Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 169self and the world, and thence are natural; but those who are in theaffection of truth from a spiritual source look first to the Lord andto heaven, and thence are spiritual. Man’s affection or love lookseither downwards or upwards; those who look to self and the worldlook downwards, but those who look to the Lord and to heavenlook upwards. A man’s interiors, which are of his mind, actuallylook in the same direction as his love or affection does, for lovedetermines them; and such as is the determination of man’sinteriors, which are of his mind, such after death does the manremain to eternity. Looking downwards or upwards is looking fromlove through the understanding, thus through the things that formand make the understanding, which are the knowledges of truthand good.[3] In what is written to the angel of the Ephesian church, thosewithin the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good,and not also, or not yet, in a life according to them, thus those whoare in the affection of truth from a natural source, are described;and now in what is written to the angel of the church of theSmyrneans, those who are in the knowledges of truth and good,and also in a life according to them, thus those who are in theaffection of truth from a spiritual source are described; and thisbecause the former is the first [state] of the church, and the latter isthe second. For no one can be introduced into the church andformed for heaven, except by knowledges from the Word. Withoutthese man does not know the way to heaven, and without these theLord cannot dwell with him. It can be seen that without theknowledges of truth and good from the Word no one can knowanything of the Lord, of the angelic heaven, or of charity and faith;and that which a man does not know he cannot think, thus cannotwill, and accordingly cannot believe and love. It is evident,therefore, that by means of knowledges man learns the way toheaven. It can also be seen that without the knowledges of truthand good from the Word the Lord cannot be present with man andlead him, for when man knows nothing of the Lord, of heaven, ofcharity and faith, his spiritual mind, which is the higher mind, andis intended to see by the light of heaven, is empty, and has nothingfrom the Divine in it. But the Lord cannot be with man except inhis own with man, that is, in the things that are from him. For this