Spiritual Meaning of REVELATION 2:9
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AR 94. Verse 9. I know thy works; that this signifies that the Lord sees all their interiors and exteriors at once, is evident from the things explained in (n. 76); here that He sees that they are in falsities, and yet as to life in goods, which they believe to be the goods of life, when yet they are not.

AR 95. And affliction and poverty, signifies that they are in falsities and thence not in goods. "To know their affliction" signifies to see that they are in falsities, and "to know their poverty" signifies to see that they are not in goods, for in the Word, "affliction" is predicated of falsities (n. 33); and "poverty" of the lack of goods; spiritual poverty is nothing else. " The poor and needy" are often mentioned in the Word, and in the spiritual sense by "poor" is meant one who is not in truths, and by "needy" one who is not in goods. These words are also added, "yet thou art rich," but in a parenthesis, and this because in some codices they are omitted.

AR 96. And the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and are not, signifies the false assertion that the goods of love are with them, when yet they are not. "Blasphemy" here signifies a false assertion; by "Jews" are not signified Jews, but they who are in the good of love, and, abstractly, the goods of love; so by "the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not," is signified the false assertion that the goods of love are with them, when yet they are not. By "Jews" are meant they who are in the good of love, because in the Word by "Judah," in the supreme sense, is meant the Lord as to the Divine good of Divine Love, and by "Israel," the Lord as to the Divine truth of Divine wisdom; hence by "Jews" are signified they who are in the good of love from the Lord, and by "Israel" they who are in Divine truths from the Lord. That these are meant by "Jews," may appear from many passages, which will be adduced below (n. 350); something may also be seen on this subject in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture (Sacred n. 51). In the abstract sense the goods of love are meant by "Jews," because the spiritual sense is abstracted from persons, as may be seen in (n. 78, 79). He who does not know that by "Jews," in the Word, are meant those who are of the Lord‘s celestial church, who are they that are in love to Him, may fall into many mistakes when reading the Word in the prophets; but see below (n. 350).

AR 97. But are the synagogue of Satan, signifies because they are in falsities as to doctrine. It is called "synagogue," because the Jews are mentioned, and as they taught in synagogues, by "synagogue" is signified doctrine; and because by "Satan" is meant the hell of those who are in falsities, therefore it is called "the synagogue of Satan." Hell is called "the Devil" and "Satan," and by the hell which is called "the Devil," are meant such there as are in evils, properly who are in the love of self; and by the hell which is called "Satan," are meant such there as are in falsities, properly who are in the pride of their own intelligence. The hells are called the "Devil" and " Satan," because all who are in them are called devils and satans. Hence then it may appear, that by their being "the synagogue of Satan," is signified that as to doctrine they are in falsities. But as they who are in good as to life, and in falsities as to doctrine, are here treated of, and as such know no other than that they are in good, and that their falsities are truths, something shall be said respecting them. All the good of worship is formed by truths, and all truth is formed from good, therefore good without truth is not good, neither is truth, without good, truth; they appear indeed in external form to be so, but still they are not. The conjunction of good and truth is called the heavenly marriage; from this is the church with man, and it is heaven with him. If therefore there are falsities instead of truths with man, then he does the good of falsity, which is not good, for it is either pharisaical or meritorious, or innate natural good. But examples will illustrate this. He who is in this falsity, that he believes he does good from himself, because he has the faculty of doing good; his good is not good, because he himself is in it, and not the Lord. He who is in this falsity, that he can do good which is in itself good, without a knowledge of what evil is in himself, thus without repentance, although he appears to do good, yet he does not do good, because without repentance he is in evil. He who is in this falsity, that good purifies him from evils, and does not know anything of the evils in which he is, he does no other good than spurious good, which is inwardly contaminated by his evils. He who is in this falsity, that there are many gods, and confirms himself in this, the good which he does is divided good, and divided good is not good. He who is in this falsity, that he believes the Divine in the Lord’s Human is not like the soul in the body, cannot do good from Him, and good not from the Lord is not good, for it is contrary to these words of the Lord:--

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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