Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 267When Jehoram saw Jehu, he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he said,What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and herwitchcrafts are many? (2 Kings 9:22).162. Verse 21. And I gave her time that she might repent of herwhoredom, and she repented not, signifies that those who are infalsities therefrom do not turn themselves to truths nor by means oftruths. This is evident from the signification of “repenting ofwhoredom,” as being to turn oneself from falsities to truths; for“whoredom” is the falsification of truth, and “to repent” is to turnoneself away from falsities; for repentance is an actual turning fromfalsities to truths, and dissociation and separation from falsities (seeabove, n. 143); also from the signification of “she repented not,” asbeing that they do not turn themselves from falsities to truths.These things are said of Jezebel, but those are meant who from thedelight of the loves of self and the world have falsified truths andadulterated goods; for in the prophecies of the Word one person isnamed, and by that person are meant all of that character.[2] Something shall be here said briefly about this statement thatthose who have falsified truths with themselves by applying them tothe delights of self-love do not afterwards turn themselves to truths.Man sees from the Word the truths of the church from the spiritualor internal man and from its intellectual, but he does not receivethem therein except to the extent that he loves them so as to wishto do them. When man so wills, his internal or spiritual man callsforth and elevates to itself, out of the natural man and its memory,the truths that are there, and conjoins them to the love that is of hiswill; thus the internal spiritual man, where man’s interior andhigher mind resides, is opened and is successively filled andperfected. But if man permits the natural delight, which is thedelight of the love of self and the world, to have dominion, then heviews all things from that delight; and if he then sees truths heapplies them to his own love and falsifies them. When this is donethe internal spiritual man is closed; for as this is suited only to thereception of such things as are in heaven, it cannot bear that truthsshould be falsified; consequently when truths are falsified itcontracts itself and closes almost, as a fibril does when touched by aprickle. When the internal is once closed, the love of self reigns, or