True Christian Religion (Chadwick) n. 780

Previous Number Next Number Next Translation See Latin 

780. In order that the Lord could be constantly present with me, He has revealed to me the spiritual sense of His Word, in which Divine truth is illuminated by its own light, and in this He is continually present. For it is through the spiritual sense and in no other way that He is present in the Word. His presence passes A through the light shed by the spiritual sense into the shadow which covers the literal sense. This may be compared with the sun's light in daytime obscured by an intervening cloud. I proved above that the literal sense of the Word is like a cloud, and its spiritual sense is the glory, and the Lord Himself is the sun which gives light, so that the Lord is the Word. It is clear from the following passages that the glory in which the Lord is to come (Matt. 24:30) means Divine truth in its own light, which contains the spiritual sense of the Word:

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way for Jehovah. The glory of Jehovah will be revealed, and all flesh will see it. Isa. 40:3, 5.

Shine, for your light has come and the glory of Jehovah has risen upon you. Isa. 60:1-end.

I shall make you to be a covenant for the people, a light for the nations; and my glory I shall not give to another. Isa. 42:6, 8; 48:11.

Your light will burst forth like the dawn, the glory of Jehovah will gather you up. Isa. 58:8.

The whole earth will be filled with the glory of Jehovah. Num. 14:21; Isa. 6:1-3; 66:18.

In the beginning was the Word. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. He was the true light. And the Word was made flesh, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father. John 1:1, 4, 9, 14.

The heavens will tell the glory of God. Ps. 19:1.

The Glory of God will give light to the Holy Jerusalem, and the Lamb will be its lantern; and the nations who are saved will walk in its* light. Rev. 21:23, 24.

There are many other similar passages. The reason why glory means Divine truth in its fulness is that everything magnificent in heaven is so because of the light, which is radiated from the Lord. And the light radiating from Him as the sun of heaven is in its essence Divine truth.

* The Latin says 'in His light', but the Greek has 'in its light' and this version is followed in 790 and at AR 920.


This page is part of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church