Spiritual Meaning of REVELATION 2:7
He that hath an ear to hear let him hear (Matt. 11:15; 13:43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35).
And the same is likewise said to all the churches, as is evident from (verses 11, 17, 29), of this chapter, and in (Apoc. 3:6, 13, 22). But by the "Spirit" which speaks to the churches, is signified the Divine truth of the Word; and by "the churches," the entire church in the Christian world. That by "the Spirit of God," which is also the Holy Spirit, is meant the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord (L n. 51); and as the entire church is meant, it is not said, what the Spirit saith to the church, but "what the Spirit saith to the churches."
. To him that overcometh, signifies he that fights against his evils and falsities, and is reformed. Now since in what is written to the seven churches is described the state of all in the Christian church who can receive the doctrine of the New Jerusalem, and live according to it, thus who by combats against evils and falsities can be reformed; therefore it is said to each, "He that overcometh," as here:--To the church of Ephesus; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life (Rev. 2:7).
To the church in Smyrna; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death (Rev. 2:11).
To the church in Pergamos; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna (Rev. 2:17).
To the church in Thyatira; To him that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end I will give power over the nations (Rev. 2:26).
To the church in Sardis; He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment (Rev. 3:5).
To the church in Philadelphia; He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God (Rev. 3:12).
And to the church in Laodicea; To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne (Rev. 3:21).
"He that overcometh," in these places, signifies he who fights against evils and falsities, and thus is reformed.
. I will give to eat of the tree of life, signifies appropriation of the good of love and charity from the Lord. "To eat," in the Word, signifies to appropriate; and "the tree of life" signifies the Lord as to the good of love; therefore by "eating of the tree of life," is signified the appropriation of the good of love from the Lord. "To eat" signifies to appropriate, because as natural food, when it is eaten, is appropriated to the life of man‘s body, so spiritual food, when it is received, is appropriated to the life of his soul. "The tree of life" signifies the Lord as to the good of love, because nothing else is signified by the tree of life in the garden of Eden; also because man has celestial and spiritual life from the good of love and charity which is received from the Lord. "Tree" is mentioned in many places, and by it is meant the man of the church, and in the universal sense the church itself, and by its "fruit" the good of life; the reason is, that the Lord is "the tree of life," from whom comes all good with the man of the church, and in the church; but of this in its own place. It is said the good of love and charity, because the good of love is celestial good, which is that of love to the Lord, and the good of charity is spiritual good, which is that of love towards the neighbor. What and of what quality the one and the other good is will be told in what follows. Something may be seen concerning them in the work concerning Heaven and Hell (HH n. 13-19). . Which is in the midst of the paradise of God, signifies interiorly in the truths of wisdom and faith. "In the midst" signifies the inmost (n. 44, 383), here, the interior; "the paradise of God" signifies the truths of wisdom and faith; therefore "the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God," signifies the Lord with the good of love and charity interiorly in the truths of wisdom and faith; good is also within truths, for good is the esse of life, and truth is the existere of life thence derived, as is abundantly shown in The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom. That the paradise of God is the truth of wisdom and of faith, is evident from the signification of "garden" in the Word; "garden" there signifies wisdom and intelligence, because "trees" signify the men of the church, and their "fruits" the goods of life; nothing else is signified by "the garden of Eden," for by it is described the wisdom of Adam. The like is meant by "the garden of God" in Ezekiel:--In thy wisdom and intelligence Thou hadst made for thyself wealth; thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering (Ezekiel 28:4, 13).
This is concerning "Tyre," by which is signified the church as to the knowledges of truth and good, thus as to intelligence; therefore it is said, "In thy wisdom and intelligence thou hadst made for thyself wealth." By "the precious stones which were a covering" are signified the truths of intelligence. In the same:--
Assyria is a cedar in Lebanon; the cedars in the garden of God did not hide it; nor was any tree in the garden of God equal to it in beauty. All the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God emulated it (Ezekiel 31:3, 8, 9).
This is said of Egypt and Ashur, because by "Egypt" is signified science, and by "Assyria" rationality, by which comes intelligence; the like is signified by "cedar." But because by his rationality he came into the pride of his own intelligence, therefore it is said of him:--
To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Since thou shalt be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the lower earth; and thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised (Ezekiel 30:18).
"The uncircumcised" are they who are without the good of charity. In Isaiah:--
Jehovah shall comfort Zion; and He shall make her wilderness into Eden, and her desert into the garden of Jehovah (Isa. 51:3).
"Zion" there is the church; "the wilderness" and the "desert" are the defect and ignorance of truth; "Eden" and "the garden of God" are wisdom and intelligence. Wisdom and intelligence are also signified by "garden" in (Isa. 58:11; 61:11; Jer. 31:12; Amos 9:14; Num. 24:6). The man of the church is also like a garden as to intelligence, when he is in the good of love from the Lord, because the spiritual heat which vivifies him is love, and the spiritual light is intelligence therefrom. It is known that gardens in this world flourish by means of heat and light; it is the same in heaven. In heaven there appear paradisal gardens, with fruit trees according to their wisdom from the good of love from the Lord; and around those who are in intelligence and not in the good of love, there do not appear gardens, but grass; but around those who are in faith separated from charity, not even grass, but sand.
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| Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). | Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. | www.BibleMeanings.info |