Heavenly doctrine of Christ and antichrist

48 Pages·2008·0.13 MB·English

Heavenly doctrine of Christ and antichrist
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772)

Arcana Caelestia 518. Verse 22 And Enoch walked with
God after he beget Methuselah three hundred years; and
he beget sons and daughters. 'Walking with God' means
doctrine concerning faith. 'He beget sons and
daughters' means matters of doctrine concerning truths
and goods.
718. 'Male and mate'* means that truths were joined to
goods. This is clear from the meaning of 'man' (vir) as
truth which belongs to the understanding, and from the
meaning of 'wife' as good which belongs to the will,
both dealt with already. This consequently means that
with man neither the smallest area of thought nor the
smallest area of affection or activity has any
existence at all unless it contains some marriage of
understanding and will. In the absence of such a
marriage nothing ever comes forth or is produced. The
very organs of man's body, in their complex and in
their simple parts, and indeed in the simplest parts of
all, contain that which is passive and that which is
active. And if these were not coupled together, like
man and wife in marriage, they could not even be there,
let alone produce anything. The same applies to the
whole realm of nature. The source and origin of these
enduring marriages lies in the heavenly marriage by
means of which also the idea of the Lord's kingdom is
stamped on everything in the whole realm of nature,
Heavenly doctrine of Christ and antichrist pg. 1 of 48
both on animate beings and on inanimate. * lit. man and
wife
3005. The fact that JESUS in the internal sense is
Divine Good and CHRIST Divine Truth may be seen from
many places in the Word. The reason why Jesus is Divine
Good is that it means Safety, Salvation, and Saviour.
And as it means these it means Divine Good, for it is
from Divine Good, which is the manifestation of the
Lord's love and mercy, and so through the reception of
that Good, that all salvation springs. The reason why
Christ is Divine Truth is that it means Messiah,
Anointed, and King. That Messiah, Anointed, or King is
Divine Truth will be clear from what follows.
3006. These are the things that angels perceive when
the names Jesus Christ are used, and the things that
are meant by its being said that in no other name is
there salvation, and by what the Lord stated so many
times concerning His name, as in John, Whatever you ask
in My name, I will do. John 14:13, 14. In the same
gospel, These things have been written that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and
that believing you may have life in His name. John
20:31. And elsewhere. 'His name' means everything in
its entirety by which the Lord is worshipped, and so
the essential nature of all worship and doctrine, see
2724. Here therefore the good of love and charity is
meant when joined to the truth of faith, which
Heavenly doctrine of Christ and antichrist pg. 2 of 48
constitutes the fabric of doctrine and worship in their
entirety.
3007. As regards Christ being the same as Messiah,
Anointed, and King, and Messiah, Anointed, and King
being the same as Divine Truth, this may be seen [from
what follows below].
3008. The first point- that Christ is the same as
Messiah, Anointed, and King - is evident from the
following places in the Word: In John, Andrew found his
own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the
Messiah, which when interpreted is the Christ. John
1:41. In the same gospel, Many from the crowd as they
heard this utterance said, This is truly the prophet.
Others said, This is the Christ. But others said,
Surely the Christ is not therefore going to come from
Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ is
going to come from the seed of David, and from
Bethlehem, the town where David was? John 7:40-42. 'The
Christ' plainly stands for the Messiah whom they
awaited. In the same gospel, Do the rulers indeed
acknowledge that this is indeed the Christ? Yet we know
where this man is from, whereas when the Christ comes
no one knows where He is from. John 7:25-27. 'The
Christ' stands for the Messiah. No one knew where He
was from because He was unacknowledged. In the same
gospel, The Jews gathered round Jesus and said to Him,
How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the
Christ tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you
Heavenly doctrine of Christ and antichrist pg. 3 of 48
and you do not believe. John 10:24, 25. Here also 'the
Christ' stands for the Messiah whom they awaited. In
the same gospel, The crowd answered, We have heard from
the Law that the Christ remains for ever. John 12:34.
'The Christ' stands for 'the Messiah'. In the same
gospel, Martha said, I believe that You are the Christ,
the Son of God, who was to come into the world. John
11:27. That is, Martha believed that He was the
Messiah. In Luke, There was a man in Jerusalem whose
name was Simeon. He had received an answer from the
Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had
seen the Lord's Christ. Luke 2:25, 26. This stands for
the Messiah or Jehovah's Anointed. In the same gospel,
Jesus said to the disciples, But whom do you say that I
am? Peter answered and said, God's Christ. Luke 9:20;
Mark 8:29. And there are other instances besides these,
such as Matt. 26:63, 64; John 6:68, 69; Mark 14:61, 62.
[2] Since the names Christ and Messiah are one and the
same - Christ in Greek and Messiah in Hebrew meaning
the Anointed - it is therefore evident that Christ is
one and the same as the Anointed. It is also one and
the same as King, for kings were generally called the
anointed, as is evident from many places in the
Historical sections of the Word, as well as the
Prophetical, as in David, The kings of the earth have
set themselves, and the princes have taken counsel
together against Jehovah and against His Anointed. Ps.
2:2. In the same author, Now I know that Jehovah saves
His Anointed. He will answer Him from His holy heaven
Heavenly doctrine of Christ and antichrist pg. 4 of 48
with the mighty acts of His saving right hand. Ps.
20:6. In the same author, Jehovah is their strength,
and the saving strength of His Anointed. Ps. 28:8. In
Samuel, Jehovah will give strength to His king, and
exalt the horn of His Anointed. 1 Sam. 2:10. In these
and many other places elsewhere 'the anointed' stands
for the king. The word used in the original language is
Messiah. In all these prophetical utterances the
subject in the internal sense is the Lord, who is the
King, as is also evident from the New Testament, as in
Matthew, The governor asked Jesus, Are you the King of
the Jews? Jesus said to him, You say so. Matt. 27:11.
In Luke, Pilate asked Jesus, saying, Are you the King
of the Jews? He answering him said, You say so. Luke
23:3; Mark 15:2. In John, They cried, Hosanna! Blessed
is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King
of Israel. John 12:13. In the same gospel, Nathanael
said, Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King
of Israel! John 1:49.
3009. As to the second point - that Messiah, Anointed,
or King is the same as Divine Truth - this is clear
from very many places in the Word, and has been shown
frequently in explanations; as in 1672, 1728, 2015,
2069. The Lord Himself also teaches the same in John,
Pilate said to Jesus, Are you not then a king? Jesus
answered, You say it, because I am a King. For this I
was born, and for this I have come into the world, to
bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth
hears My voice. John 18:37. From this it is clear that
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the Divine Truth itself is at the root of the Lord's
being called 'the King'. The reason why kings were
anointed and consequently called the anointed was that
'the oil' with which they were anointed meant good,
886, 2832. Also the truth, meant by 'king', was derived
from good and was accordingly truth grounded in good,
so that the kingly office with them represented the
Lord as regards Divine Truth which is derived from
Divine Good, and so represented the Divine marriage of
good within truth, whereas the priestly function
represented the Divine marriage of truth within good.
The latter is meant by Jesus, the former by Christ.
3010. From this it is evident what is meant by 'the
Christ' in Matthew, See that no one leads you astray,
for many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ;
and they will lead many astray. Then if anyone says to
you, Behold, here is the Christ! or, There! do not
believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will
arise. Matt. 24:4, 5, 23, 24; Mark 13:21, 22. Here
'false Christs' means truths which are not Divine -
that is, falsities - and 'false prophets' those who
teach such falsities, 2534. In the same gospel,
Neither be called masters, for you have one Master, the
Christ. Matt. 23:10. 'The Christ' stands for Divine
truth. This shows what is meant by a Christian, namely
one governed by truth derived from good.
3732. 'Jacob made a vow, saying' means a state of
Providence. This is clear from the meaning of 'making a
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vow' in the internal sense as wishing the Lord to
provide; and therefore in the highest sense, in which
the Lord is the subject, a state of Providence is
meant. The reason why in the internal sense 'making a
vow' means wishing the Lord to provide is that present
within vows there is a desire and affection that what
is wished for may come about, thus that the Lord may
provide it. Within them something of a bargain is
present, and at the same time on man's part something
of a bounden duty to keep his side of it, should he
obtain his desire. This was the case with Jacob, in
that Jehovah was to be his God, and the stone which he
placed as a pillar was to be God's house, and he would
devote a tenth of everything He had given him, if
Jehovah guarded him on the road, gave him bread to eat
and clothing to wear, and he went back in peace to his
father's house. From this it is evident that the vows
made in those times were particular agreements,
involving primarily men's acknowledgement of God as
their God if He provided them with what they desired,
and involving also their repayment to Him with some
gift if He did provide it. [2] That state of affairs
shows quite clearly what the fathers of the Jewish
nation were like. They were like Jacob here, who did
not as yet acknowledge Jehovah and was still at the
stage of choosing whether to acknowledge Him or some
other as his own God. It was a special feature of that
nation, even of their fathers, that everyone wished to
have his own God; and anyone who worshipped Jehovah
Heavenly doctrine of Christ and antichrist pg. 7 of 48
worshipped Him merely as some god called Jehovah, the
name which distinguished Him from the gods of other
nations. Accordingly their worship even in this respect
was idolatrous, for the worship of the name only, even
of Jehovah's, is nothing but idolatrous, 1094. This is
like people who call themselves Christians and say that
they worship Christ, but do not live according to His
commandments. They worship Him in an idolatrous way
since they worship only His name, it being a false
Christ whom they worship; reference to that false
Christ is made in Matthew 24: 23, 24 - see 3010.
2534. 'For he is a prophet' means that thus it was to
be taught. This is clear from the meaning of 'a
prophet'. One reads the word 'prophet' many times in
the Word, and in the sense of the letter it means those
to whom revelation is given, and also - abstractedly
from persons - revelation itself. But in the internal
sense that word means one who teaches, and also -
abstractedly - doctrine itself. And because, as has
been stated, the Lord is doctrine itself, or the Word
which teaches, He is called 'a Prophet', as also in
Moses, Jehovah your God will raise up a Prophet like me
from the midst of you, from your brothers; Him shall
you obey. Deut. 18: 15, 18. The words 'like me' are
used because the Lord was represented by Moses, as He
also was by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and many
more. And because people awaited Him it is therefore
said in John, When the people saw the sign which Jesus
Heavenly doctrine of Christ and antichrist pg. 8 of 48
had done, they said, This is indeed the Prophet who is
to come into the world. John 6: 14.
[2] Since the Lord in the highest sense is 'the
Prophet' and 'the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy', Rev. 19: 10, 'a prophet' therefore means in
the internal sense of the Word a person who teaches,
and also - abstractedly - doctrine, as becomes quite
clear from the following places: In Luke, You, child,
will be called prophet of the Most High. Luke 1: 76.
Zechariah said this in reference to his son, John the
Baptist, who was not the prophet but one preparing the
way by teaching and preaching the good news about the
Lord's Coming, as he himself says, They asked him, What
are you? Are you Elijah? But he said, I am not. Are you
the prophet? He answered, No. Therefore they said to
him. Who are you? He said, I am the voice of one crying
in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.
John 1: 21-23.
[3] In Matthew, Many will say on that day, Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in Your name? Matt. 7: 22.
Here it is evident that 'prophesying' means teaching.
In John, You must again prophesy over many peoples, and
nations, and tongues, and kings. Rev. 10: 11.
'Prophesying' stands for teaching. What 'peoples',
'nations', 'tongues', and 'kings' mean has been stated
and shown in various places. In the same book, The
nations will trample the holy city for forty-two
months, but I will grant My two witnesses to prophesy
Heavenly doctrine of Christ and antichrist pg. 9 of 48
one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in
sackcloth. Rev. 11: 2, 3. Here also 'prophesying'
stands for teaching. In Moses, Jehovah said to Moses,
See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your
brother will be your prophet. Exod. 7: 1. Here
'prophet' stands for one teaching or saying what Moses
would have to say. In Joel, I will pour out My spirit
on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will
prophesy. Joel 2: 28. 'They will prophesy' stands for
they will teach. [4] In Isaiah, Jehovah has poured out
over you a spirit of sleep, and has closed your eyes;
the prophets and your heads, the seers, He has covered;
and the vision of all this has become to you like the
words of a sealed book which men give to one who is
able to read, saying, Read this, now; and he will say,
I cannot, for it is sealed. Isa. 29: 10, 11. Here 'the
prophets' is used to mean those who teach truth, and
'the seers' those who see truth. Their heads are said
to be 'covered' when they know no truth at all and see
none at all. Because in ancient times those who taught
were called prophets, they were also called 'seers',
for 'seeing' meant understanding, 2150, 2325. The fact
that they were called 'seers', see 1 Sam. 9: 9; 2 Sam.
24: 11. They were also called 'men (vir) of God'
because of the meaning 'man' carried, dealt with in
158, 265, 749, 915, 1007, 2517. The fact that they were
called 'men of God', see 2 Kings 1: 9-16; 4: 7, 9, 16,
21, 22, 25, 27, 40, 42; 5: 8, 14, 20; 13: 19; 23: 16,
17.
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