Spiritual background for EXODUS 37    previous  -  next  -  text  -  BM Home  -  Full Page

THE DOCTRINE OF CHARITY AND FAITH

AC 10760. That which makes heaven with man also makes the Church, for the Church is the Lord‘s heaven on earth. Consequently from what has been previously said about heaven, it is evident what the Church is.

AC 10761. That is called the Church where the Lord is acknowledged, and where the Word is; for the essentials of the Church are love to the Lord from the Lord, and faith in the Lord from the Lord; and the Word teaches how a man must live in order that he may receive love and faith from the Lord.

AC 10762. The Lord’s Church is internal and external; internal with those who do the Lord‘s commandments from love, for these are they who love the Lord; and external with those who do the Lord’s commandments from faith, for these are they who believe in the Lord.

AC 10763. In order that the Church may exist, there must be doctrine from the Word, because without doctrine the Word is not understood; yet doctrine alone in a man does not make the Church in him; but a life according thereto. From this it follows that faith alone does not make the Church; but the life of faith which is charity.

AC 10764. The genuine doctrine of the Church is the doctrine of charity and at the same time of faith, and not the doctrine of faith without that of charity; for the doctrine of charity and at the same time of faith is the doctrine of life; but not the doctrine of faith without the doctrine of charity.

AC 10765. Those who are outside the Church, and yet acknowledge one God, and live according to their religion in a kind of charity toward the neighbor, are in communion with those who are of the Church, because no one is condemned who believes in God, and lives well. From this it is evident that the Lord‘s Church is everywhere in the whole world, although specifically it is where the Lord is acknowledged, and where the Word is.

AC 10766. Everyone in whom the Church is, is saved. But everyone in whom the Church is not, is condemned.

CONTINUATION ABOUT THE FIFTH EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN

AC 10768. In addition to what has been related, some things were also seen on that earth itself, which was effected by communication with the angels who were there, and who appeared as men of the earth. For when these angels are presented to view as men in the manner above related, they see with their eyes the objects there exactly as do the inhabitants. But when they are not in this state, they see nothing of the kind, but only what is in heaven.

AC 10769. Their habitations were seen, which were low houses in the form of the tents that were used by the ancients. They were drawn out to a great length, and had windows on the sides according to the number of the abodes or chambers into which they were divided The roof was rounded, and there was a door at each end. They said that they are built of earth, and are roofed with sods; and that the windows are made of grassy threads, so woven together that the light may shine through. Little children were also seen there, and they said that the neighbors come to them especially for the sake of their own little children, so that these may be in companionship with other little children under the view and oversight of the parents.

AC 10770. There appeared also fields then whitening with the nearly ripe harvest. The seeds or grains of this harvest were shown, which were like the grains of Chinese wheat. Loaves of bread also were shown made from this grain, which were small and (formed) in square pieces. There also appeared grassy plains with flowers on them; and also trees that bore a fruit like pomegranates; and also plantations that were not grapevines, but yet bore berries from which they prepare wine.

AC 10771. The sun there, which to us is a star, appears there of a flame color, about the fourth part of the size of our sun. Their year is about two hundred days long, and the day fifteen hours, as compared with the time of the days on our earth. The earth itself is one of the smallest in the starry heaven, being scarcely five hundred German miles in circumference. These things the angels related from a comparison made with such things on our earth, which they saw in me, or in my memory. They drew these conclusions by means of angelic ideas, whereby the measures of spaces and of times are at once known in the right proportion relatively to the spaces and times elsewhere. In such matters, angelic ideas, which are spiritual, immeasurably surpass human ideas, which are natural.

AC 10772. A sixth earth in the starry heaven will be described at the end of the following chapter.

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