The last combat and victory was on the cross; wherefore He then fully glorified Himself, as He also teaches in these passages:

After Judas had gone out, Jesus said, Now hath the Son of man been glorified, and God hath been glorified in Him. If God hath been glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him (John 13:31, 32).

Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee. Now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with [apud] Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was (John 17:1, 5).

Ought not Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into His glory? (Luke 24:26).

"To glorify the Son of man" denotes to make the Human Divine. It is evident that these things were said concerning His passion of the cross.

That by this last combat, which was the passion of the cross, He fully subjugated the hells, the Lord also teaches in John:

Jesus said, The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified. Now is My soul troubled. And He said, Father, glorify Thy name; and there went forth a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified, and will glorify again.

And Jesus said, Now is the judgement of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. This He said, signifying by what manner of death He should die (John 12:23, 27, 28, 31-33).

Hell in the whole complex is what is called "the prince of the world," and "the devil." From all this it is evident that by the passion of the cross the Lord not only conquered and subjugated the hells, but also fully glorified His Human. From this comes salvation to the human race. For the sake of this also the Lord came into the world, as He likewise teaches in John 12:27:

Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

It was for the remembrance of this that the feast of unleavened things or of the passover was primarily instituted, and therefore at this feast He rose again.

That it was also for the sake of liberation from evil and from the falsities of evil, is because all liberation from evil is by means of the subjugation of the hells by the Lord, and by means of the glorification of His Human; and without these there is none. For man is directed by the Lord by means of spirits from hell, and by means of angels out of heaven; and therefore unless the hells had been completely subjugated, and unless the Human of the Lord had been completely united to the Divine Itself, and thus also made Divine, no man could possibly have been liberated from hell and saved, for the hells would always have prevailed, because man has become such that from himself he thinks nothing else than what belongs to hell. From this it is evident whence it is that by the same feast is signified worship and thanksgiving on account of liberation from evil and from the falsities of evil.                             (Arcana Coelestia 10655)

It is believed by most persons within the church that the Lord came into the world in order to reconcile the Father by the passion of the cross, and that afterward those might be accepted for whom He should intercede, and also that He released man from damnation by His having alone fulfilled the law, which otherwise would have condemned everyone; and thus that all would be saved who held this faith with confidence and trust. But those who are in any enlightenment from heaven are able to see that it would not be possible for the Divine, which is Love itself and Mercy itself, to cast away the human race from itself and condemn it to hell; nor that it had to be reconciled by its Son's passion of the cross; and that in this way and in no other way it was moved with mercy; and that henceforth the life would not condemn anyone provided he had a confident faith in this reconciliation; and that all salvation is effected from mercy through faith. Those who so think and believe can see nothing at all. They speak, but understand nothing. They therefore call these things mysteries, which are to be believed, but not apprehended by any understanding. From this it follows that all enlightenment from the Word is rejected that shows the case to be otherwise, because light from heaven cannot enter where there reigns so great a shadow from things that are contradictory to each other. That which is not understood at all is called a "shadow."

But to those who are in enlightenment the Lord grants that they shall understand what they believe; and when they are reading the Word, those are enlightened and understand it, who acknowledge the Lord and love to live according to His commandments; but not those who say that they believe, and do not live; for the Lord flows into the life of man and from this into his faith, but not into faith separate from life. Consequently, those who are enlightened by the Lord through the Word understand that the Lord came into the world in order to subjugate the hells, and reduce into order all things there and in the heavens; and that this could not possibly be done except by means of the Human; for from this He could fight against the hells; but not from the Divine without the Human; and also that He might glorify His Human in order that He might thereby forever keep all things in the order into which He had reduced them. From this comes the salvation of man, for the hells are round every man, because everyone is born into evils of every kind, and where evils are, there are the hells; and unless these were cast back by the Divine power of the Lord, no one could ever have been saved. That this is so the Word teaches, and all those apprehend who admit the Lord into their life; and these as before said are those who acknowledge Him, and love to live according to His commandments.

To be withdrawn from evils, to be regenerated, and thus to be saved, is mercy, which is not, as is believed, immediate, but mediate, that is, for those who desist from evils, and so admit from the Lord the truth of faith and the good of love into their life. Immediate mercy, namely, such as would be for everyone merely at God's good pleasure, is contrary to Divine order; and that which is contrary to Divine order is contrary to God, because order is from God, and His Divine in heaven is order. To receive order into one's self is to be saved, and this is effected solely by living according to the Lord's commandments. Man is regenerated to the end that he may receive into himself the order of heaven, and he is regenerated by means of faith and the life of faith, which is charity. He who has order in himself is in heaven, and also is heaven in a certain image; but he who has it not is in hell, and is hell in a certain image. The one cannot possibly be changed and transferred into the other by immediate mercy, for they are opposites, because evil is opposite to good, and in good there are life and heaven, but in evil there are death and hell. That the one cannot be transferred into the other is taught by the Lord in Luke:

Abraham said unto the rich man in hell, Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed; so that those who would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can those who are there pass over to us (Luke 16:26).

Moreover, if immediate mercy were possible, all in the world would be saved, without exception, and there would be no hell, for the Lord is mercy itself, because He is love itself, which wills the salvation of all, and the death of no one.

(Arcana Coelestia 10659)