Apocalypse Explained (Whitehead) n. 1225

Previous Number Next Number Next Translation See Latin 

1225. Blessed are they that have been called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb, signifies that those who are conjoined to the Lord by means of truths from the Word, and become a church, will come into heaven. This is evident from the signification of "blessed," as being those who are in heaven or who will come into heaven, for these are the blessed; also from the signification of "supper," as being consociation through love, and communication (see n. 252); therefore "the marriage supper of the Lamb" signifies conjunction with the Lord and consequent communication with those who are of that church.

(Continuation)

[2] (6) From the omnipresence and omniscience of the Lord thus perceived it can be understood how the Lord is the All and is in all things of heaven and the church, and that we are in the Lord, and He is in us. All things of heaven and the church mean the Divine truth and the Divine good; the former is from the light of the sun of heaven, which is wisdom, and the latter is from the heat of the sun of heaven, which is love; and in the same way that the angels are recipients of these are they a heaven in general and heavens individually, and in the same way that men are recipients of them are they a church in general and churches individually. There can be nothing with any angel that makes heaven in him, nor anything with any man that makes the church in him, except the Divine that proceeds from the Lord; for it is well known that every truth of faith and every good of love is from the Lord, and nothing of these from man. All this makes clear that the Lord is the All and is in all things of heaven and the church. [3] That we are in the Lord and He is in us, He Himself teaches in John:

Jesus said, He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me and I in him (John 6:56).

And in the same:

In that day ye shall know that ye are in Me and I in you (John 14:20-21).

And elsewhere:

That in Him we live and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28).

All the angels of heaven and all the men of the church are in the Lord and the Lord is in them when they are in that heavenly man spoken of above. Angels and men are then in the Lord because they are recipients of life from Him, and they are in His Divine, and the Lord is in them because He is the life in the recipients. All this makes clear that all who are in a natural idea of the Lord cannot understand His Divine omnipresence in any other way than as intuitive, although it is an actual omnipresence, like the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit, which is the Divine proceeding.


This page is part of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church