Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 78“For the son of man’s sake” is for the sake of Divine truth thatproceeds from the Lord. Divine truth is the all of faith in and oflove to the Lord. Because the evil deny these things, and those whodeny also hate them, while the good acknowledge them, therefore itis said that the good are blessed.[4] In the same:The days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days ofthe son of man, but ye shall not see it. Then they shall say to you, Lohere, or Lo there. Go not away, nor pursue after (Luke 17:22–23).“To desire [to see] one of the days of the son of man,” is to desireDivine truth, which is genuine truth, as to something thereof; theend of the church is here meant, when there will no longer be anyfaith, because there will be no charity, at which time all Divinetruth will perish; and because Divine truth is signified by “the sonof man,” it is said, “Then shall they say, Lo here, or lo there; pursuenot after.”[5] In the same:When the son of man cometh, shall he find faith upon the earth?(Luke 18:8);which means that when Divine truth shall be revealed out ofheaven it will not be believed. Here also, “the son of man” is theLord in respect to Divine truth; the coming of the Lord is therevelation of Divine truth at the end of the church (see ArcanaCoelestia, n. 3900, 4060).[6] In Matthew:As the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even untothe west, so shall the coming of the son of man be. Then shall appearthe sign of the son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of theearth lament, and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds ofheaven, with power and glory (Matt. 24:27, 30).