Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 124unto you. Abide in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shallabide in my love. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bearethmuch fruit; for without me ye cannot do anything (John 15:4–10).From this it may be known what is meant by these words in John:Ye see me; because I live ye shall live also (John 14:19).(That to “see” the Lord is to believe in him, see above, n. 14, 25,37; and that “to have faith,” or “to believe” in the Lord, is to be inlove and charity, see Last Judgment, n. 33–39; and New Jerusalemand Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 108–142.)85. Amen signifies Divine confirmation, as may be seen above (n.34).86. And I have the keys of hell and of death signifies that he haspower to save. This is evident from the signification of “keys,” asbeing the power to open and shut (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9410);and from the signification of “hell,” as being evils, for all evils arefrom hell and belong to hell; and from the signification of “death,”as being damnation, which is also called spiritual death (see n.5407, 6119, 9008). “To have the keys of hell and of death” meansalso the power to save, because the Lord alone removes the hellswith man and thereby damnation; and when the hells are removedman is saved, for in their place heaven and eternal life flows in; forthe Lord is constantly present with man, and desires to fill himwith heaven, but evils stand in the way of its being received; so far,therefore, as the hells are removed, that is, so far as man refrainsfrom evils, so far the Lord with heaven flows in.The Lord here says that he “has the keys of hell and of death,”because it is said immediately before that he is “alive unto the agesof the ages,” by which is meant that from him is eternal life; and sofar as the Lord is received in faith and in love, so far he is in man;and so far as he is in man so far he removes evils, thus the hells andeternal death. This the Lord alone does, and for this reason heought to be received, as is evident also from the passages from theWord cited just above (n. 83). By “hell” evils of every kind are