Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 461He who does not know that “possessions” mean in the Wordspiritual riches and wealth, which are knowledges from the Word,can know no otherwise than that he ought to deprive himself of allwealth in order to be saved; where yet that is not the meaning ofthese words. “Possessions” here mean all things that are from selfintelligence,for no one can be wise from himself, but only from theLord; “to renounce all possessions” is to attribute nothing ofintelligence and wisdom to oneself, and he who does not do thiscannot be instructed by the Lord, that is, cannot be His disciple.[9] They who do not know that “the rich” mean those whopossess the knowledges of truth and good, thus who have theWord, and that “the poor” mean those who do not possessknowledges, but yet long for them, can know no otherwise thanthat “the rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen,” and“the poor man who was laid at his gate” (Luke 16), mean the richand the poor in the common acceptation of these words, when yet“the rich man” there means the Jewish nation, which had theWord, in which are all the knowledges of truth and good; the“purple” with which be was clothed means genuine good (ArcanaCoelestia, n. 9467); “fine linen” genuine truth (Arcana Coelestia, n.5319, 9469, 9596, 9744); and “the poor man who was laid at hisgate” means the Gentiles that were outside of the church, and didnot have the Word, and yet longed for the truths and goods ofheaven and the church. From this it is clear that “the rich” meanthose who have the Word, and thus the knowledges of truth andgood, since these are in the Word.[10] So also in the prophecy to Elizabeth, in Luke:God hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hathsent empty away (1:53).“The hungry” are those who long for knowledges; such were theGentiles that received the Lord and doctrine from Him; but “therich” are those who have knowledges because they have the Word;such were the Jews, and yet they did not wish to know truths fromthe word, consequently they did not receive the Lord and doctrine