Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 120It is believed in the world that man has life implanted in him, andthat it does not therefore flow in unceasingly from him who alonehas life in himself, and who thus alone is Life. But this belief is abelief in what is false (see Heaven and Hell, n. 9).83. And I became dead signifies that he was rejected. This isevident from this, that the Lord is said to be “dead” when faith inhim and love towards him are no more; for with those who are inlove towards him and faith in him the Lord lives, but with thosewho are not in love and in faith toward him he does not live. Withsuch he is said to be “dead” because he is rejected. This is what ishere meant in the internal sense by the words “I became dead”; butin the sense of the letter it is meant that he was crucified. TheLord’s being crucified has a like signification in the internal sense,namely, that he was rejected and treated thus by the Jews; for theLord, when he was in the world, was Divine truth itself, and asDivine truth was altogether rejected by the Jews, therefore theLord, who was Divine truth, suffered himself to be crucified. Suchthings are signified by all that is related in the Evangelistsconcerning the Lord’s passion; the particulars, even to everyminutest particular, involve this. Whenever, therefore, the Lordspeaks of his passion he calls himself the son of man, that is, Divinetruth (see above, n. 63). That Divine truth was altogether rejectedby the Jews is well known; for they accepted nothing that the Lordsaid, and not even that he was the son of God. From this it may beknown how those things that the Lord said to the disciples aboutthe Jews’ rejection of him are to be understood. Thus in Luke:The son of man must suffer many things, and be repudiated by theelders and chief priests and scribes (Luke 9:22).The son of man must suffer many things, and be repudiated bythis generation (Luke 17:25).In Mark:It is written of the son of man, that he should suffer many thingsand be set at naught (Mark 9:12).