Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 197hell. But wholly different are holy worship, adorations, and prayerswith those who are in the knowledges of truth and good and in alife according to them; with such these acts are pleasing to theLord, for they are the effects wrought by their spirit in the body, orthe effects of their faith and love, thus they are not merely naturalgestures, but spiritual acts.From this it can be seen that the knowledges of truth and goodfrom the Word, and a life according to them, alone make manspiritual; and that in him who is thereby made spiritual, angelicwisdom from the Lord can be implanted together with eternalhappiness. Angels derive happiness from no other source than fromwisdom.[3] A “crown” signifies wisdom, because all things by which manis clothed or distinguished derive their signification from the partof man that they clothe or distinguish (see Arcana Coelestia, n.9827), and “crown” signifies wisdom, because it is a sign upon thehead, and “head” in the Word signifies wisdom, for there wisdomresides. So in Ezekiel:I decked thee with ornaments, I put bracelets upon thy hands; anda chain upon thy throat. And I put a jewel upon thy nose, and earringsin thine ears, and a crown of adorning upon thy head (Ezek. 16:11, 12).Jerusalem, which signifies the church, is here treated of, such as itwas when it was established by the Lord; by these various insigniaare meant, in the spiritual sense, such things as are of the church;and each one takes its signification from the part to which it isapplied, and “the crown of adorning” here means wisdom. (Butwhat is meant by “ornament,” may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n.10536, 10540; by “bracelets,” n. 3103, 3105; by “chain” n. 5320;by “jewel,” n. 4551; by “earrings,” n. 4551, 10402.) Wisdom,which is from the knowledges of truth and good from the Wordand from a life according to them, is likewise signified by “crown”in many other passages in the Word (as in Isa. 28:5; Jer. 13:18;Lam. 5:15, 16; Ezek. 21:25, 26; 23:42; Zech. 6:11–14; Ps. 89:38,39; Ps. 132:17, 18; Job 19:9; Rev. 3:11; 4:4). The crowning ofkings is from ancient times, when men were familiar with