Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 144the earth is the church. From this it is evident what is meant by“apostles” in the spiritual sense of the Word, namely, not thetwelve apostles who were sent by the Lord to teach concerning himand his kingdom, but all who are in the truths of the church, andin a sense abstracted from persons, the truths themselves. For in theWord it is customary to speak of persons; but those who are in itsspiritual sense, as angels are, do not think of persons at all, but theirthought is abstracted from persons, and has respect therefore solelyto things. The reason is, that it is material to think of persons, butspiritual to think apart from the idea of persons; for instance, wherethe “disciples” are mentioned in the Word, or “prophets,” “priests,”“kings,” “Jews,” “Israel,” “the inhabitants of Zion,” and of“Jerusalem,” and so on. (Moreover, the very names of persons andplaces are changed with angels into things, see Arcana Coelestia, n.768, 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, 4310, 4442, 5095, 5225, 6516,10216, 10282, 10329, 10432; and that the thought of angels isabstracted from persons, n. 8343, 8985, 9007.)[3] That the disciples of the Lord were called apostles from theirhaving been sent to teach concerning him and his kingdom is clearin Luke:Jesus sent his twelve disciples to preach the kingdom of God. Andthe apostles, when they were returned, declared unto him what thingsthey had done. And Jesus spake to them of the kingdom of God (Luke9:1, 2, 10, 11).When it was day, Jesus called his disciples; and he chose from thetwelve, whom also he named apostles (Luke 6:13).I will send unto them prophets and apostles, and some of themthey shall kill and persecute (Luke 11:49).They are called “prophets and apostles,” because by “prophets,” aswell as by “apostles,” are meant those who were sent to teachtruths; but by “prophets” those of the Old Testament, and by“apostles” those of the New. (That “prophets” in the Word signifythose who teach truths and in a sense abstracted from persons thetruths themselves, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534.) As the “twelve