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but life from the Lord is to look from the Lord to the Lord, and yet as if from himself; when man is in this latter life, he sees that he himself is not any thing, but only the Lord. Daniel also was in this holy fear, when he saw the man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz, his body like the beryl, his face like lightning, his eyes like lamps of fire, and his arms and feet as the shining of polished brass, upon seeing whom Daniel also became as dead, and a hand touched him, and a voice said, Fear not, Daniel, Dan. x. 5-12. Something similar occurred to Peter, James, and John, when the Lord was transfigured, and appeared, as to his face, like the sun, and his garments as the light, upon which they also fell upon their faces, and were sore afraid, and then Jesus came and touched them, saying, Be not afraid, Matt. xvii. 5, 6, 7. The Lord also said unto the woman who saw him at the sepulchre, Fear not, Matt. xxviii. 10. Likewise the angel, whose face was like lightning, and his garment as snow, said unto those women, Fear not ye, Matt. xxviii. 3, 4, 5. The angel said to Zechariah also, Fear not, Luke i. 12, 13. In like manner the angel said to Mary, Fear not, Luke i. 30. The angel said to the shepherds also, when the glory of the Lord shone round about them, Fear not, Luke ii. 9, 10. A similar holy fear seized Simon, by reason of the draught of fishes; therefore he said, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord; but Jesus said unto him, Fear not, Luke v. 8, 9, 10: besides other places. These are adduced that it may be known why the Lord said to John, Fear not, and that by it is denoted resuscitation, and then adoration from the most profound humiliation.

57. "I am the First and the Last," which signifies that he alone is eternal and infinite, therefore the only God, may appear from the explanation above. n. 13, 29, 38.

58. "And am He that liveth," signifies, who alone is life, and from whom alone is life. Jehovah, in the Word of the Old Testament, calls himself the LIFE and the LIVING, because he alone lives; for he is love itself and

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wisdom itself, and these are life. That there is one only life, which is God, and that angels and men are recipients of life from him, is abundantly shown in The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom. Jehovah calls himself the Living and him that Liveth, in Isaiah xxxviii. 18, 19, Jerem. v. 2, xii. 16, xvi. 15, xxiii. 7, 8, xlvi. 18, Ezek. v. 11. The Lord as to his Divine Humanity also is life, because the Father and he are one; therefore he says, "As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself," John v. 26. "Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life," John xi. 25. "Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life," John xiv. 6. “In the beginning was the Word, and God was the Word; in him was life; and the Word was made flesh," John i. 1-4, 14. Because the Lord is alone life, it follows, that from him alone life is derived, therefore he says, "Because I live, ye shall live also," John xiv. 19.

59. "And was dead," signifies, that he was neglected in the church, and his Divine Humanity not acknowledged. By his becoming dead is not understood that he was crucified, and so died, but that he was neglected in the church, and his Divine Humanity not acknowledged, for so he became dead among men. His divinity from eternity is indeed acknowledged, but this is Jehovah himself; but his Humanity is not acknowledged to be divine, although the divine essence and the human in him are like soul and body, and therefore are not two but one, yea one person, according to the doctrine received throughout the whole christian world, which has its name from Athanasius. When, therefore, the divine in him is separated from the human, by saying that his Humanity is not divine, but like the human essence of any other man, in this case he is dead among men. But concerning this separation, and consequent death of the Lord, more may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord; and in The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Providence, n. 262, 263.

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60. "And, behold, I am alive for ever and ever, signifies, that he is life eternal. Now as, who am alive,

signifies, that he alone is life, and from him alone life is derived, as above, n. 58, it follows, that, Behold, I am alive for ever and ever, signifies that he alone is life to eternity, and consequently that eternal life is from him alone; for eternal life is in him, and consequently from him. For ever and ever, signifies eternity. That eternal life is from the Lord alone, is plain from the following passages: "Jesus said, whosoever believeth on me shall not perish, but have everlasting life, John iii. 16. "Every one that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life, but he who believeth not in the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him," John vi. 40, 47, 48. "Verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life," John vi. 47. “I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever believeth in me, shall never die," John xi. 24, 26: and in other places. Hence, then, the Lord is called, He that is alive for ever and ever: as also in the following passages of the Apocalypse, iv. 9, 10, v. 14, x. 6, Dan. iv. 34.

61. "Amen,” signifies, the divine confirmation that it is the truth. That amen is the truth, which is the Lord, may be seen above, n. 23.

62. "And have the keys of hell and death," signifies, that he alone has power to save. By keys is signified the power of opening and shutting; in this instance, the power of opening hell, that man may be brought forth, and of shutting it, lest, when he is brought forth, he should enter it again; for man is born in evils of all kinds, thus in hell, for evils are hell: he is brought out of it by the Lord, to whom belongs the power of opening it. The reason why by having the keys of hell and death, is not understood the power of casting into hell, but the power of saving, is, because it follows immediately after these words: "Behold I am alive for ever and ever;" by which is signified that he alone is eternal life, n. 60; and the Lord never casts any one into hell, but man casts himself. By keys is signified the power of opening and shutting, in the Apocalypse also, iii. 7, ix. 1, xx. 1: also in Isaiah, xxii. 21, 22, in Matthew, xvi.

19, and in Luke, xi. 52. The power of the Lord is no only over heaven, but also over hell; for hell is kept in order and connexion by oppositions against heaven; fo which reason, he who governs the one must necessarily govern the other; otherwise man could not be saved: to be saved is to be brought out of hell.

63. "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter," signifies, that all the things now revealed are for the use of posterity; as may appear without explanation.

64. "The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks," signifies, arcana in visions concerning the new heaven and the new church. That by seven stars is signified the church in the heavens, and by seven candlesticks the church upon earth, will be seen in what now follows.

65. "The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches," signifies, the New Church in the heavens, which is the new heaven. The church exists in the heavens as well as upon earth; for the Word is in the heavens as well as upon earth, and there are doctrines and preachings from it: on which subject see The New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture, n. 70-75, and n. 104-113. That church is the new heaven, concerning which something is said in the preface. The reason why the church in the heavens, or the new heaven, is meant by the seven stars, is, because it is said, that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and by angel is signified a heavenly society. In the spiritual world there appears a firmament full of stars, as in the natural world, and this appearance is from the angelic societies in heaven: each society there shines like a star to those who are below; hence they there know in what situation the angelic societies are. That seven does not signify seven, but all who are of the church there, according to the reception of each, may be seen above, n. 10, 14, 41; therefore, by the angels of the seven churches, is meant the universal church in the heavens, consequently the new heaven in the aggregate.

66. "And the seven candlesticks which thou sawest

are the seven churches," signifies, the New Church upon earth, which is the New Jerusalem descending from the Lord out of the new heaven. That the candlesticks are the church, may be seen above, n. 43; and whereas seven signify all, n. 10, by the seven candlesticks are not understood seven churches, but the church in the aggregate, which in itself is one, but various according to reception. Those varieties may be compared to the various jewels in the crown of a king; and they may also be compared to the various members and organs in a perfect body, which yet make a one. The perfection of every form consists in various things being suitably disposed in their order: hence it is, that the universal new church is described, as to its various particulars, by the seven churches, in what follows.

67. THE FAITH OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND NEW CHURCH, COMPREHENDED IN ONE UNIVERSAL IDEA, is this, that the Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah, came into the world to subdue the hells and glorify his Humanity; and that without this no flesh could have been saved; and that they will be saved who believe in him.

It is said, in a universal idea, because this is the universal of faith, and the universal of faith is what enters into all and every particular. It is a universal of faith that God is one in person and in essence, in whom there is a trinity, and that the Lord is that God. It is a universal of faith, that no mortal could have been saved unless the Lord had come into the world. It is a universal of faith that he came into the world that he might remove hell from man; and that he did remove it by successive combats against it and victories over it; whereby he finally subdued it, and reduced it to order, and under obedience to himself. It is also a universal of faith, that he came into the world to glorify the Humanity, which he assumed in the world, that is, to unite it with the all-begetting divinity, from whom are all things: thus having subdued hell, he keeps it in order, and under obedience, to eternity. Now as neither of these could have come to pass except by means of temptations, even to the last

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