Spiritual Meaning of
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Frequent mention is made in the Word of a lie, and by this in the internal sense is everywhere signified the falsity and evil of faith, and by the witness of a lie, which is also called the witness of violence, is signified the confirmation of falsity, whether it he before a judge, or before anyone else, or before one's self within the thought by self-persuasion (Exod. 23:1-9; Lev. 19:11, 12; Deut. 19:16-20). That in the spiritual sense a lie denotes the evil and falsity of faith, is evident from the following passages. In John:--
Ye are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father ye will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, be speaketh from his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:44);
a lie here denotes the falsity of faith; for the subject treated of is the Jews, that they were not willing to acknowledge the Lord. In the spiritual sense the devil here denotes falsity, and the father of it denotes evil; for falsity is from evil as a son is from his father. The falsity which is of the devil is the falsity of faith, and the evil is the evil of the love of self and the love of the world.
[4] In Isaiah:--
Moab is exceeding haughty, his pride, and his haughtiness, and his anger, his lies are not firm (Isa. 16:6);
lies denote the falsities of faith, because Moab denotes those who are in the evil of the love of self, and therefore falsify truths (AC 2468, 8315). Again:--
We have made a covenant with death, and with hell have we made a vision; we have made a lie our trust, and have lurked in falsehood (Isa. 28:15).
This is a rebellions people, lying sons, sons that are not willing to hear the law of Jehovah (Isa. 30:9).
They mock every man his companion, and speak not the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak a lie (Jer. 9:5).
I am against them that prophesy dreams of a lie, and tell them, that they may seduce My people by their lies (Jer. 23:32).
0 sword against the liars, that they may be foolish (Jer. 50:36).
They have seen vanity and divination of a lie, saying, Jehovah hath said, when Jehovah hath not sent them. Therefore thus said the Lord Jehovah, Because ye speak vanity, and see a lie, therefore behold I am against you (Ezek. 13:6-9).
Woe to the city of bloods! it is all full of lying and rapine (Nahum 3:1).
The remains of Israel do no perversity, nor will they speak a lie, neither shall a tongue of fraud be found in their mouth; they shall feed and be at rest (Zeph. 3:13).
Without are dogs, and enchanters, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone that loveth and maketh a lie (Rev. 22:15).
In these as in many other passages a lie denotes the falsity and evil of faith.
from AC 8908
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| Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). | Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. | www.BibleMeanings.info |