Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 245[2] Since there are these two in man, and each separately must beopened by means proper to it, it is clear that unless the internal isopened by its proper means man continues merely natural, and hisinternal in that case is closed. But those with whom the internal isclosed are not men of the church; for the church with man isformed through communication with heaven; and there is nocommunication with heaven unless man’s internal is opened by itsproper means, all which have reference, as was said above, to loveand faith. It is to be known, moreover, that with the man of thechurch, that is, the man who has been regenerated by the Lord bymeans of truths called truths of faith and by means of a lifeaccording to them, the internal and external or the spiritual andnatural man are conjoined, and that this conjunction is effected bycorrespondences. (The nature of correspondences, and therefore thenature of the conjunction effected by them can be seen from whatis shown about them in Arcana Coelestia, and cited from that workthe Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 261.)[3] Now since a man does not become a man of the church untilhis internal or spiritual man has been opened and until this hasbeen conjoined with the external or natural man, those within thechurch in whom this conjunction is effected are now treated of; for(as was said above, n. 20) by “the seven churches” are not meantseven churches, but all in general who are of the Lord’s church;consequently what is written to the angel of each church treats ofsuch things as constitute the church; here, therefore, that is, “to theangel of the church of Thyatira,” the internal and external aretreated of, and the conjunction of the two in those of the church.(But as hitherto it has not been known that these two are actuallyin man, and that they must be opened and conjoined that man maybe a man of the church; and as these things cannot be made clear ina few words, therefore they have been treated of in Doctrine of theNew Jerusalem, n. 36–53, 179–182.)151. These things saith the son of man, signifies the Lord in respectto the Divine human, from which is that essential of the church.This is evident from the signification of “the son of man,” as beingthe Lord in respect to the Divine human, and in respect to Divine