Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 271be in the same doctrine of the church; “two [women] grinding” arethose that collect and learn such things as are serviceable to faith;“two [men] in the field” are those in the church that apply goodsand truths to themselves. (That “those who grind” are those whocollect and learn such things as are serviceable to faith, see ArcanaCoelestia, n. 4335, 7780, 9995; that “field” means reception oftruth and good, see n. 368, 3310, 9141, 9295.)[7] In John:Jesus said to the sick man at the pool of Bethsaida, 15 Arise, take upthy bed, and walk. And straightway the man was made whole, and tookup his bed, and walked. Afterward Jesus findeth him, and said untohim, Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befallthee (John 5:8–12, 14).And in Mark:They uncovered the roof where Jesus was, and they let down 16 thebed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. Jesus said, Whether is easier tosay, thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed andwalk? Then he said, Arise, take up thy bed and walk, and go unto thinehouse. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forthbefore them all (Mark 2:4, 9, 11–12).The Lord saying to these sick, “Arise, take up thy bed, and walk,”signifies doctrine, and a life according thereto; “bed” signifiesdoctrine, and “to walk” life (that “ walking” is living, see above, n.97). “The sick man” signifies those that have transgressed andsinned; consequently the Lord said to the sick man at the pool ofBethsaida, “Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worsething befall thee”; and to the paralytic let down on a bed throughthe roof, “Whether it is easier to say, thy sins are forgiven thee, orto say, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?” Those who know nothingof the internal sense of the Word may believe that the words thatthe Lord spoke involve nothing more than what is obvious in thesense of the letter, when yet every particular of what the Lord spokehas a spiritual meaning, for he spoke from the Divine, and thus inthe presence both of heaven and of the world (see Arcana Coelestia,n. 2533, 4637, 4807, 9048, 9063, 9086, 10126, 10276).