Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 170reason it was said that unless a man is in the knowledges of truthand good from the Word and in the life thereof, the Lord cannotdwell with him. From this, taken together, it follows that thenatural man can by no means become spiritual without theknowledges of good and truth from the Word.[4] By “the angel of the church of the Smyrneans” are meantthose within the church who wish to understand the Word, but donot yet understand, and therefore are as yet but little in theknowledges of truth and good, which nevertheless they desirebecause they are in the spiritual affection of truth; and those whoare in the spiritual affection of truth are also in the life of charity,for from that they have spiritual affection. The spiritual comes toman from no other source than from charity. Those who are inspiritual affection are interested in the Word, and desire nothingmore earnestly than to understand it. But as there are innumerablethings therein that they do not understand, because the Word in itsbosom is spiritual and the spiritual includes infinite arcana,therefore, so long as man lives in the world and then sees from thenatural man, he can be but little in the knowledges of truth andgood, and in generals only, in which, however, innumerable thingsmay be implanted when he comes into the spiritual world orheaven.[5] A man who is in the affection of truth from a spiritual originknows many more things than he knew before; for the generalknowledges that he has are like vessels that can be filled with manythings, and they are also actually filled when he comes into heaven.That this is so can be seen merely from this, that all the angels inheaven are from the human race, and yet they possess wisdom suchas could be described only by what is unutterable andincomprehensible, as is well known. (That the angels of heaven arefrom no other source than the human race, see Heaven and Hell, n.311–317, and Last Judgment, n. 14–22.) This fullness ofintelligence and wisdom is what is meant by the words of the Lordin Luke:Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over,shall be given into your bosom (Luke 6:38);