THE MESSIAH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
Response to video WHY JESUS IS NOT THE JEWISH MESSIAH (Jews for Judaism, YouTube channel)
“WHY JESUS IS NOT THE JEWISH MESSIAH & Why Jews Don’t Believe in Jesus — Julius Ciss” (Jews for Judaism, YouTube channel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49l-g_TtGhI&ab_channel=JewsforJudaism
The inner meaning of the Bible about the Kingdom of God according to the books of Emanuel Swedenborg.
The author of the book THE MESSIAH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM — THE SWEDENBORG INTERNATIONAL COMRADESHIP
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-RmM3v66-0aT2-YC3Fg8bg
Table of Contents
[Author’s Preface] 4
QUESTION of the Jews for Judaism, YouTube channel: 5
“Why has Judaism rejected that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah? The Tanah clearly teaches that all of the following criteria must be fulfilled before any person can be acknowledged as the Messiah.”. 5
RESPONSE of the Swedenborg International Comradeship, YouTube channel: 5
STATEMENT 1 of the Jews for Judaism, YouTube channel: 16
“Ingathering of the Jewish Exiles. When the Messiah is reigning as king of Israel, the Jewish people will be ingathered from the 2000 year exile and will return to Israel, their homeland.”. 16
RESPONSE of the Swedenborg International Comradeship, YouTube channel: 16
STATEMENT 2 of the Jews for Judaism, YouTube channel: 17
“Rebuilding the Holy Temple.”. 17
RESPONSE of the Swedenborg International Comradeship, YouTube channel: 17
STATEMENT 3 of the Jews for Judaism, YouTube channel: 20
“There will be worldwide peace, universal disarmament and a complete end to war. Yet since the advent of Christianity, wars have increased dramatically in the world, some of them were actually fought in the name of Jesus.”. 20
RESPONSE of the Swedenborg International Comradeship, YouTube channel: 20
STATEMENT 4 of the Jews for Judaism, YouTube channel: 25
“The Messiah will reign as king at a time when all the Jewish people will embrace the Torah and observe God's commandments. Sadly, today all Jews are not yet following all the commandments of the Torah.”. 25
RESPONSE of the Swedenborg International Comradeship, YouTube channel: 25
STATEMENT 5 of the Jews for Judaism, YouTube channel: 27
“The Messiah will rule at a time when all the people of the world will come to acknowledge and serve the one true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This as well has not yet taken place and we await its fulfillment.”. 27
RESPONSE of the Swedenborg International Comradeship, YouTube channel: 27
STATEMENT 6 of the Jews for Judaism, YouTube channel: 28
“The Messiah must be a Member of the Tribe of Judah and a Direct Descendant of King David and King Solomon.”. 28
RESPONSE of the Swedenborg International Comradeship, YouTube channel: 28
Inner Meaning of Genesis 1:1-8. 74
Virtual game Party of heaven. 83
Questions. 84
Theses of the game, proposed for discussion. 85
Extended description of the virtual game Party of Heaven. 86
Why is The Party of Heaven called a virtual game?. 90
What does God want on earth?. 93
How does God work?. 94
We need to find answers to the following questions. 96
To do this, we need to answer the following questions, formulate our purpose, goals and objectives: 96
The form of a fair, just, ideal, perfect society on earth and internal relations in society 100
Sabbath. 103
Places where we can put our knowledge and skills into practice. 106
The main sources of information on the building of the New Jerusalem, the New Temple of the Lord God and the preparation of the coming of the Messiah and his reign: 107
Hello everyone,
THE SWEDENBORG INTERNATIONAL COMRADESHIP is presenting our book THE MESSIAH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM.
We liked this video “WHY JESUS IS NOT THE JEWISH MESSIAH” on the JEWS FOR JUDAISM YouTube channel and that this video raised such an important question about the Messiah and his coming and reign.
This video inspired us to express our opinion in this book about the Messiah and his reign, and about God's people awaiting the fulfillment of the prophecies of his coming and reign.
The video version of this book is on the YouTube Channel SWEDENBORG INTERNATIONAL COMRADESHIP:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQj67RkdYMo&list=PL8Y-hUoyHvrcwS_3NxIDBeBBbhL2h5DjR
The goal of THE SWEDENBORG INTERNATIONAL COMRADESHIP is the unity of all people who understand and love the books of Emanuel Swedenborg, for our common purpose — the building of the New Jerusalem — the Kingdom of God as a fair, just, ideal, perfect society on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10), which Jesus Christ commanded to pray in the Lord's Prayer Our Father:
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Matthew 6:9-10:
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10);
Matthew 6:33:
“First seek God’s kingdom and its justice and you will gain all.” (Matthew 6:33).
You can download the free electronic version of this book THE MESSIAH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM on the website:
https://sites.google.com/view/heavenlyjerusalem
On this website, you can find other books and articles about the New Jerusalem as a fair, just, ideal, perfect society, as well as links to related web resources.
(“WHY JESUS IS NOT THE JEWISH MESSIAH & Why Jews Don’t Believe in Jesus — Julius Ciss Jews for Judaism”, YouTube channel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49l-g_TtGhI&ab_channel=JewsforJudaism
To correctly define these criteria, we need to define the terms and their meanings.
The terms the Word, the Word of God, the Law of God, and Scripture are used interchangeably here.
“The terms Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews are close synonyms and are often used interchangeably. All three terms refer to those who have descended from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob.”
(Is There a Difference Between Hebrews, Jews and Israelites?)
“In the New Testament, the words, “Hebrews”, “Israelites”, and “Jews” are used interchangeably to describe the descendants of Jacob (Jn. 4:9; 2 Cor. 11:22). And this is the case today – the words “Hebrews”, “Israelites”, and “Jews” are used as synonyms”
(When did the Hebrews or Israelites become known as Jews?)
https://georgesjournal.net/2013/01/04/when-did-the-hebrews-or-israelites-become-known-as-jews/
“Summary:
1.“Jewish” is a word used to refer to everything that relates to the culture and religion of the Jews while “Hebrew” is also used to refer to the Jewish people or the Israelites but is also the name for their language.
2.“Jewish” has a more religious connotation while “Hebrew” does not.
3.Today, Israelites are more often referred to as Jewish rather than Hebrews which was the term used before the conquest of Canaan.
4.The word “Jewish” comes from the word “Jew” which comes from the Latin word “Judaeus” meaning “from the land of Judea”; also from the Hebrew word “Yehudi” which is the term used to refer to a member of the tribe of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob while the word “Hebrew” comes from the Latin word “Hebraeus” and the Hebrew word “‘ibri” which was derived from “‘eber,” an ancestor of Abraham.”
(Difference Between Jewish and Hebrew)
Most people recognize that the sacred Scripture are intensely symbolic and allegorical, but nobody seems to have had a clear understanding of a consecutive internal sense, giving life to the literal sense as a soul gives life to its body.
The Scripture is spiritual Scripture.
Many teachers of Judaism claim that the Hebrew Scripture contain an inner spiritual meaning.
Spiritual understanding of the Scripture means understanding the inner meaning of the Word by its meaning. Therefore, we should understand and interpret the Scripture spiritually.
For example, literally we read that Joseph was the father of Pharaoh and that Joseph was the lord of all Egypt and, accordingly, was the Lord of the Pharaoh of Egypt, because Pharaoh was one of the citizens of Egypt.
Genesis 45:8:
"⁸ So now it wasn't you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 45:8);
Genesis 45:9:
“⁹ Hurry, and go up to my father, and tell him, 'This is what your son Joseph says, "God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don't wait." (Genesis 45:9).
However, we know that Joseph was not the biological father of Pharaoh, and here it is written that Joseph was his father, then it is obvious that father in Joseph's and God’s understanding means teacher and right hand.
Thus, it can be seen from here that the Lord is the one who teaches — that is, the teacher.
In many Scriptures, God is represented as a teacher, for example:
Isaiah 54:13:
"¹³ All your children shall be taught of Yahweh; and great shall be the peace of your children." (Isaiah 54:13)
This passage speaks of a Divine teaching in which Yahweh means teacher and children mean disciples.
Accordingly, God is a teacher and his teaching is above all. We recognize this because we believe that his teaching is true and just.
God spoke through the prophets. In this sense, the prophets are also teachers, but all the prophets do not represent themselves, but the teaching of God.
Every teaching has letter and spirit. It is not every person who can correctly know the spirit of the teaching, but those who are in the appropriate state of their mind and love for truth and mercy, because they are truth and mercy. Accordingly, we need to understand the divine qualities and love them for their own sake. To love these qualities for their own sake means to be hungry for truth, mercy, justice, and therefore to seek them, because they saturate the mind and assimilation of them brings joy of life and happiness.
Jeremiah 31:33:
"³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people:" (Jeremiah 31:33)
In this sense, the Spirit of the Word of God is God Himself. A person consists of soul and body. The Word of God is addressed to man, the Word corresponds to man, and the Word is God and man. The body of the Word is its literal meaning, and the spirit of the Word is its spiritual (inner) meaning.
In the inner sense of the Scripture, the spirit of God's teaching is God himself.
Wikipedia article Rabbi says that,
“A rabbi (/ˈræbaɪ/) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. The word comes from the Mishnaic Hebrew construct רְבִּי rǝbbī, meaning "Master [Name]"; the standard Hebrew noun is רב rav "master".”
(Wikipedia, Rabbi)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbi
If every teacher has the right to speak in the same way as Joseph spoke about himself as a father to Pharaoh and about himself as about the lord of Egypt, then why can not we call our teacher father and lord? If we can call our teacher that, then why couldn't Jesus say that the one who is his teacher is his father, Lord and God? Each teacher does not represent himself, but represents his teaching. The teacher is the teaching. Every teacher wants to live his teaching in his disciples. In order for us to understand the spirit of Scripture, we need to focus on the essence of the teaching, and not on the personality of the teacher and his flesh.
If Jesus could call his teacher his father and God, and call himself, as his disciple, the son of God, then it becomes clear that Jesus did not mean that God is his biological father, but Jesus meant that God is his spiritual father, that is, his teacher.
God speaks of Abraham as the father of many nations,
Genesis 17:5:
"⁵ Neither will your name any more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations." (Genesis 17:5)
However, who are these nations in a physical sense?
If this is a nation of only Jews in the biological sense, that is, biological descendants of Abraham's biological children, then does this mean that Abraham has or will have many biological Jewish nations?
“I have made” — this here means the present perfect tense, which means that when God said this, it had happened for Abraham (because the present perfect tense is used) and Abraham already at that moment became the teacher of many nations, because it is understandable that at that moment he was not yet the biological father of many nations.
There are many contradictions and ambiguities arising from the literal understanding of the Scripture, which should be understood spiritually in order to resolve the contradictions and clarify the meaning of the Scripture.
If we understand Abraham as a teacher of Divine teaching, then it becomes clear what it means that Abraham will be made the father of many nations. This means that a multitude of nations will accept Abraham's Divine teaching and become spiritual nations. We are already seeing the fulfillment of this prophecy, seeing how Abraham's Divine teaching spread among the three great Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Jesus is a prophet of God because a prophet of God is the one who speaks the Word of God.
In this sense, the angels of God are those people who have the Word of God.
The biblical word angel — the Hebrew word מַלְאָךְ (mal'ákh) means messenger, as well as preacher, prophet, priest, teacher and refers to the message conveyed by him, i.e., the Word of God.
The original text of Scripture does not mention angels at all, because angel is an English word. When Jewish-speaking people read the Scripture in their native language, they do not see angels there and do not think about angels at all, but think about the meaning of mal'ákh. The fact is that in this world there is a doctrine — the concept of angels as a kind of race different from humans, which is not true.
THE HEBREW MEANING OF THE WORD ANGEL: WITH WHOM DID JACOB WRESTLE?:
“The name of the weekly Torah portion comes from the first word (in the original Hebrew) of the opening verse:
“And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.” (Genesis 32:3)
“In the original Hebrew, the word for ‘messengers’ is ‘Mala’chim’ {מלאכים} and it is also the Hebrew word for ‘angels.’ The reason is the Hebrew perception that sees the angels as messengers of God and therefore the emphasis is on the ‘mission’ or ‘work’ they were sent to carry out.
And that is why it is no surprise to find out that the Hebrew word for ‘work’ or ‘labor’ — ‘Melachah' {מלאכה} — is derived from the same root as ‘Mala’ch’ {מלאך} (‘angel’).
The double meaning of this fascinating Hebrew word has caused ‘difficulties’ for the Hebrew Bible translators. In theory, each time the Hebrew word ‘Mala’ch’ appears in the Bible it can refer to the ‘divine creature’ (‘angel’) OR simply to a ‘flesh and blood messenger.’”
(THE HEBREW MEANING OF THE WORD ANGEL: WITH WHOM DID JACOB WRESTLE?)
https://www.hebrewversity.com/hebrew-meaning-word-angel-jacob-wrestle/
Thus, the English word angel is a correct translation word. Nevertheless, we must understand and think of an angel by the meaning of this word, and not by the modern established teaching — as a concept about angels, prevailing in the modern world. In this way we can understand the inner meaning of angels as every person who sincerely and conscientiously represents the Word of God and transmits it, performs God's work, preaches the Word of God with his word and deed. In the Hebrew language, this word refers to people, so it becomes clear that the origin of angels is from the human race.
If we think about the meaning of the word angel, then we understand by an angel everyone who has the Word of God and speaks it, spreads it.
This will help us to eliminate the contradiction between the Spirit of the law and the letter of the law in order to understand the Scripture correctly.
If you do not believe that Jesus Christ is a prophet of God, then let's examine his teaching in its inner meaning and find out whether his teaching corresponds to the spirit of God, that is, to his divine qualities, whether this teaching is true, good, and just.
In Scripture, we see many teachers of the Holy Scripture, for example, King David.
Jesus was a Jew, and he learned from the Holy Scripture, from the spiritual teachers of the Word, understanding the spirit of the Word of God, and therefore Jesus considered and called the spirit of the law of God to be his teacher — his spiritual father.
If we understand our teachers by the fathers (because every father teaches his children), then the meaning of why God promised to make Abraham the father of many nations becomes clear.
All Scripture is inspired by God:
2 Timothy 3:16:
"¹⁶ Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness," (2 Timothy 3:16)
Therefore Scripture interprets itself. That is, wherever some father is mentioned in Scripture, we can understand the spiritual father in a spiritual sense.
If Jesus had the right to call himself the son (that is, the disciple) of God, and to call God his father (that is, the teacher), then what does Judaism see as a contradiction here?
If there is no contradiction, then why does Judaism not recognize Jesus as a prophet of God, as Christians and Muslims do?
Maybe it is all about the essence of Christ's teaching and you do not like the meaning of his teaching? If you do not like the teaching of Jesus, perhaps it is only because you do not understand the essence of his teaching, because you are focused on the letter and not on the spirit of the teaching of Jesus Christ.
In fact, those Jews who are waiting for the coming of the Messiah are no different from Christians who are waiting for the second coming of the Messiah, because they all are waiting for the fulfillment of their materialistic ideas about coming of the Messiah, based on a literal understanding of the Scripture.
Everything in the Word speaks of God as a teacher and his teaching.
First of all, we need to understand and determine what the terms mean: God, King of Israel, Husband of Israel, Jews.
It is necessary to understand and know God by his meanings, denoting his qualities. God has many names in the Scripture, and each name reveals a certain quality of God. For example, Jehovah-Rapha (more properly Yahweh-Rapha) means “The Lord Who Heals” in Hebrew, which also means that Jehovah is our doctor.
Name Jesus means Jehovah is our savior (“The Lord Who Saves” in Hebrew), and so on.
In the Holy Scripture, the God of Israel is shown as the King, Teacher, Husband of Israel, the Word of God, the Law of God.
Hosea 2:16:
"¹⁶ It will be in that day, "says Yahweh, "that you will call me 'my husband,' and no longer call me 'my master.'" (Hosea 2:16)
In the Word, the expressions “the Day of the Lord” or “that day” does not refer to a calendar day, and in general, the word day, like night, refers not to time, but to light, which is the truth of Divine teaching.
Genesis 1:5:
"⁵ God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." There was evening and there was morning, one day." (Genesis 1:5)
In this verse, it can be seen that here the day is not meant by the time of day, but the coming of the understanding of the truth to a person, and accordingly, night has nothing to do with the time of day, but means the absence of understanding of the truth. Darkness and night in the Word refers to the spiritual ignorance of man, and light means the enlightenment of the mind by the light of Divine truth.
Light means the law of God. God in the Scripture teaches us how to properly understand God's law and fulfill it.
Therefore, the Bible is a legal book that teaches us the spirit of God's law.
Every earthly judge knows that the letter of the law and the spirit of the law are two possible ways to regard rules, or laws, and that the letter of the law may contradict the spirit of the law.
Letter and spirit of the law, Wikipedia:
“To obey the letter of the law is to follow the literal reading of the words of the law, whereas following the spirit of the law is to follow the intention of why the law was enforced.”
(Letter and spirit of the law, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_and_spirit_of_the_law
Therefore, it is very important to understand the spirit of the law in order to interpret the Scripture.
Jesus said that a person who lives in covenant with the word of God is God:
John 10:34-35:
“Jesus answered them, "Isn't it written in your law, 'I said, you are gods? ' If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can't be broken),” (John 10:34-35)
This refers to Psalm 82:6, from which it is clear that God is the Word and the words of God are the sons of God, and the son of God is the son of the word of God and the son of the Word is the word of God and is God himself.
Psalms 82:6:
“I said, "You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High.”” (Psalms 82:6)
Hebrew letters do nоt have uppercase or lowercase. In Psalms 82:6 the word gods in Hebrew means God (אלהים - 'ĕlôhı̂ym - el-o-heem), and from the meaning of this verse it is clear that this verse means that the sons of God are Gods.
Thus, we need to understand that God is the spirit of the Word, that is, the spiritual meaning of the Word, and therefore God is the Word.
Therefore, the Word of God means God himself, where God is the spirit of the Law — the spirit of the Word and the spirit of God.
Jacob Wrestling With the Angel, Wikipedia:
Jacob wrestling with the angel is described in the Book of Genesis (chapter 32:22-32; also referenced in the Book of Hosea, chapter 12:3-5). The "angel" in question is referred to as "man" (אִישׁ: Ish) and "God" (אֵל: El) in Genesis, while Hosea references an "angel" (מַלְאָךְ: Malakh). The account includes the renaming of Jacob as Israel (etymologized as "contends-with-God").
(Jacob Wrestling With the Angel, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_wrestling_with_the_angel
Genesis 32:22-32:
"²² He rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok.
²³ He took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had.
²⁴ Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day.
²⁵ When he saw that he didn't prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob 's thigh was strained, as he wrestled.
²⁶ The man said, "Let me go, for the day breaks. " Jacob said, "I won't let you go, unless you bless me. "
²⁷ He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob. "
²⁸ He said, "Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed. "
²⁹ Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name. " He said, "Why is it that you ask what my name is? " He blessed him there.
³⁰ Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, he said, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. "
³¹ The sun rose on him as he passed over Peniel, and he limped because of his thigh.
³² Therefore the children of Israel don't eat the sinew of the hip, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob 's thigh in the sinew of the hip." (Genesis 32:22-32);
Hosea 12:3-5:
"³ In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his manhood he contended with God.
⁴ Indeed, he struggled with the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication to him. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with us,
⁵ even Yahweh, the God of Armies; Yahweh is his name of renown!" (Hosea 12:3-5)
In the prophetic books of the Word, David means the Lord.
Zion means the holy assembly, and specifically, the heavenly holy assembly.
Gender of God in Judaism, Wikipedia:
“… the gender of God in Judaism is referred to in the Tanakh with masculine imagery and grammatical forms …”
(Gender of God in Judaism, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God_in_Judaism
Deuteronomy 4:35:
“To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him.” (Deuteronomy 4:35)
Deuteronomy 4:39:
“Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.” (Deuteronomy 4:39)
Deuteronomy 7:9:
“Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;” (Deuteronomy 7:9)
1 Kings 18:39:
“When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.” (1 Kings 18:39)
Psalm 100:3:
“Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)
Thus, God is a man.
Holy Spirit in Judaism, Wikipedia:
“Variations of a similar term, "spirit of God", also appear in various places in the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew noun ruacḥ (רוח) can refer to "breath", "wind", or some invisible moving force ("spirit").
(Holy Spirit in Judaism, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Spirit_in_Judaism
Psalms 138:2:
"I will bow down toward your holy temple, and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth; for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all."” (Psalms 138:2)
Here we read that God has made his Name and Word above all.
In the New International Version of the Bible, “your Word” is translated as God's law:
Psalms 138:2:
“I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame.” (Psalms 138:2)
Thus, God's Word is God's law. Everywhere in the Scripture, the Word of God means his Law and his teaching. The law of God teaches us to live by the law, which means to live with God.
When Adam broke the law, he lost his intimacy with God and lost paradise. To break the law of God means to lose paradise and heaven as the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is based on the Law of the Kingdom. Whoever fulfills the law of God is a citizen of the Kingdom of God, and God is his king.
Thus, everything in the Word represents the Word of God, which is the Divine teaching — God's law.
Jew is a spiritual concept that means keeping the commandments according to the spirit of these commandments. If we assume that this is a statement about biological Jews as descendants of Abraham, then it must be understood that Abraham descended from the Chaldeans, who were pagans. Because it is known that Abraham was a pagan, and he and his father Farrah served other gods before they believed in God.
Joshua 24:2:
"² Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, 'Your fathers lived of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor: and they served other gods." (Joshua 24:2)
After Abraham believed in one God, he began to be called by faith the father of many nations.
Genesis 17:5:
"⁵ Neither will your name any more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations." (Genesis 17:5)
From this, it is clear, that these nations are not on the biological line of Abraham, because his biological line originates from the Chaldeans. However, we do not call Jews Chaldeans. Because a Jew means a spiritual lineage transmitted through the spiritual seed of Abraham. The spiritual seed of Abraham is those believers who already keep God's commandments and will keep them according to their inner meaning.
Thus, the spiritual seed of Abraham — the spiritual Israel has already been spiritually gathered and is located in the Heavenly Canaan — in the Heavenly Jerusalem. The process of filling the Heavenly Jerusalem is a constant process of spiritual emigration to the Kingdom of God.
Therefore, this prophecy of Israel's return has already been fulfilled.
A temple in the spiritual sense does not mean a physical temple, which can be understood from the meaning of the following verses.
Micah 4:1-3:
"¹ But in the latter days, it will happen that the mountain of Yahweh 's temple will be established on the top of the mountains, and it will be exalted above the hills; and peoples will stream to it.
² Many nations will go and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. " For out of Zion will go forth the law and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem;
³ and he will judge between many peoples, and will decide concerning strong nations afar off. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war any more." (Micah 4:1-3)
From the meaning of these verses, we see that the temple mount is not spoken of as a physical mountain, but that the mountain signifies the superiority of the teaching of Yahweh over all other teachings. The mountains here signify different teachings, and the mountain and temple being established on the top of the mountains means that other teachings, which are based on the letter of the Word, will recognize the power and authority of the Divine teaching about the spiritual meaning of the Word, which means the power and authority of the spirit of God's law, which brings salvation and peace to the world. Since these passages do not speak of the physical temple mount, this means that the temple located on this mountain does not mean the physical temple, but the Word of God, in the power of its spiritual meaning.
God is not dependent on the physical temple and God is not limited by the absence of this temple in the physical world.
1 Kings 8:27:
"Will God, indeed, dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" (1 Kings 8:27)
God wanted to live in the Tabernacle and he ordered it to be built and was content to live in it. God did not ask to build a material Temple, much less to restore it. It can be assumed that this is because the Tabernacle makes God and his people mobile, does not bind them to the material. And the material temple is an immovable property (real estate) that restricts the mobility and freedom of movement of the free-loving spirit of God.
Proposing to build the temple,
“David compared the humble tabernacle which was a mere tent with his magnificent palace (2 Samuel 7:1). He said to Nathan the prophet that he would like to build a nicer dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant (v. 1). Nathan initially told David to “Go, do all that is in your heart,” but doesn’t say, “Thus says the Lord” (2 Samuel 7:3). God then appeared to Nathan at night in a vision and rejected David’s offer, telling the king not to build a temple (2 Samuel 7:5-7). This is clearer in the parallel account which plainly reads, “You shall not build Me a house to dwell in” (1 Chronicles 17:4). Instead, God told David that He would build him “a house” and that his “house,” kingdom, and throne would be established forever through one of his descendants (2 Samuel 7:11, 16)…
The idea for the temple originated with David, not God. David felt guilty when he compared his magnificent palace with the humble tent. God never asked David to build it, nor did He give any instructions. Compare this with the tabernacle. Not only did the idea for the tabernacle originate with God, but God meticulously revealed every detail of the tabernacle to Moses.”
(Evidence The Temple Was NOT God’s Will, Shawn Nelson)
https://geekychristian.com/evidence-the-temple-was-not-gods-will/
In the inner sense, the “temple”, “house,” “kingdom”, and “throne” signifies the Lord, and therefore the Word, and also heaven and the holy assembly.
This also be illustrated by an example from the Word.
Doctrine of Holy Scripture 1763, Emanuel Swedenborg:
“We read in David:
“The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters; the God of glory maketh it to thunder; Jehovah is upon the great waters. The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars; yea, Jehovah breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a son of unicorns. The voice of Jehovah cutteth out as a flame of fire. The voice of Jehovah maketh the wilderness to tremble; it maketh the wilderness of Kadesh to tremble. The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to be in travail, and layeth bare the forests; but in his temple everyone saith, Glory (Psalm 29:3-9).”
He who is not aware that everything here, even as to every single word, is divinely holy, may, if a merely natural man, say to himself, What is this—that Jehovah sitteth upon the waters, that by his voice he breaketh the cedars, maketh them skip like a calf, and Lebanon like a son of unicorns, and maketh the hinds to be in travail, and so on? For he knows not that in the spiritual sense the power of Divine truth, or of the Word, is described by these things. [5] In this sense, the “voice of Jehovah,” here called “thunder” means the Divine truth or Word in its power. The “great waters,” DOCTRINE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE 167 upon which Jehovah sits, mean the truths of the Word. The “cedars,” and “Lebanon,” which he “breaks,” and “breaks in pieces” mean the false things of the rational man. The “calf,” and a “son of unicorns” mean the false things of the natural and of the sensuous man. The “flame of fire” means the affection of what is false. The “wilderness,” and the “wilderness of Kadesh” mean the church [holy assembly] in which there is not anything true and good. The “hinds” which the voice of Jehovah causes to be in travail, mean the nations who are in natural good. And the “forests” which he lays bare, mean the knowledges [scientiae et cognitiones] which the Word opens to them. Therefore these words follow: “In his temple everyone saith, Glory,” which mean that there are Divine truths in each and every thing of the Word. For the “temple” signifies the Lord, and therefore the Word, and also heaven and the church [holy assembly]; and “glory” signifies Divine truth. From all this it is evident that there is not a word in this passage that is not descriptive of the Divine power of the Word against falsities of every kind in natural men, and of the Divine power in reforming the nations. ””
(Doctrine of Holy Scripture 1763, Emanuel Swedenborg)
https://swedenborg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/swedenborg_foundation_holy_scripture.pdf
Thus, the temple means the house of God, and the house of God means the holy assembly that God creates by regenerating people and integrating them into a new spiritual creation — the New Heavenly Jerusalem.
Therefore, this prophecy of Rebuilding the Holy Temple has already been fulfilled.
It is important to understand that God works with each person individually. If we think that the whole world will believe in God, including unreasonable babies, then this does not say anything about the personal rebirth of a person. We know from history that during the Dark Middle Ages, some Christians killed others because of a different understanding of Scripture; they burned at the stake heretics who did not adhere to the Nicene Creed.
To believe and know God and serve him will not be able to unite believers until there is acceptance of one unifying teaching about the inner meaning of Scripture.
Murders occur first in the mind because of hatred, and then they manifest themselves outside. John says that whoever hates a person already kills him in his heart.
1 John 3:15:
"¹⁵ Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him." (1 John 3:15)
All physical wars come from a spiritual war out of hatred. The spiritual war arises from a different understanding of the meaning of the Scripture from a wrong understanding of it and in life not according to the spirit of the Word. This generates such negative phenomena in society as greed, envy, thirst for power. Because of this, spiritual wars occur. Spiritual enmity in society ceases with a correct and equal understanding of the Scripture and life according to the spirit of the Word. Then there is brotherhood, comradeship, love and peace. Thus, the Messiah comes individually to a person when a person reconciles with God and his Word and fulfills it out of love for truth and mercy. Such reconciliation comes from understanding the inner meaning of the spirit of the Scripture, which gives life. Then such a person reconciles with other people who are in a similar state. This is how the inner world comes to a person and this is how the Messiah comes to him, individually and then collectively, when one is formed from many.
Spiritual Meaning of Peace, Emanuel Swedenborg:
“In regard to peace, in the supreme sense it signifies the Lord Himself, and hence in the internal sense His kingdom, and it is the Lord's Divine inmostly affecting the good in which are those who are therein. That these things are signified in the Word by peace, is evident from many passages;
as in Isaiah:--
Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom (Isaiah 9:6, 7);
where the Prince of Peace manifestly denotes the Lord; and the increase of His government and peace denotes the things which are in His kingdom, thus His kingdom itself.
Again:--
The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the labor of righteousness quietness and security forever; and My people shall dwell in a habitation of peace (Isaiah 32:17, 18);
in which passage the Lord's kingdom is treated of, where peace, quietness, and security succeed each other; a habitation of peace denotes heaven.
Again:--
The angels of peace weep bitterly the paths are laid waste, the wayfaring man hath ceased (Isaiah 33:7, 8);
angels of peace denote those who are in the Lord's kingdom, thus that kingdom itself, and in the supreme sense the Lord; the paths being laid waste, and the wayfaring man ceasing, signifies that there is no longer truth anywhere. Paths and ways are truths.
Again:--
How delightful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth (Isaiah 52:7);
where he that bringeth good tidings and publisheth peace denotes the Lord's kingdom.
Again:--
The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed but My mercy shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed (Isaiah 54:10).
Again:--
The way of peace have they not known and there is no judgment in their tracks (Isaiah 59:8).
In Jeremiah:--
I will take away My peace from this people, saith Jehovah, even compassion and mercy (Jeremiah 16:5).
Again:--
The folds of peace are laid waste, because of the burning of the anger of Jehovah (Jeremiah 25:37).
Again:--
The prophet who prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that Jehovah hath sent him (Jeremiah 28:9).
Again:--
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace (Jeremiah 29:11).
So in Haggai:--
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former; for in this place will I give peace (Haggai 2:9).
And in Zechariah:--
They shall be a seed of peace the vine shall give her fruit, and the earth shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew (Zechariah 7:12).
In David:--
Keep integrity and behold the upright, because the end for that man is peace (Psalm 37:37).
In Luke:--
Jesus saith to His disciples, Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it; but if not, it shall turn to you again (Luke 10:5, 6).
In John:--
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you not as the world giveth, give I unto you (John 14:27).
Again:--
Jesus said, These things have I spoken unto you that in Me ye may have peace (John 16:33).
[5] In all these passages in the supreme sense peace signifies the Lord; and in the representative sense His kingdom, and good from the Lord therein, thus the Divine which flows into good, or into the affections of good, which also causes joy and happiness from the inmost. From this it is manifest what is meant by these words of the benediction:--
Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee and give thee peace (Numbers 6:26);
and what by the salutation used of old, Peace be unto you; and the same addressed by the Lord to the apostles (John 20:19, 21, 26).
(Spiritual Meaning of Peace, Emanuel Swedenborg)
https://www.biblemeanings.info/Words/Feeling/Peace.htm
The World in the Word means a holy assembly on earth, when the assembly becomes a heavenly assembly. Therefore, to understand peace in the world as God's peace in the holy assembly of regenerated believers. Peace in the world is already constantly happening where people understand the Scripture and live by it.
Therefore, this prophecy of world peace has already been fulfilled.
Jew is a spiritual lineage transmitted through the spiritual seed of Abraham. The spiritual seed of Abraham is those believers who already keep God's commandments and will keep them according to their inner meaning.
Thus, the Messiah comes individually to the person seeking him, as the spirit of the Word of God, and the person himself becomes the Messiah. The more the Divine teaching embraces minds and hearts, the more the Messiah manifests in more. This is how the True Messiah comes. He comes spiritually, inside the person who is waiting and looking for him. Then, from within, the Messiah manifests outward — into society, which sees in this person the Divine qualities of the Messiah. In this way, the Messiah spreads more and unites people into one assembly, in which the Spirit of the Messiah reigns — the Spirit of his teaching and his love. Further, society, seeing this power of Divine love and wisdom that unites people into one, this society itself is embraced by this teaching, idea and love. This is how the Messiah comes and manifests himself in more. If we expect only the external arrival of a certain person — the Messiah, then we focus on the external Messiah, and not on the spirit of the Messiah's teaching. This means that we perceive the arrival of the Messiah by the letter of the Word, and not by its Spirit.
You yourself have correctly said here that the coming of the Messiah and his rule depends on the understanding of the Torah by the Jewish people and the observance of God's commandments. This is the only way and this is exactly how the true Messiah comes — he comes spiritually, through the understanding of the spirit of the Torah and life according to the spirit of the Divine commandments.
Jeremiah 31:33:
"³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people:" (Jeremiah 31:33)
Everyone is well aware of how the divide and rule principle works, when people themselves accept the idea of dividing each other into their own or someone else's by nationality and race. It does not lead to anything good.
There are no nations and races in the Kingdom of God. There is only one nation and only one people — God's.
In order to hasten the coming of the Messiah, the Jewish people should replace the understanding of the status, race of the nation of Jewry in the flesh with an understanding of the status of Jewry in spirit, which is true Jewry and the true Messiah.
The Messiah does not belong to any one nation — the Messiah belongs to all. The Messiah is the holy, united, spiritual Jewish nation, God's people, the Royal priesthood, living in the spirit of the law of God.
The Messiah has no national, ethnic, racial characteristics and concepts.
Leviticus 19:33-34:
"³³ "'If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
³⁴ The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God." (Leviticus 19:33-34)
We all need to say that humanity should abandon the idea of dividing people by ethnic, national, racial characteristics.
The Messiah does not divide people according to national and racial characteristics. Therefore, His rule is true, merciful and just.
Everyone expects such a just, impartial, merciful and loving Messiah, and the goal of true spiritual Jewry is to nurture a loving, just Messiah in itself, and all spiritual Jewry will unite into one Great, cumulative, common, true Messiah and reveal Him to the world, in the manifestation of our mutual love, unity, impartial, justice and mercy.
Thus, this prophecy on the observance of embracing the Torah and following all the commandments of the Torah, has already come true among those believers who observe them. Therefore, this prophecy has already been fulfilled.
To serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob means to follow his teaching and fulfill it. The world in the Word also means the earth, the soil, and the earth means God's holy assembly on earth.
There is a holy assembly in heaven and there is a holy assembly on earth. In this sense, the world means those believers who serve God.
The Messiah comes to the world, which means that he comes to his holy assembly — to his Holy Land.
The world in the Word means the world of God, which is the Kingdom of God, and refers to his rule.
All the peoples of the world here signify to those peoples who are the spiritual seed of Abraham, his offspring. This does not depend on time and does not concern the entire mass of humanity, including infants, but on the level of spiritual development of a particular person.
Nations, as the seeds of this teaching, are first inside a person, and then manifest themselves outwardly sprouting in his disciples.
In the Scripture, in the inner sense, cities, countries, and peoples are understood to mean various types of prevailing teachings and beliefs inhabiting the human mind and prevailing in humanity.
Each nation in the Word represents certain qualities of the prevailing teachings.
The world signifies the mind (the inner world of a person), and in the mind, there is a battle for the subjugation of all knowledge, beliefs of man, the teachings prevailing in him to the one true teaching of God in its inner sense. Therefore, a person expels all the idolatrous teachings that dominate in his mind (inhabiting his inner world) and frees the earth (the soil of his heart) for a New — Heavenly Canaan and the New Jerusalem, and a New Temple, to which the Messiah comes and reigns in it and rules in it.
This is how the coming of the Messiah takes place and his reign in the smaller form. Then such regenerated people unite with each other in one fair, just, ideal, perfect society — Heavenly Canaan — the New Jerusalem and live in peace, love and harmony, because they have one teaching and one Messiah, who is the Spirit of the Word and this Spirit of the Word unites such people into one. This is how the coming of the Messiah and his rule are realized in the larger form.
The fulfillment of this prophecy depends on understanding the spiritual meaning of the Messiah's reign. Therefore, this prophecy has already come true among those believers who already understand the spirit of Scripture and live by it. Therefore, this prophecy has already been fulfilled.
This prophecy is also fulfilled spiritually individually and then collectively, because the Messiah is a spiritual member of the tribe of Judah and his coming is carried out spiritually. This is an individual process, so this prophecy is also considered fulfilled in those people who have accepted the teaching of the Messiah and live by it, and this process is constantly continuing in other people who are waiting and are looking for the Messiah.
David in the Word is not only the historical character — the man David, but also a spiritual teacher, who represents the Divine good and true teaching, as well as Solomon.
Luke 24:44:
“In the inmost sense of the Word, David represents the Lord who was to come on earth to subjugate the hells and to glorify His Human, and thus found the kingdom of God among men. The Lord Himself confirmed this prophetic function of David when He opened the Scripture to His disciples and showed them that in His life had been fulfilled all the things which were written concerning Him, "in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets and in the Psalms" (Luke 24:44)
(David Becomes King)
https://www.swedenborgstudy.com/books/H.Lj.Odhner_Saul-David-Solomon/ch5-david-king.html
Father means teacher, and son means disciple.
Messiah means teaching about the inner meaning of the Word of God, which brings salvation, freedom, and a new, better life in the Kingdom of God.
Salvation is immigration — resettlement to the Kingdom of God — the New Jerusalem, — as a fair, just, ideal, perfect society, living and functioning according to the spirit of God's law.
Jesus Christ means the doctrine of salvation in the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is not a physical place in the universe and not a territory, but living people — spiritual Jews who live in a marital covenant with God — with the Spirit of the Word of God and understand and fulfill the Word out of love for truth and mercy out of a love for what is truth and mercy.
In this sense, the genealogy listed in Matthew 1:1-17 is a spiritual genealogy because Joseph was a spiritual father (teacher) of Jesus.
Matthew 1:1-17:
"¹ The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
² Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob became the father of Judah and his brothers.
³ Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram.
⁴ Ram became the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon. Nahshon became the father of Salmon.
⁵ Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse.
⁶ Jesse became the father of King David. David became the father of Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
⁷ Solomon became the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam became the father of Abijah. Abijah became the father of Asa.
⁸ Asa became the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat became the father of Joram. Joram became the father of Uzziah.
⁹ Uzziah became the father of Jotham. Jotham became the father of Ahaz. Ahaz became the father of Hezekiah.
¹⁰ Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh. Manasseh became the father of Amon. Amon became the father of Josiah.
¹¹ Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the exile to Babylon.
¹² After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel.
¹³ Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim. Eliakim became the father of Azor.
¹⁴ Azor became the father of Sadoc. Sadoc became the father of Achim. Achim became the father of Eliud.
¹⁵ Eliud became the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan. Matthan became the father of Jacob.
¹⁶ Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the exile to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations." (Matthew 1:1-17)
It is logical and natural that Joseph taught Jesus Christ the Scripture and the understanding of their spiritual meaning. Accordingly, Joseph 's father Matthan was the spiritual teacher of Joseph, and so on down the line to David — every biological father was also the spiritual father of his sons, because every father (biological father or foster father) teaches his children. From the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, set forth in the Gospels, we know that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, but nevertheless, he is listed in the genealogy of Jesus as his father. This serves as another confirmation of the conclusion that the term Jew has a spiritual, not biological meaning, and the father means a spiritual father, that is, a teacher who transmits the Divine spirit of Scripture, and only the Divine spirit of Scripture generates a true Jew through the rebirth of man. This is also stated by the Apostle Paul, who says that a Jew is not a biological (physical) creature, but a spiritual one, according to the quality of human life in union with the Word of God, in the understanding of the spirit of the Word of God and life according to the spirit of the Word.
Romans 2:28-29:
"²⁸ For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh;
²⁹ but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God." (Romans 2:28-29)
True Christianity understands genealogy only in a spiritual sense, and not in a biological-physical-materialistic one. This statement is also confirmed by the genealogy of Adam, which is listed in the Gospel of Luke 3:23-38:
"²³ Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed ) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
²⁵ the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,
²⁷ the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,
²⁹ the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,
³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
³² the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
³³ the son of Amminadab, the son of Aram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
³⁶ the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
³⁸ the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God." (Luke 3:23-38)
In this sense, here, in verse 38, Adam does not represent a physical Adam, but represents a teacher or a teaching, as well as the assembly of followers of this teaching. Because we know that Adam was created by God, and not born in a biological sense, and therefore we can say that, the word creation in the Bible means spiritual creation — that is, a new creation that occurs through regeneration.
The regeneration of a person is accomplished through the acceptance of the Divine teaching as one's own, as a result of which a person becomes a teacher and transmits this teaching to his disciples and the next generations.
The problem is that you seem to be covering only the views of those Christians who believe in a trinity of persons in God.
The fact is that in the Bible we see two types of Christians: Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. The first Christians were converted from Jews, and they were spiritual Jews and therefore they understood Jesus Christ as a teacher, and they understood the teaching of Jesus as the Spirit of God and therefore they all baptized and were baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, because they understood that Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh — a human teacher representing the Divine teaching, and they understood that the Word of God is God Himself. Thus, they recognized that baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ is a baptism into the spirit of the Word, into the spirit of the Law, into the spirit of God.
Baptism in the name of Jesus, Wikipedia:
“The first baptisms in early Christianity are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 2 records the Apostle Peter, on the day of Pentecost, preaching to the crowds to "repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (or forgiveness) of sins" (Acts 2:38). Other detailed records of baptisms in Acts show the first apostles baptizing in the name of Jesus. The Apostle Paul also refers to baptism into Christ Jesus.”
(Baptism in the name of Jesus, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism_in_the_name_of_Jesus
Another category of Christians consisted of pagans. They grew up with ideas of many Gods and were therefore pagan in spirit and therefore easily accepted the idea of a trinity of personalities of God proposed by Constantine I (Flavius Valerius Constantinus), who was Roman emperor from 306-337 CE and is known to history as Constantine the Great. Constantine was a pagan and was both the head of the Roman pagan religion and the head of the Church of the Roman Empire.
The Nicene Creed was his innovation, in which the concept of polytheism, expressed in three personalities of God, was fixed at the Council of Nicaea.
The Emperor Constantine summoned the bishops of the Roman Empire to the Council of Nicaea, at which the participants of the council, based on their judgments from the literal interpretation of the Scripture, divided one single God into three personalities, than implanted the idea of polytheism into Christianity.
This historical article Constantine's Conversion to Christianity from World History Encyclopedia says:
“By issuing the order, Constantine effectively became the official head of the Church. This mirrored Augustus (r. 27 BCE - 14 CE) when he combined the position of pontifex maximus, the head of Roman religion, with his role as first citizen.
In theological support, his position as head of the Church as well as the empire contributed to imperial dictates that promoted Christian unity of belief.
The concept of a creed (from the Latin credo, "I believe") was a Christian innovation. With multiple native cults, there was no central authority that dictated what all should believe. The Nicene Creed formalized one system of belief that was promoted through the power of the emperor. As such, any dissent was not only heresy but also treason.”
(Constantine's Conversion to Christianity, World History Encyclopedia)
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1737/constantines-conversion-to-christianity/#:~:text=By
This article says that the Emperor Constantine particularly severely punished those Christians who converted to Judaism.
It is obvious that by doing so, Constantine understood that the Jews were much closer to understanding the concept of the Kingdom of God than the Christian pagans, which is why he dealt so cruelly with Christians who converted to Judaism because he regarded them as traitors to the Roman Empire, refusing to accept the idea of Christian polytheism and striving for the one true God and true freedom.
Calling himself as God's authorized deputy on earth, apparently for this reason, Constantine was so zealous about the conversion of Christians to Judaism as serving another Master, which was considered treason.
Every dictator-emperor tries to extend his power and authority to everything possible.
Being an emperor who had dictatorial power, Constantine wanted to control all spheres of life in his empire, secular and spiritual, and skillfully used the principle of emperors — divide and rule.
Thus, by dividing God into three persons, Constantine plunged Christianity into pagan ignorance, through which he gained spiritual control over the Christian church of the Empire and headed it.
The Nicene Creed was imposed by the Emperor through the laws of the Roman Empire, and those who did not profess it were considered traitors and brutally and demonstratively executed.
The Emperor Constantine executed people demonstratively in order to intimidate the people and subjugate them to his will, because he himself was afraid of the people and therefore built his power on fear through intimidation the people.
Therefore, an artificial selection was made, as a result of which the teaching of Emperor Constantine was planted, which is now followed by the majority of Christians who profess the Nicene Creed.
Jews who grew up in Judaism, as well as Muslims, find it difficult to accept the doctrine of the three personalities of God, because it means polytheism (three gods), which is contrary to their religion and is considered blasphemy and a highest form of heresy.
Islam also recognizes Jesus as a greatest prophet and the Word of God.
Swedenborg’s Puzzling Codicil on Islam and Muslims, Colin Amato:
“There are numerous passages in the Qur’an that serve as a theological critique of the main tenets of orthodox Christianity: the trinity, divinity of Christ, and the death and resurrection. One example of a critique of the trinity, which would confirm Swedenborg’s statements, can be found in Surah 4:171, which reads:
“O People of the Book! Do not exaggerate in your religion, nor utter anything concerning God save the truth. Verily the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of God, and his Word, which he committed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers, and say not “Three.” Refrain! It is better for you. God is only one God…”.
The Qur’anic theology regarding Jesus is clear: he is a human messenger, there is no Trinity, and the Messiah did not die for sins.”
(Swedenborg’s Puzzling Codicil on Islam and Muslims, Colin Amato)
Jesus in Islam:
“In Islam, Jesus (Arabic: عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ, romanized: ʿĪsā ibn Maryam, lit. 'Isa, son of Maryam') is believed to be the penultimate prophet and messenger of God and the Messiah sent to guide the Children of Israel (Banī Isra'īl) with a book called the Injīl. In the Quran, Jesus is described as the Messiah (al-Masīḥ), miraculously born of a virgin, performing miracles, accompanied by his disciples, rejected by the Jewish religious establishment, but not as crucified or dying on the cross (nor resurrected), rather as miraculously saved by God and ascending into heaven.
The Quran places Jesus among the greatest prophets, and mentions him with various titles. The prophethood of Jesus is preceded by that of Yahya and succeeded by Muhammad, the latter of whom Jesus is reported to have prophesied by using the name Ahmad.”
(Jesus in Islam)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_Islam
Therefore, if Jews, Christians, and Muslims correctly understand the Scripture and Jesus as a teacher, then we will be able to discard the contradictions caused by the literal understanding of the Scripture and we will be able to live in peace, love each other and be one.
There are no physical differences between Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The only difference is the different understanding of the Scripture.
If we have one understanding of the Scripture in the spiritual sense, we can be one and unite for one single goal — to teach other peoples and religions one understanding of God.
To do this, we need to understand God's purpose on earth.
God's purpose on earth is to build his Kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven, as seen in the Lord's Prayer:
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10);
The Kingdom of God in heaven is a fair, just, ideal, perfect society, living in the spirit of the Divine teaching, society that God builds on earth according to the heavenly pattern.
All religions in the inner sense (including such as Confucianism and Marxism) teach about a fair, just, ideal, perfect society.
Many great people were inspired by the books of Emanuel Swedenborg and we should use them as a teaching on the inner understanding of the Word and the will of God:
(Famous People Influenced by Emanuel Swedenborg) https://sites.google.com/view/heavenlyjerusalem/influence
It is known that the books of Emanuel Swedenborg influenced German idealist philosophers and the formation of German idealistic philosophy:
(Swedenborg’s Influence on German Idealism and Mysticism)
https://swedenborg.com/scholars-swedenborgs-influence-on-german-idealism-and-mysticism/
(The Making of Mirrors, by Daniel Whistler)
Idealistic philosophy recognizes that the spiritual world is primary (cause), and the physical world is secondary (effect). All German idealist philosophers wrote about building a fair, just, ideal, perfect society.
At the same time, it should be borne in mind that Karl Marx's spiritual teachers were German idealist philosophers, such as Hegel, Schelling, who had a significant influence on his views.
Marxism and Religion, Wikipedia:
“Marx did not object to a spiritual life and thought it was necessary. In the "Wages of Labour" of the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Marx wrote: "To develop in greater spiritual freedom, a people must break their bondage to their bodily needs—they must cease to be the slaves of the body.”
(Marxism and Religion, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism_and_religion
From the meaning of the teaching of Marxism, it becomes obvious that the purpose of Marxism is also to build a fair, just, ideal, perfect society. It is obvious that the creator of the teaching of Marxism removed God from this teaching, apparently in order to reach more people.
“Karl Marx is today the most famous early theoretician of communism, but he did not invent the term or the basic social ideals, which he mostly borrowed and adapted from the less systematic theories of earlier French utopian socialists -- grafting these onto a philosophical framework Marx derived from the German philosophers Hegel and Feuerbach, while adding in a number of economic theories derived from his reinterpretation of the writings of such early political economists such as Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus, and David Ricardo.”
(Communism)
https://webhome.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/communism.phtml
Following the statements of Karl Marx's spiritual teachers, it can be concluded that all of them were directly or indirectly (through their teachers) inspired by the ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg, set out in his books. It can be confidently argued that it was the books of Emanuel Swedenborg that caused the surge of works of German idealistic philosophy, which occurred soon after Emanuel Swedenborg published his books.
German idealist philosophers in their books seem to develop the ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg, arguing with his ideas and offering their own options for building a perfect society.
For example, one of Karl Marx's teachers Ludwig Feuerbach wrote:
Ludwig Feuerbach, Wikipedia:
"Theology," he wrote to a friend, "I can bring myself to study no more. I long to take nature to my heart, that nature before whose depth the faint-hearted theologian shrinks back; and with nature man, man in his entire quality."
"If man is to find contentment in God, he must find himself in God."
Feuerbach states that "a God who is not benevolent, not just, not wise, is no God", and continues to say that qualities are not suddenly denoted as divine because of their godly association. The qualities themselves are divine therefore making God divine, indicating that humans are capable of understanding and applying meanings of divinity to religion and not that religion makes a human divine.
God is a being that acts throughout humans in all forms. God "is the principle of [man's] salvation, of [man's] good dispositions and actions, consequently [man's] own good principle and nature." It appeals to humankind to give qualities to the idol of their religion because without these qualities a figure such as God would become merely an object, its importance would become obsolete, there would no longer be a feeling of an existence for God. Therefore, Feuerbach says, when humans remove all qualities from God, "God is no longer anything more to him than a negative being". Additionally, because humans are imaginative, God is given traits and there holds the appeal."
(Ludwig Feuerbach, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Feuerbach
It is not known exactly what Karl Marx was guided by when he created his atheistic theory of building a perfect society. Perhaps his ideas were influenced by his disappointment with the existing religious system, which was criticized by many Biblical prophets of God, Jesus Christ, Emanuel Swedenborg, German idealist philosophers, all of them protested and criticized the religious system, which in the Bible is called the harlot Babylon the great.
Probably protesting against the religious system, Karl Marx decided to remove God and the Bible from his teaching altogether, but left the same biblical principles for building a perfect society, which he combined with economic theory, contributing to the formation of a new perfect man. Thus, generally speaking, Karl Marx's theory is a theory for building the kingdom of God on earth without God, where instead of God, the social norms of economic incentives and fear of material and criminal punishment established by state law are used, and the idea of building the kingdom of God on earth is replaced by the idea of building an ideal perfect state with the help of state laws and information education by teaching Marxist ideology.
However, we believers know that it is impossible to build the Kingdom of God on earth without God.
Jesus commanded us to pray for the coming of His Kingdom to earth and the fulfillment of His will on earth.
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
Now the idea of communism is treated differently in the world. However, there is nothing wrong with this word, because the idea of communism is depicted in the community of Jesus and his disciples, as well as in the first church [holy assembly] after Pentecost (since they all had common property), so we can say that they all lived in the form of Christian communism.
(Christian communism, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_communism
Therefore, we need to talk about God's communism and its difference from atheistic communism.
“¹ The earth is Yahweh 's, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell therein.” (Psalms 24:1)
It is important for everyone to understand that God is the Creator of the universe, and that the planet Earth is owned by God, and God is the owner of the Earth.
God is absolute love and therefore God loves all people and therefore God has made all people equal before God and before each other. God gave the planet Earth to all people for common possession.
And our wise and just management of the Earth and its resources depends on our understanding of God and his Divine teaching.
We do not propose the abolition of private property and its replacement with public property. We invite all mankind to recognize that all property belongs to God, not to man. And God gave the Earth and the entire universe to people for use. That is, we have the universe in common use, not in ownership. That is, humanity at this stage of development can dispose (sell, buy, inherit) the right to use God's property. And then, humanity must learn how to dispose of the right to use God's property fairly and according to the heavenly pattern. That is, we are not suggesting that everything be taken away and divided, but that humanity learn to wisely and fairly dispose of the right to use God's property according to the heavenly pattern.
If we understand Jesus Christ by his qualities, regarding his Divine teaching, then we will be able to speak with all people in the same language and unite to save this world.
The world needs to be saved and for this we all need to unite, remove greed, envy, enmity, hatred, stop wars and live in peace with each other in mutual love. To do this, it is necessary that all people be in the same teaching.
Only the teaching about the inner meaning of God's word is able to reconcile all peoples and unite all of us under the single purpose — to build a fair, just, ideal, perfect society on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
From this Lord's Prayer it follows that the Kingdom of God in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 6:10:
“¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”. (Matthew 6:10)
In this verse of the Lord's Prayer, we see that Jesus means that God's will is fulfilled in heaven in a more perfect way than on earth. Therefore, it is desirable for us that God's will on earth be fulfilled in the same way as it is in heaven. It is clear from the meaning of this verse that God's kingdom comes where God's servants do God's will. If God's servants on earth do God's will on earth, in the same way as God's servants do in heaven, then it means that God reigns on earth, just as it is in heaven. That is, God reigns where his servants do God's will. In this verse, we see that God's will is the coming of God's kingdom to earth, and it is important for God that his servants on earth desire and ask God that his will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Thus, God's kingdom is where God's will is fulfilled. Where there is a kingdom of God, there is also a King of the kingdom and he reigns through the fulfillment of his will by his servants. That is, God does not reign by force, but voluntarily, through the voluntary fulfillment of his will by his servants. God the Messiah comes to a place where there are already his servants who do his will. That is, from the meaning of this prayer, which Jesus Christ commanded us to pray, we see that those people who serve God and who fulfill God's will, they are God's kingdom. This means that God reigns through people and among people through the voluntary fulfillment of God's will by people.
The more people understand and do God's will, the more and more perfect God's kingdom is manifested on earth in accordance with the heavenly pattern.
From the meaning of this prayer of Jesus Christ, we see that in order for God's kingdom to come to earth, for this we need to know how God's kingdom is organized and functions in heaven, so that then we can do the same on earth, according to the heavenly pattern.
In order for people not to remain ignorant about how life in heaven works, God opened heaven to Emanuel Swedenborg, who described in detail the life of the celestials in his books. Now, thanks to the Divine revelation set forth in the books of Emanuel Swedenborg, we can understand how heavenly people live and therefore we can build our lives on earth according to the heavenly pattern.
The kingdom of God is perfect, because God is perfect. The Kingdom of God is not a territory or a place in the Universe, but it is people. Any state is not a territory, but people.
All people must recognize that God is the owner of the planet Earth.
The Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of the Word of God.
The doctrine of the inner meaning of the Word was revealed in detail by Emanuel Swedenborg in his books, which are he called the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem.
In the Book of Revelation, we read about the New Jerusalem as a city descending from heaven to earth.
Revelation 21:2:
"² I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband." (Revelation 21:2)
The New Jerusalem means Divine teaching about God and his Kingdom.
“In the universal sense "cities" signify the doctrinal things of the church [holy assembly]; but in an individual sense they signify the interiors of man where doctrinal things are, or rather where are truths conjoined with good.”
https://www.biblemeanings.info/Words/Social/City.htm
“Cities in the Bible represent distinct belief systems — collections of inter-related ideas about spiritual reality. These can be bad (false) or good (true) in varying degrees, from the perfection of the New Jerusalem seen by John in Revelation to the evil represented by Sodom, Jericho, and other cities obliterated either by God directly or by the people of Israel at God’s command.
On the most personal level, a city can also represent the natural mind of one person — which makes sense since we each to some extent have our own doctrine, our own set of ideas and beliefs.”
https://societies.newchurch.org/wordstudy/bible-keywords/city/
Cities in the Bible signify different types of teachings. Jerusalem means the Lord's teaching, and the New Jerusalem means the new teaching regarding the building of the holy living city — New Jerusalem — a new holy assembly (new church). Regarding God, this is the same teaching. This teaching is called new because it creates a new congregation of believers, a new assembly of the builders of the New Jerusalem, where the builders realize themselves as a society of true Jewry, as a strangers and immigrants on earth, striving for the place of our new residence and service — the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven.
The practical application of the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem for building a fair, just, ideal, perfect society — Kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven, can be illustrated by the example of the United States of America.
The Founding Fathers of the United States understood it, as they were all inspired by the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem revealed in the books of Emanuel Swedenborg. The meaning of the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem was taught by Thomas Paine (Common Sense), James Madison (Federalist Paper), and even the legendary Johnny Appleseed (The Core of Johnny Appleseed (The Unknown Story of a Spiritual Trailblazer, By Ray Silverman, 2012)).
All of them were inspired by the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem.
The US Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the American Revolution were inspired by the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, which liberated the people of a new continent from the British Empire and from the teaching of the religion of the Roman Empire dominating there.
(The Swedenborgian Revolution)
https://swedenborg.org/news-announcements/the-swedenborgian-revolution/
The United States of America was founded as the Kingdom of God on earth — a kingdom of political and religious freedom.
Jesus commanded us to pray for the coming of His Kingdom to earth and the fulfillment of His will on earth, as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
In order to understand the meaning of the Lord's Prayer, the Kingdom of God and God's plan for the arrival of his Kingdom on earth, we need to imagine ourselves as angels in heaven and on earth and think about what we need to do to fulfill God's will.
To understand what needs to be done, the thoughts of James Madison set out by him in his writings and in particular, for example, in this quote, can help:
James Madison:
“If Men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and the next place, oblige it to control itself.” (James Madison)
(Federalist No. 51, To the People of the State of New York: Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison)
https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/text-51-60
From the inner meaning of this quote of his, we can understand the main thought of James Madison and conclude that here he means that it is much better for all of us to be angels and live in the Kingdom of God, because heavenly angels are the Heavenly Kingdom of God and we all need to strive to be angels in order to correspond to the Kingdom God and live in it. However, James Madison means that as long as we are non-angels, then we need to have an earthly government that will guide us to the Kingdom of God and help us to build this Kingdom of God in and around us and become angels of God's Kingdom and live in it on earth and in heaven.
Therefore, in order for the government to lead us in the right direction to a fair, just, ideal, perfect society — the Kingdom of God, — these laws of the earthly government must be fair and help society and government to conform to the model of the Kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven, about which the Lord God Jesus Christ commanded us to pray in the Lord's Prayer Our Father (Matthew 6:10),
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
Therefore, the earthly government should be open to society and society and the government should control each other. To do this, it is necessary to develop institutions of freedom of speech and public control, so that the actions of the government are transparent and understandable to society.
James_Madison, Wikipedia:
“Madison was an outspoken advocate for the new US Constitution, in addition to being the author of 29 of the 85 Federalist Papers, and he proposed six of the first ten amendments to the US Constitution. In fact, he developed the basic constitutional principles, for which he gained fame as the "father of the American constitution." Madison made a lot of efforts in order to achieve the ratification of the constitution in the states. To this end, he collaborated with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in writing the so-called Federalist Papers, a series of articles in defense of the constitution, the republican form of government, and the idea of a strong federal government. The Federalist Papers were published in newspapers in 1787-1788, Madison wrote 29 of the 85 articles. As a member of the US House of Representatives (1789-1797), Madison became one of the authors of the Bill of Rights.”
(James_Madison, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison
WHAT DOES THE WORD "HEBREW" MEAN?:
“The word “Hebrew” in the Hebrew language is עברי (Ivrie). The root letters are used to mean cross over, or pass through, and conceivably referring again to Abraham, who crossed into the land of Canaan from the “other side” of the Euphrates or Jordan River.”
(WHAT DOES THE WORD "HEBREW" MEAN?)
https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/what-does-the-word-hebrew-mean/
“The term ivri subsequently generates an intriguing debate among the talmudic sages over its meaning. One school of rabbinic thought seizes on its root in the term avar (עבר), to traverse, characterizing Abraham, the first biblically recognized ivri (עברי) as “the one who came from across (ever/עבר) the river,” i.e., from east of the Euphrates. This opinion defines Abraham as a migrant, a foreigner, who surmounted geographic and national boundaries. In this understanding, the term suits well much of the wandering Jewish diasporic experience in search of tenuously welcoming environments, propelled by persecution, expulsion, and ultimately genocide.
(The Confounding Origins of the Term "Hebrew")
All his life, the Jew Abraham wandered, therefore, in this sense, the word Jew means a wanderer, a migrant, a foreigner — immigrant who crossed the border and settled in a foreign land, which means the freedom of his spirit, the freedom of his will, his love of freedom, the unlimited nature of his faith and his courage in realizing his right to a better life.
Currently, the planet Earth is divided by the borders of states and the laws protecting them, which restrict the human right to freedom of movement and migration.
Therefore, spiritual Jewry is of particular importance for free people, as immigration into the Kingdom of God, which we can build in our imagination as a fair, just, ideal, perfect society.
John Lennon speaks about this idea in his song, suggesting that we imagine that if there are no countries, then there will be no borders, and accordingly there will be no reason to kill and die for.
The famous song "Imagine" expresses Lennon's thoughts about how the world should be. Lennon preached the ideas of equality and brotherhood of people, peace and freedom.
This John Lennon song about imagining a fair, just, ideal, perfect society also shows that for many, these ideas are also understandable and desirable.
John Lennon's signature song "Imagine":
“Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.” (John Lennon, Imagine song)
Some believe that John Lennon denies religion in this song. However, in this song, John Lennon does not deny the existence of religion, but suggests imagining it in the mind, in order to focus our eyes on earthly problems and try to find ways to solve them.
John Lennon suggests not waiting for manna from God, but he does suggest using your imagination and reason to think about how we can make the world a better place. This is exactly what God wants from us.
A singer Shakira sang this song at the UN's General Assembly 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-3wIW1Rpiw&ab_channel=Shakira
The fact that she sang this song at the UN General Assembly also confirms that many people and nations dream of life in a fair, just, ideal, perfect society.
Jesus Christ desired and taught to live in a fair, just, ideal, perfect society, which is the Kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven, about which the Lord God Jesus Christ commanded us to pray in the Lord's Prayer Our Father (Matthew 6:10).
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
In the original language, nowhere in the Scripture is there a concept of a church, but there is a concept of an assembly of believers, which the translators translated as a church. As a result, using a literal interpretation and ignorance of the original text, many people think that Jesus established the church as a religious corporation, and also think that the church means a church building.
The Mysterious Word 'Church':
According to modern dictionaries, such as the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the word "church" is derived from the Greek word, kuriakon, meaning house of the Lord:
[Middle English chirche, from Old English cirice, ultimately from Medieval Greek kurikon, from Late Greek kuriakon (doma), the Lord's (house), from Greek kuriakos, of the lord, from kurios, lord.
This in itself is a poor derivative since it refers to a place (a house) rather than to people, as Jesus intended. Many older sources on etymology doubt this Greek connection.
In Smith's Bible Dictionary from 1884, page 452, we read:
"the derivation of the word 'church' is uncertain. It is found in the Teutonic and Slavonic languages and answers to the derivatives of ekklesia, which are naturally found in the romance languages and by foreign importation elsewhere. The word is generally said to be derived from the Greek kyriakos, meaning the lord's house. But the derivation has been too hastily assumed. It is probably associated with the Scottish kirk, the Latin circus/circulous, the Greek klukos, because the congregations were gathered in circles."
Lidellan's Scott's Greek English Lexicon also tells us that the origin of our word "church" is uncertain. On defining the word klukos, from which church allegedly came, it says:
"Of or for a lord or master (speaking of a secular lord). Assumed to be original of the Teutonic kirk, kirche, or church, but how this Greek name came to be adopted by the northern nations rather than the Roman name or Greek name ekklesia has not been satisfactorily explained."
Regarding the word "church", Ebenezer Cobham Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable of 1898 reads:
"The etymology of this word is generally assumed to be from the Greek, kuriouoikos (house of God); but this is most improbable, as the word existed in all the Celtic dialects long before the introduction of Greek. No doubt the word means "a circle." The places of worship among the German and Celtic nations were always circular. (Welsh, cyrch, French, cirque; Scotch, kirk; Greek, kirk-os, etc.). Compare Anglo-Saxon circe, a church, with circol, a circle."
(The Mysterious Word 'Church')
https://www.beinaberean.org/writings/church.html
Therefore, for example, the World English Bible (WEB), which is an updated revision of the American Standard Version from 1901, translates this word ἐκκλησία - ekklēsia - ek-klay-see'-ah in its original meaning assembly, which can be seen in the example of this passage:
Matthew 16:18:
"¹⁸ I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)
(World English Bible (WEB+))
For more information about how clerical, corporate concepts were introduced through the use of certain synonyms in Bible translations, see the study in the book “Priesthood and Clergy Unknown to Christianity” (George Bush, 1857).
“George Bush [1796 - 1859] was an American biblical scholar, pastor, abolitionist, and academic. A member of the Bush family, he is a distant relative of both President George H. W. Bush and President George W. Bush.”
(George Bush (biblical scholar), Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bush_(biblical_scholar)
(The First George Bush: Philosopher, Minister, and Swedenborgian Ancestor of American Presidents, by Francesca McCrossan, Ph.D. and Rev. Dr. James F. Lawrence)
In this book “Priesthood and Clergy Unknown to Christianity” (1857), George Bush described the structure and form of the holy assembly of the New Jerusalem. This book can be considered a practical guide to translating the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem by Emanuel Swedenborg into reality.
Swedenborgians are Christians who understand the books of Emanuel Swedenborg and are inspired by his ideas about building a fair, just, ideal, perfect society — the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven — the New Jerusalem.
Emanuel Swedenborg is a genius who dedicated his life to the service of the Lord God Jesus Christ and humanity. Emanuel Swedenborg's books are very smart, wise and inspired by God.
According to many studies of scientists, Emanuel Swedenborg has the third highest Intelligence Quotient in history — 206 IQ.
Emanuel Swedenborg writes that understanding the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem depends on the level of human intelligence.
Many great people, the Founding Fathers of the United States, presidents of the United States, the American Revolution were inspired by the ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg. His ideas and thoughts were laid in the basis of the United States Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, its spirit and foundation for building the United States of America as a fair, just, ideal, perfect society — the Kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven, about which the Lord God Jesus Christ commanded us to pray in the Lord's Prayer Our Father (Matthew 6:10).
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
Among them are Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt and others.
In those days, in the highest progressive society of America it was considered good form to have a subscription to the publications of the New Church of the New Jerusalem, publishing the works of Emanuel Swedenborg, as well as the best articles and thinking about political and religious freedom (such as Common Sense by Thomas Paine 1775-1776, who was also influenced by Emanuel Swedenborg, and other works of other prominent figures of that time).
By the design of the Founding Fathers of the United States and by Divine inspiration and providence, the United States of America was founded as a kingdom of divine truth, goodness, justice, mercy, charity, a new land of religious and political freedom, a City of Light on the Hill, showing the way of freedom and peace, giving light to the world and a refuge for the oppressed.
The Apostle Paul says that the letter of the Word kills, but the spirit of the Word gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:6:
"⁶ who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:6)
Now the Christian world is divided by a different understanding of the Scripture, because there is no acceptance of a single teaching about the spirit of the Word. Most confessions, denominations, are based on the teachings of the literal interpretation of the Bible, which causes a contradiction of the letter of the law to the spirit of the law.
Different understandings of the inner meaning of the Holy Scripture divide Christians among themselves and with other religions. In an internal sense, all religions teach about building a fair, just, ideal, perfect society.
Emanuel Swedenborg wrote about the inner meaning of the Holy Scripture. From the meaning of his Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, it follows that only the inner meaning of the Word of God can unite into one the three Abrahamic monotheistic religions — Christians, Jews, Muslims, as well as other religions, and save this world.
President Roosevelt spoke about the need for the world to have Emanuel Swedenborg as a spiritual leader,
“In a world in which the voice of conscience seems too often silent and weak, is need for spiritual leadership of which Swedenborg is a particular example.” [Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) — President of the United States].
Christians, Jews, Muslims have no external differences. The only difference between us is the different understanding of scripture, which in an inner sense speak of the same God and his good and true qualities, the understanding of which serves to improve humanity.
Different understanding of the Scripture gives rise to envy, hatred, enmity, wars.
If we understand the spiritual, inner meaning of the Scripture we can understand each other, speak the same language and live in peace with each other and move towards the common purpose of building a new fair, just, ideal, perfect society on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
This corresponds to a traditional motto of the United States “Out of Many, One”, appearing on the Great Seal.
God loves immigrants and blesses immigrants and those who accept them.
Abraham, all the people of Israel and Jesus Christ himself and his family were immigrants in Egypt (Genesis 45:10; Matthew 2:13-15).
Genesis 45:10:
"¹⁰ You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, your children's children, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have." (Genesis 45:10)
Matthew 2:13-15:
"¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. "
¹⁴ He arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt,
¹⁵ and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called my son. "" (Matthew 2:13-15)
In many places in the Bible, God commands his people to love, accept, and care for immigrants, reminding his people that the Jews themselves were immigrants in the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:49, 22:21, 23:9; Leviticus 19:9-10, 33-34, 23:22, 24:22; Numbers 9:14, 15:15-16; Deuteronomy 1:16, 10:18-19, 14:28-29, 24:14, 24:17-22, 27:19; Psalm 146:9; Isaiah 16:4; Jeremiah 7:5-7, 22:3-5; Ezekiel 47:21-22; Zechariah 7:8-10; Malachi 3:5; Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:1-3):
Exodus 12:49:
"⁴⁹ One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you."" (Exodus 12:49)
Exodus 22:21:
"²¹ "You shall not wrong an alien, neither shall you oppress him, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 22:21)
Exodus 23:9:
"⁹ "You shall not oppress an alien, for you know the heart of an alien, since you were aliens in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 23:9)
Leviticus 19:9-10:
"⁹ "'When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.
¹⁰ You shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God." (Leviticus 19:9-10)
Leviticus 19:33-34:
"³³ "'If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
³⁴ The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God." (Leviticus 19:33-34)
Leviticus 23:22:
"²² "'When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap into the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest: you shall leave them for the poor, and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God. '"" (Leviticus 23:22)
Leviticus 24:22:
"²² You shall have one kind of law, for the foreigner as well as the native-born: for I am Yahweh your God. '"" (Leviticus 24:22)
Numbers 9:14:
"¹⁴ "'If a foreigner lives among you, and desires to keep the Passover to Yahweh; according to the statute of the Passover, and according to its ordinance, so shall he do. You shall have one statute, both for the foreigner, and for him who is born in the land. '"" (Numbers 9:14)
Numbers 15:15-16:
"¹⁵ For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner, a statute forever throughout your generations: as you are, so shall the foreigner be before Yahweh.
¹⁶ One law and one ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you. '"" (Numbers 15:15-16)
Deuteronomy 1:16:
"¹⁶ I commanded your judges at that time, saying, "Hear cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is living with him." (Deuteronomy 1:16)
Deuteronomy 10:18-19:
"¹⁸ He does execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the foreigner, in giving him food and clothing.
¹⁹ Therefore love the foreigner; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt." (Deuteronomy 10:18-19)
Deuteronomy 14:28-29:
"²⁸ At the end of every three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall lay it up within your gates:
²⁹ and the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the foreigner living among you, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do." (Deuteronomy 14:28-29)
Deuteronomy 24:14:
"¹⁴ You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he be of your brothers, or of your foreigners who are in your land within your gates:" (Deuteronomy 24:14)
Deuteronomy 24:17-22:
"¹⁷ You shall not deprive the foreigner, or the fatherless of justice, nor take a widow 's clothing in pledge;
¹⁸ but you shall remember that you were a bondservant in Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you there: therefore I command you to do this thing.
¹⁹ When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgot a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it: it shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
²⁰ When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
²¹ When you harvest your vineyard, you shall not glean it after yourselves: it shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
²² You shall remember that you were a bondservant in the land of Egypt: therefore I command you to do this thing." (Deuteronomy 24:17-22)
Deuteronomy 27:19:
"¹⁹ 'Cursed is he who deprives the foreigner, fatherless, and widow of justice. ' All the people shall say, 'Amen.'" (Deuteronomy 27:19)
Psalms 146:9:
"⁹ Yahweh preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, but the way of the wicked he turns upside down." (Psalms 146:9)
Isaiah 16:4:
"⁴ Let my outcasts dwell with you! As for Moab, be a hiding place for him from the face of the destroyer. For the extortioner is brought to nothing. Destruction ceases. The oppressors are consumed out of the land." (Isaiah 16:4)
Jeremiah 7:5-7:
"⁵ For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if you thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor;
⁶ if you don't oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, and don't shed innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your own hurt:
⁷ then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, from of old even forevermore." (Jeremiah 7:5-7)
Jeremiah 22:3-5:
"³ Thus says Yahweh: Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the foreigner, the fatherless, nor the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this place.
⁴ For if you do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.
⁵ But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself, says Yahweh, that this house shall become a desolation." (Jeremiah 22:3-5)
Ezekiel 47:21-22:
"²¹ So you shall divide this land to you according to the tribes of Israel.
²² It shall happen, that you shall divide it by lot for an inheritance to you and to the aliens who live among you, who shall father children among you; and they shall be to you as the native - born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel." (Ezekiel 47:21-22)
Zechariah 7:8-10:
"⁸ The word of Yahweh came to Zechariah, saying,
⁹ "Thus has Yahweh of Armies spoken, saying, 'Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.
¹⁰ Don't oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart. '" (Zechariah 7:8-10)
Malachi 3:5:
"⁵ I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don't fear me, " says Yahweh of Armies." (Malachi 3:5)
Matthew 25:31-46:
"³¹ "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
³² Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
³³ He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
³⁴ Then the King will tell those on his right hand, 'Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
³⁵ for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.
³⁶ I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me. '
³⁷ "Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?
³⁸ When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?
³⁹ When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you? '
⁴⁰ "The King will answer them, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. '
⁴¹ Then he will say also to those on the left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;
⁴² for I was hungry, and you didn't give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink;
⁴³ I was a stranger, and you didn't take me in; naked, and you didn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me. '
⁴⁴ "Then they will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn't help you? '
⁴⁵ "Then he will answer them, saying, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn't do it to one of the least of these, you didn't do it to me. '
⁴⁶ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. "" (Matthew 25:31-46)
Romans 12:13:
"¹³ contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality." (Romans 12:13)
Hebrews 13:1-3:
"¹ Let brotherly love continue.
² Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.
³ Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you are also in the body." (Hebrews 13:1-3)
In Deuteronomy 14:28-29, 24:17-22, the Lord God commands his people to provide care, mercy and charity to foreigners — immigrants, whom the Lord equates with the privileged priestly tribe of Israel — the Levites, as well as with orphans and widows.
Emanuel Swedenborg writes of born-again (regenerated) Christians as spiritual immigrants in the Kingdom of God — heavenly angels.
According to Emanuel Swedenborg, heaven is the Kingdom of God in heaven and on earth (Luke 17:21).
Luke 17:21:
"²¹ neither will they say, 'Look, here! ' or, 'Look, there! ' for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. "" (Luke 17:21)
Heaven is the place of our spiritual immigration — our Heavenly Canaan, consisting of people who have become angels who have accepted a new heavenly citizenship (Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 11:13-16).
Philippians 3:20:
"²⁰ For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;" (Philippians 3:20)
Hebrews 11:13-16:
"¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
¹⁴ For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
¹⁵ If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return.
¹⁶ But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16)
The whole Kingdom of God is not a place or territory in the universe, but it is heavenly angels — God's chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation — immigrants from the human race. And the greatest joy, happiness and pleasure of the life of angels is to help people move to heaven, meeting and greeting newcomers, caring and helping in their adaptation and assimilation.
In all of these Scriptures listed, the Hebrew word גּוּר, corresponding to the English word “foreigner”, in the original Hebrew language has the following English-language meanings — foreigner, alien, newcomer, stranger, outlander, refugee, sojourner, (re)settler, migrant, migrator, outsider. This Hebrew word גּוּר in the modern world mainly has meanings — refugee, immigrant, because all these meanings mean a person who has come from a foreign country and lives among you. This Hebrew word גּוּר also has the meanings of a distressed state of despair, fear, and a state of intense need for freedom and protection — to dread, fear, stand in awe, be afraid, to seek hospitality with; to sojourn; also to shrink, fear (as in a strange place); abide, assemble, be afraid, dwell, fear, gather (together), inhabitant, remain, sojourn, stand in awe, (be) stranger.
Everywhere in these passages of Scripture, this word refers to the poor, destitute, needy people who came to your country, because they are mostly immigrants, refugees fleeing from their tyrants – “Herods”, they come light, in search of shelter, asylum, justice, mercy and a better life. These are rejected people, outcasts, these people are scared, they are in fear, they do not have the necessary public relations that indigenous people possess, they do not know the language, do not have housing, they are in search of earnings. They are often sick because they were deprived of the necessary medical care and therefore they need mercy, support and social protection from the society hosting them.
Now there is a tendency in the world to depart from the fulfillment of these God's laws on immigrants. The tendency of hostility towards immigrants prevails in the world, states are erecting fences, walls are being built, and laws are being passed that make it impossible for poor, needy people to enter the country. Harsh laws are being introduced to restrict illegal immigration, while limiting and making legal immigration impossible — visa and other bureaucratic procedures and restrictions are being established that discredit the very idea of immigration and asylum, due to the inability to obtain the necessary documents that a person must have to cross the border. To cross the border, a person must first obtain a visa, which is impossible to obtain. In most cases, a visa can only be issued to wealthy investors or talented scientists. Poor, impoverished, ordinary people are denied entry permits, which discredits the very idea of providing asylum guaranteed by God, as well as the Declaration on Human Rights.
Someone might object and say that the family of Jesus easily escaped to Egypt because Egypt was part of the Roman Empire. However, this is not important for understanding the meaning of this story, because fleeing to Egypt for Jesus meant the opportunity to escape persecution and death and receive refuge, which means salvation. The main idea of this story is that in infancy, Jesus and his family were saved from death by obtaining asylum in another country, which was not subject to Herod's authority.
This means that even the Messiah needs the right to asylum because the Messiah lives in people. Whether it was immigration through asylum or ordinary immigration, it does not matter, because we do not see evidence in Scripture that the authorities separated the concepts of immigration and asylum. We do not see evidence that the family of Jesus provided the Egyptian authorities with documents giving grounds for entry into Egypt and residence in it for an unlimited period.
Receiving asylum in Egypt by Jesus, Abraham, and Israel means the free migration of people and the right to move throughout the Earth. Jesus, Abraham and Israel were not restricted in their free movement on Earth and change of residence, because the planet Earth is owned by God, and God is a loving father who loves all people and wishes all people to be free and happy.
This means that a country that restricts people's right to free immigration restricts the Messiah, God and his servants in freedom of movement, which is contrary to the spirit of God's law.
It is difficult to imagine that the freedom of immigration to the Kingdom of God would be limited by God by any laws. In the Bible, God speaks in many places about freedom for immigration and freedom of movement on planet Earth. This means that the Kingdom of God is open to everyone. This means that God loves all people and has ordained everyone to heaven to paradise and no one to hell. In order to receive salvation in heaven, people do not need any documents and evidence. Man is accepted into the Kingdom of God only by his ability to assimilate into the Kingdom of God and conform to the spirit of the Kingdom — the spirit of the law of the kingdom of God.
The spirit of God's law means love for God and love for one's neighbor, love for truth, freedom, justice, to love, share and mercy, to have will, intention and the courage to do the good.
The one who has the ability to assimilate into the Kingdom of God remains in the Kingdom, and the one who could not assimilate, he himself leaves the Kingdom of God because he does not want to fulfill God's laws voluntarily out of love for these laws, because these laws are the laws of God.
Many people recognize that borders and entry restrictions are a necessary measure and people dream that in the future there should be no borders and requirements restricting people's right to free movement by land, water, air — throughout the Earth.
The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America declares equal rights and equality for all people, not just for citizens of the United States.
Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, 1776:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
(Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, 1776).
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
"America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity. That part of America which had encouraged them most had advanced most rapidly in population, agriculture and the arts."
(James Madison, President of the United States of America)
https://citizenpath.com/immigration-quotes-great-americans/
"Shall we refuse the unhappy fugitives from distress that hospitality which the savages of the wilderness extended to our fathers arriving in this land? Shall oppressed humanity find no asylum on this globe?"
(Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States of America)
https://citizenpath.com/immigration-quotes-great-americans/
“Born in other countries, yet believing you could be happy in this, our laws acknowledge, as they should do, your right to join us in society, conforming, as I doubt not you will do, to our established rules. That these rules shall be as equal as prudential considerations will admit, will certainly be the aim of our legislatures, general and particular.”
(Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States of America)
https://citizenpath.com/immigration-quotes-great-americans/
“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges…”
(George Washington, President of the United States of America)
https://citizenpath.com/immigration-quotes-great-americans/
“[Let] the poor the needy and oppressed of the Earth, and those who want Land, resort to the fertile lands of our western country, the second land of Promise, and there dwell in peace, fulfilling the first and great commandment.”
(George Washington, President of the United States of America)
https://citizenpath.com/immigration-quotes-great-americans/
“I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.”
(George Washington, President of the United States of America)
https://citizenpath.com/immigration-quotes-great-americans/
“The United States should be an asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty.”
(Thomas Paine, American Founding Father)
https://citizenpath.com/immigration-quotes-great-americans/
"Every aspect of the American economy has profited from the contributions of immigrants.”
(John F. Kennedy, President of the United States of America)
“Remember, remember always, that all of us, you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”
(Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America)
“What has happened to us in this country? If we study our own history, we find that we have always been ready to receive the unfortunate from other countries, and though this may seem a generous gesture on our part, we have profited a thousand fold by what they have brought us.”
(Eleanor Roosevelt, an American political figure, diplomat, and activist)
"I received a letter just before I left office from a man. I don’t know why he chose to write it, but I’m glad he did. He wrote that you can go to live in France, but you can’t become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Italy, but you can’t become a German, an Italian. He went through Turkey, Greece, Japan and other countries. But he said anyone, from any corner of the world, can come to live in the United States and become an American."
(Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America)
“If we do not provide the same opportunities for future immigrants that were provided for our forefathers, it is an affront to our national ideals. We owe these servicemen more for the sacrifices that they have made for this country.”
(Senator John McCain)
https://citizenpath.com/immigration-quotes-great-americans/
“We the people of this continent are not afraid of foreigners because many of us were once foreigners.”
(Pope Francis)
https://citizenpath.com/immigration-quotes-great-americans/
Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
Article 1:
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. “
(Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, Article 1)
https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
Article 14:
“Everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. The 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees elaborates upon this right.”
(Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, Article 14)
https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
The Spirit of the Messiah is the spirit of Freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17:
"¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Corinthians 3:17)
The restriction of the freedom of movement of people on Earth makes it impossible to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, which he commanded his disciples – followers in the Gospel of Matthew 28:16-20:
Matthew 28:18-20:
"¹⁸ Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
¹⁹ Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen." (Matthew 28:18-20 [World English Bible+])
Verse 19 of this passage (Matthew 28) in other translations sounds:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them …” (King James Bible)
“Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them…” (American King James Version)
“Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them …” (Contemporary English Version)
“Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them …” (Good News Translation)
Society mistakenly thinks that the Earth is too small for the number of people there are. People mistakenly think that their country is too small for immigrants.
Many do not even justify the refusal to immigrants by the fact that their country cannot accommodate them due to lack of territory. They simply refuse immigrants because they do not want them to live next to them.
Immigration restriction laws are ostensibly a solution to the problem, but in fact they are a solution to the consequence of the problem (effect), not its cause, (treating the symptoms of the disease, not its cause) which consists in a lack of love for one's neighbor.
The feeling of dislike and hatred towards a person is satisfied by getting rid of that person.
It is believed that if there is no person, there is no problem.
The Bible says that whoever hates a person is already killing a person in his heart.
1 John 3:15:
"¹⁵ Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him." (1 John 3:15)
When Jesus was sentenced to death, it means that the people wanted to satisfy their feelings of dislike and hatred, which requires the removal of the object of dislike and hatred.
Hating immigrants requires getting rid of the immigrant in order to satisfy feelings of dislike and hatred for the immigrant.
Banning the entry of immigrants for the imaginary security of society does not mean that this is the only and correct way.
This path proves that in society, love for one's neighbor in the person of an immigrant is replaced by dislike. If there is hostility towards one's neighbor in the face of immigrants in society, then the proposal to protect society from new citizens is a solution to the consequence of the problem, not its treatment.
Banning the entry of immigrants is the easiest way, which does not require wisdom on how to organize the assimilation of immigrants into society in order to fulfill God's will, create conditions for the fulfillment of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ and enrich the country with new people.
Jesus Christ commanded his disciples – followers the Great Commission to go to all nations and teach them (Matthew 28:18-20). This means that the imposition of prohibitions on free movement of people on earth is contrary to God's will to spread God's teaching. Jesus did not command his disciples – followers to teach only the citizens of his country and his people, but told them to go among all nations. This means that it is God's will that the disciples – followers of Jesus Christ have the opportunity to spread the Word of God throughout the Earth.
However, it is sad that even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights does not declare the human right to free movement on planet Earth, but only declares the human right to freedom of movement only within the borders of one's country, which contradicts God's plan.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 13:
“1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.”
(Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 13)
We do not see any examples in the Bible of the concept of citizenship in the Old Testament and in the time of Jesus in the world.
It is known that the idea of citizenship was introduced in Ancient Greece, and then politically developed in the Roman Empire and from there spread widely around the world.
The idea of citizenship originated and took shape in slave-owning societies and the essence of the idea of citizenship lies in the legislative division of people into different categories: citizens and non-citizens.
History of citizenship, Encyclopedia Wikipedia:
“An important aspect of polis citizenship was exclusivity. Polis meant both the political assembly as well as the entire society. Inequality of status was widely accepted. Citizens had a higher status than non-citizens, such as women, slaves or barbarians.”
(History of citizenship, Encyclopedia Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_citizenship
Citizenship, Encyclopedia Britannica:
“Citizens have certain rights, duties, and responsibilities that are denied or only partially extended to aliens and other noncitizens residing in a country.”
(Citizenship, Encyclopedia Britannica)
https://www.britannica.com/topic/citizenship
Unlike the pagan gods of other nations and their inhumane laws, the God of Israel demands that there be one law for all in his kingdom:
Exodus 12:49:
"⁴⁹ One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you."" (Exodus 12:49)
Leviticus 24:22:
"²² You shall have one kind of law, for the foreigner as well as the native-born: for I am Yahweh your God. '"" (Leviticus 24:22)
Numbers 15:15-16:
"¹⁵ For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner, a statute forever throughout your generations: as you are, so shall the foreigner be before Yahweh.
¹⁶ One law and one ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you. '"" (Numbers 15:15-16)
In the spirit of these Divine decrees, we can see that in Israel, which should be a model of a fair, just, ideal, perfect society, there should be no division of society into citizens and non-citizens, entailing the endowment of residents with different rights and responsibilities. This means that in God's Kingdom there should be one law for all people, with equal rights and responsibilities for all people in God's Kingdom.
The different legal status of citizens and non-citizens introduces division and social tension into society, causes envy, hatred, disloyalty and hostility in society.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of preparing the way for the Lord – the Messiah:
Isaiah 40:3:
"³ The voice of one who calls out, "Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God." (Isaiah 40:3)
The Messiah and the Kingdom of God come to a place where freedom is, where people are waiting for his coming and preparing the conditions for his coming and reign. For the Messiah to come, people themselves need to prepare the way of the Messiah and his throne in their hearts, minds and societies and already live according to God's law.
When a society lives according to the laws of the Messiah and corresponds to the spirit of His Laws, then the Messiah actually lives and rules there, his Kingdom has already come there and is constantly being exalted and glorified.
Emanuel Swedenborg's books describe at many times and in various ways this unceasing process of filling heaven, where the power of God's people is manifested in its multiplicity, diversity and perfect organization into one single living organism — one great and glorious body of our Lord God — Jesus Christ.
The book “Priesthood and Clergy Unknown to Christianity” (George Bush, 1857) reveals in depth and detail this process of practical implementation of the Divine administration for building the Kingdom of God in heaven and on earth, which is born through a spiritual revolution of transformation from the chaos of the old creation into a gloriously organized new creation — into the new Man and God — Jesus Christ — into the new society of the new heavenly world order.
In order for the flow of immigration to heaven never stops, the world needs to be saved and it is God's will that all religions and all of us need to reconcile and unite and together build a new fair, just, ideal, perfect society — the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven.
This is exactly what Jesus commanded us to pray for in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10), and for this unity he prayed to God four times in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John.
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
In John 11:52 we read that Jesus would die for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.
John 11:49-53:
"⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews, who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him.
⁴⁶ But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done.
⁴⁷ The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, "What are we doing? For this man does many signs.
⁴⁸ If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. "
⁴⁹ But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all,
⁵⁰ nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish. "
⁵¹ He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation,
⁵² and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.
⁵³ So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death." (John 11:49-53)
In John 17:11, 21, 22, 23 Jesus prayed that his disciples may be one. In verses 21 and 23, Jesus said that by seeing this unity in love between us, the world may know Christ and His love, see His living, one Body, know and recognize His power and authority.
John 17:11-26:
"¹¹ I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are.
¹² While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you have given me I have kept. None of them is lost, except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
¹³ But now I come to you, and I say these things in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves.
¹⁴ I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
¹⁵ I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one.
¹⁶ They are not of the world even as I am not of the world.
¹⁷ Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.
¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world.
¹⁹ For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
²⁰ Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word,
²¹ that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.
²² The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one;
²³ I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me.
²⁴ Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.
²⁵ Righteous Father, the world hasn't known you, but I knew you; and these knew that you sent me.
²⁶ I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them. "" (John 17:11-26)
In this chapter (John 17:21), Jesus says that if we are one, then the whole world will know Jesus Christ and his teaching. According to Emanuel Swedenborg, this means that if we use one teaching, then we can unite all beliefs, including philosophy, Confucianism and Marxism, and the whole world under a single teaching about the inner meaning of the sacred books of all beliefs, because they all, in their inner sense, speak about the same thing, — about the building of a single fair, just, ideal, perfect society.
This is the main miracle that the Lord works: "Out of Many, One".
The miracle that God creates is the one Great Man — God, consisting of many people united by one universal idea based on universal human values.
This corresponds to a traditional motto of the United States “E pluribus unum”, appearing on the Great Seal.
Jesus asks for this five times in this prayer of his, which means that it is very important, and that the spirit of God's law and his kingdom lies precisely in the unity of his disciples.
In an inner sense, motto — Out of Many, One — is not only about the United States, but about the whole of humanity, where the Earth is our common home and the whole world needs one teaching in order to live in peace and love.
Thus, the Messiah means the idea of building a fair, just, ideal, perfect society based on the spirit of the Holy Scripture. This perfect society is called the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, which Jesus preached and teaches us to live according to the merciful and just laws of God's Kingdom.
This idea is the Messiah himself, who is the Divine teaching based on the revelation of the inner meaning of the Word, which is spread by God through his servants. This teaching is called the New Jerusalem, the doctrine of which is set forth in the books of Emanuel Swedenborg.
The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine is our Messiah, who is a fair, just, ideal, perfect society, the holy assembly — the New Jerusalem, consisting of living people who understand, reveal and fulfill the inner meaning of the Scripture, who are called the builders of the New Jerusalem, its living precious stones, from which it is built.
JEWISH IDEAS OF GOD:
“Jewish monotheism thinks of God in terms of definite character or personality… This is shown in the Jewish liturgy, such as in the Adon Olam hymn, which includes a "confident affirmation" that "He is my God, my living God... Who hears and answers."
“British chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks suggests that God "is not distant in time or detached, but Passionately engaged and present.”
“According to the kabbalah, every human action here on earth affects the divine realm, either promoting or hindering the union of the Shechina and the Holy One, blessed be He. Sanctify your limbs and adorn them with good deeds, making yourself into a throne for the Divine Presence, your body an ark for the Shechina. When you do a good deed, you sanctify yourself.”
(JEWISH IDEAS OF GOD)
So charity toward our neighbor reaches out to every single detail of our lives; and to love what is good and do what is good out of a love for what is good and true, to do what is just out of a love for what is just in every role and action is to love our neighbor.
God is outside of time and space; therefore, it is necessary to interpret the Word outside of time and space.
Time measurements were invented by the ancient Egyptians.
(Who Invented the Measurement of Time?)
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/who-invented-the-measurement-of-time/
Hence arose the concept of time.
The concept of time leads us astray from the eternal concepts in which God lives.
The concept of death, which depends on the concept of time, causes such negative phenomena as greed, envy, hatred, which produce hoarding desires as a way to delay death and gain imaginary confidence in the future.
Emanuel Swedenborg writes:
HEAVEN and HELL by Emanuel Swedenborg, § 164:
“The reason we have times in our world is that the sun seems to move sequentially from one zone to another and to make the times we call the seasons of the year. It also moves around the earth and makes the times we call times of day, and it does these by fixed periods.
It is different for heaven’s sun. It does not make years and days by sequential motions and rotations, but makes apparent changes of state; and it does not make these by fixed periods, as explained in the preceding chapter. This is why angels are incapable of having any concept of time, but have a concept of state instead.”
(HEAVEN and HELL by Emanuel Swedenborg, § 164)
https://swedenborg.com/product/heaven-hell-nce/
It is known that Moses wrote the book of Genesis. However, we understand that Moses was not personally present during the creation of the Universe, so he is not a physical witness of those historical events and therefore, from a legal point of view, Moses has no right to testify about the historical events of the creation of the Universe. Therefore, we also have no right to consider his evidence in the historical physical aspect, and even more so to make judgments about it. If we do this, we will fall into materialism and will no longer be able to judge and discern Scripture spiritually. What we focus our mind on is what we judge.
1 Corinthians 2:15:
“But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.” (1 Corinthians 2:15)
The traditional view of Judaism also corresponds to this understanding of the contents of the Pentateuch:
Do Jews view Scripture as the "word of God"?:
“The first part is the "Chumash", the five books of Moses. They were dictated word-by-word from G-d, and Moses wrote them down. Just because they are the word of G-d does not mean they were intended literally;”
(Do Jews view Scripture as the "word of God"?)
https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/29780/do-jews-view-scripture-as-the-word-of-god
Moses was a spiritual man and he used figurative language to describe the spiritual creation. God is Spirit, and therefore we should understand the Bible and the words and deeds of God spiritually.
Figurative language is the language of wise people. Children, for example, do not understand figurative language, but they understand everything only literally. Wise people know figurative language, because with its help you can transmit and receive a much larger amount of information and talk about spiritual things.
Heaven and Hell § 240, Emanuel Swedenborg:
“240. Because angels' language flows directly from their affection (since their individual ideas are various forms into which their affections are apportioned, as noted above in 236), angels can express in a minute more than we can say in half an hour, and can present in a few words things that would make many pages of writing.”
(Heaven and Hell § 240, Emanuel Swedenborg)
There are two kinds of things: material things (visible and tangible by the physical organs of perception of information about the world around us) and spiritual things (visible and tangible by the spiritual organs of perception of information about the spiritual world, our inner world). These are concepts such as love, truth, mercy, faith, hope, and so on.
Therefore, what we look at, we see.
For example, in in the Book of Genesis, the materialist sees material things and historical events in the physical world and understands them literally.
A spiritual person sees in the Book of Genesis — spiritual eternal things in the spiritual world and understands them spiritually.
We want to demonstrate how the New Jerusalem Doctrine works in practice, in revealing and understanding the inner meaning of the Scripture based on rational and logical methods.
To do this, we will read a few verses from the Book of Genesis on the inner meaning.
This method of understanding Scripture is based on the interpretation of the Word by the Word, when the Word interprets itself. To do this, we need to know the Scripture well and remember the spiritual meanings of each word in different places of the Word in its meanings.
Let's read these several verses from the Book of Genesis from the Book of Emanuel Swedenborg Secrets of Heaven Vol. 1: New Century Edition, SWEDENBORG FOUNDATION (Genesis 1-8).
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“14
FROM this point on, the term Lord is used in only one way: to refer to the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ; and the name “Lord” is used without any additions.
He is acknowledged and revered as Lord throughout heaven because he possesses all power in heaven and on earth.
He also commanded this when he said,
“You address me as ‘Lord.’ You speak correctly, because so I am” (John 13:13).
And his disciples called him Lord after the resurrection.
15
In the whole of heaven no one knows of any other Father than the Lord, since the Father and the Lord are one. As he himself said:
John 14:6, 8, 9, 10, 11:
“I am the way and the truth and life.” Philip says, “Show us the Father.” Jesus says to him, “After all the time I’ve spent with you, don’t you know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How then can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? Believe me, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” (John 14:6, 8, 9, 10, 11)
16
Genesis 1:1:
In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. (Genesis 1:1)
The word beginning is being used for the very earliest times. The prophets frequently call them “the days of old.”
“The beginning” includes the first period of regeneration too, as that is when people are being born anew and receiving life. Because of this, regeneration itself is called our new creation [2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15].
2 Corinthians 5:17:
“¹⁷ Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17);
Galatians 6:15:
“¹⁵ For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” (Galatians 6:15)
Almost everywhere in the prophetic books, the words creating, forming, and making stand for regenerating, though with differences. In Isaiah, for example:
Isaiah 43:7:
All have been called by my name, and I have created them for my glory; I have formed them; yes, I have made them. (Isaiah 43:7)
This is why the Lord is called Redeemer, One-Who-Forms-from-the-Womb, Maker, and Creator, as in the same prophet:
Isaiah 43:15:
I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your Monarch. (Isaiah 43:15)
In David:
Psalms 102:18:
The people created will praise Jah. (Psalms 102:18)
In the same author:
Psalms 104:30:
You send out your spirit-they will continue to be created-and you renew the face of the ground. (Psalms 104:30)
Heaven, or the sky, symbolizes the inner self, and the earth, before regeneration occurs, symbolizes the outer self, as may be seen below [§§17, 24:3, 27].
17
Genesis 1:2:
And the earth was void and emptiness, and there was darkness on the face of the abyss, and the Spirit of God was constantly moving on the face of the water. (Genesis 1:2)
Before regeneration a person is called the void, empty earth, and also soil in which no seed of goodness or truth has been planted. Void refers to an absence of goodness and empty to an absence of truth. The result is darkness, in which a person is oblivious to or ignorant of anything having to do with faith in the Lord and consequently with a spiritual or heavenly life. The Lord portrays such a person this way in Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 4:22, 23, 25:
My people are dense; they do not know me. They are stupid children, without understanding. They are wise in doing evil but do not know how to do good. I looked at the earth, and there-void and emptiness; and to the heavens, and these had no light. (Jeremiah 4:22, 23, 25)
18
The face of the abyss means our cravings and the falsities these give rise to; we are wholly made up of cravings and falsities and wholly surrounded by them. Because no ray of light is in us, we are like an abyss, or something disorganized and dim.
Many passages in the Word also call such people abysses and sea depths, which are drained (that is, devastated) before a person is regenerated. In Isaiah, for instance:
Isaiah 51:9, 10, 11:
Wake up, as in the days of old, the generations of eternity! Are you not draining the sea, the waters of the great abyss, and making the depths of the sea a path for the redeemed to cross? May those redeemed by Jehovah return! (Isaiah 51:9, 10, 11)
An individual of this type, observed from heaven, looks like a dark mass with no life at all to it.
The same words involve an individual’s overall spiritual devastation-a preliminary step to regeneration. (The prophets have much more to say about it.) Before we can learn what is true and be affected by what is good, the things that stand in the way and resist have to be put aside. The old self must die before the new self can be conceived.
19
The Spirit of God stands for the Lord’s mercy, which is portrayed as moving constantly, like a hen brooding over her eggs. What is being brooded over in this instance is what the Lord stores away in us, which throughout the Word is called “a remnant” [or “survivors”]. It is a knowledge of truth and goodness, which can never emerge into the light of day until our outer nature has been devastated. Such knowledge is here called the face of the water.
20
Genesis 1:3:
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)
The first step is taken when we begin to realize that goodness and truth are something transcendent.
People who focus exclusively on externals do not even know what is good or what is true; everything connected with self-love and love of worldly advantages they consider good, and anything that promotes those two loves they consider true. They are unaware that such “goodness” is evil and such “truth” false.
When we are conceived anew, however, we first begin to be aware that our “good” is not good. And as we advance further into the light, it dawns on us that the Lord exists and that he is goodness and truth itself.
The Lord says in John that we need to know of his existence:
John 8:24:
Unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins. (John 8:24)
We need to know too that the Lord is goodness itself, or life, and truth itself, or light, and consequently that nothing good or true exists that does not come from him. This is also found in John:
John 1:1, 3, 4, [5,] 9:
In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was present with God, and the Word was God. Everything was made by him, and nothing that was made was made without him. In him was life, and the life was the light of humankind; but the light appears in the darkness. He was the true light that shines on every person coming into the world. (John 1:1, 3, 4, [5,] 9)
21
Genesis 1:4, 5:
And God saw the light, that it was good, and God made a distinction between light and darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. (Genesis 1:4, 5)
The light is said to be good because it is from the Lord, who is goodness itself.
The darkness is whatever looked like light to us before our new conception and birth, because we saw evil as good and falsity as truth; but it is actually darkness-our lingering sense of self-sufficiency.
Absolutely everything that is the Lord’s is compared to the day, because it belongs to the light, and everything that is our own is compared to the night, because it belongs to the darkness. The Word draws this comparison in quite a few places.
22
Genesis 1:5:
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Genesis 1:5)
From this we now see what evening and morning mean. Evening is every preliminary stage, because such stages are marked by shadow, or by falsity and an absence of faith. Morning is all later stages, because these are marked by light, or by truth and religious knowledge.
Evening stands in general for everything that is our own, while morning stands for everything of the Lord’s. As David says, for example:
2 Samuel 23:2, 3, 4:
The Spirit of Jehovah has spoken in me and his words are on my tongue. The God of Israel has said, the rock of Israel has spoken to me. He is like the morning light when the sun rises, like a morning when there are no clouds, when because of the brightness, because of the rain, the tender grass springs from the earth. (2 Samuel 23:2, 3, 4)
Since evening is when there is no faith and morning is when there is faith, the Lord’s coming into the world is called morning. The period in which he came, being a time of no faith, is called evening. In Daniel:
Daniel 8:14, 26:
The Holy One said to me, “Up till [the day’s second] evening, when it becomes morning, two thousand and three hundred times.” (Daniel 8:14, 26)
Morning in the Word is similarly taken to mean every coming of the Lord, so that it is a word for being created anew.
23
Nothing is more common in the Word than for a day to be understood as meaning the times, as in Isaiah:
Isaiah 13:6, 9, 13, 22:
The day of Jehovah is near. Look-the day of Jehovah is coming! I will shake heaven, and the earth will tremble right out of its place, on the day when my anger blazes up. The time of his coming is near, and its days will not be postponed. (Isaiah 13:6, 9, 13, 22)
In the same prophet:
Isaiah 23:7, 15:
In the days of old she was old. It will happen on that day that Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, corresponding to the days of one king. (Isaiah 23:7, 15)
Because a day stands for a time period, it is also taken to mean the state we are in during that period, as in Jeremiah:
Isaiah 23:7, 15:
Doom to us! For the day has faded, for the shadows of evening have lengthened. (Jeremiah 6:4)
In the same prophet:
Jeremiah 33:20, 25:
If you nullify my compact with the day and my compact with the night, so that there is no daytime or night at their times . . . (Jeremiah 33:20, 25)
And again:
Lamentations 5:21:
Renew our days as in ancient times. (Lamentations 5:21)
24
Genesis 1:6:
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it exist to make a distinction among the waters, in the waters.” (Genesis 1:6)
The next step occurs after the Spirit of God-the Lord’s mercy-brings out into daylight the knowledge of truth and goodness and provides the first glimmering that the Lord exists, that he is goodness and truth itself, and that nothing is good or true except what comes from him. The Spirit of God then makes a distinction between the inner and the outer being, and between the religious knowledge we possess in our inner selves and the secular knowledge belonging to our outer selves.
The inner self is called the expanse, the knowledge in the inner self is called the waters over the expanse, and the facts belonging to the outer self are called the waters under the expanse.
[2] Before we are reborn, we do not know even that an inner being exists, let alone what it is, imagining there is no difference between the two selves. This is because we are absorbed by bodily and worldly interests and merge the concerns of the inner being with those interests. Out of distinct and separate planes we make one dim, confused whole.
Therefore this verse first says that there should be an expanse in the middle of the waters, then that it should exist to make a distinction “among the waters, in the waters,” but not that it should make a distinction between one set of waters and another. The next verse says that.
[3] Genesis 1:7, 8:
And God made the expanse, and he made a distinction between the waters that were under the expanse and the waters that were over the expanse, and so it was done; and God called the expanse heaven. (Genesis 1:7, 8)
The second thing we begin to notice while being reborn, then, is that the inner self exists. We become aware that the attributes of the inner self are good feelings and true ideas, which are the Lord’s alone.
While we are being reborn, our outer self is such that it still believes we are acting on our own when we do what is good and speaking on our own when we speak what is true. The Lord uses those things—allowing them to seem like our own, since such is our mindset—to lead us to doing what is good and speaking what is true. Consequently we first learn to distinguish what is under the expanse; only then do we learn to distinguish what is over the expanse.
Another secret from heaven is that the Lord leads us by means of things that really are our own—both the illusions of our senses and our cravings—but diverts us toward things that are true and good. So every single moment of regeneration carries us forward from evening to morning, just as it takes us from the outer self to the inner, or from earth to heaven. This is why the expanse (the inner self) is now called heaven.
25
Spreading out the earth and stretching out the heavens is a customary formula used by the prophets when they speak of our regeneration. In Isaiah, for example:
This is what Jehovah has said, your Redeemer and the one who formed you from the womb:
“I am Jehovah, making all things, stretching the heavens out on my own and spreading the earth out by myself.” (Isaiah 44:24)
Again, where the Lord’s Coming is spoken of openly:
A crushed reed he does not break, and smoldering flax he does not quench; he propels judgment toward truth.
[In other words, he does not break our illusions or extinguish our cravings but bends them toward truth and goodness. It continues:]
God Jehovah creates the heavens and stretches them out. He spreads out the earth and the things it produces. He gives a soul to the people on it and spirit to everyone walking on it. (Isaiah 42:3, 4, 5)
Several other places could be cited as well.
26
Genesis 1:8. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
The meanings of evening, morning, and day are explained above at verse 5 [§§22–23].
27
Genesis 1:9. And God said, “Let the waters under heaven be gathered into one place, and let dry land appear”; and so it was done.
When we learn that we have an inner self and an outer, and that truth and goodness come from the inner self—or rather from the Lord by way of the inner self into the outer, even though this is contrary to appearances—this information, this knowledge of truth and goodness, is stored away in our memory. The knowledge takes its place among the secular facts we have learned, because anything instilled in our outward memory, whether earthly, spiritual, or heavenly, lodges there as a fact, and from there the Lord draws on it.
This knowledge is the waters gathered into one place and named seas. The outer being itself, on the other hand, is called dry land. Immediately afterward it is called earth, as the next verse shows.
28
Genesis 1:10. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of waters he called seas; and God saw that it was good.
To find waters symbolizing religious and secular knowledge, and seas symbolizing a body of such knowledge, is quite common in the Word. In Isaiah:
The earth will be full with the awareness of Jehovah, like the waters covering the sea. (Isaiah 11:9)
In the same prophet, where both kinds of knowledge are portrayed as lacking:
The water will disappear from the sea, the river will drain away and dry up, and the streams will recede. (Isaiah 19:5, 6)
In Haggai, where a new church is the subject:
I am shaking the heavens and the earth, and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all the nations, and those who are the desire of every nation will come, and I will fill this House with glory. (Haggai 2:6, 7)
And in Zechariah, on the regenerating individual:
That will be a single day; it is known to Jehovah; it is not day or night. And it will happen that at the time of evening there will be light. And it will happen on that day that living water will go out from Jerusalem, part of it to the eastern sea and part of it to the western sea. (Zechariah 14:7, 8)
In a passage in David depicting a devastated person who is being reborn and will come to revere the Lord:
Jehovah does not despise his prisoners; the heavens and the earth, the seas and every creeping thing in them will praise him. (Psalms 69:33, 34)
In the following passage in Zechariah, the earth symbolizes that which receives something put into it:
Jehovah is stretching out the heavens and founding the earth and forming the human spirit in the middle of it. (Zechariah 12:1)
(The Book by Emanuel Swedenborg: Secrets of Heaven Vol. 1 [Genesis 1-8]: New Century Edition, SWEDENBORG FOUNDATION).
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Matthew 18:3:
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. (Matthew 18:3)
Children play games. When they grow up, the acquired knowledge and skills can become a reality.
Children have great imagination. If we are like children, we can imagine and visualize in our minds the building of God's Kingdom on earth.
Matthew 6:33:
“First seek God’s kingdom and its justice and you will gain all”. (Matthew 6:33)
Jesus commanded us to pray for the coming of His Kingdom to earth and the fulfillment of His will on earth.
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
The goal of the game is to develop the imagination and build in the mind the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.
To understand how it is possible to create the kingdom of God on Earth according to the heavenly model, you can ask yourself the following questions and justify the answers to them:
1. What form of government and social organization exists in heaven in the Kingdom of God?
2. Are there money, goods, and products there?
3. Is there private ownership of land, means of production and things?
4. Are there separate states and kings there?
5. If heaven is a fair, just, ideal, perfect society, then what can we do on earth to build a fair, just, ideal, perfect society after the heavenly model, so that God can carry out His will on earth?
Imagine:
1. The Kingdom of God has already come spiritually to earth with the coming of Christ, and God already dwells here on earth by His Spirit in us — in His living temple.
2. We must not depend on waiting for the second coming of Christ. God has given us everything we need — His Name, His Word, faith, power and authority to build His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
3. Before doing His will on earth, God reveals it to His servants on earth, and when His servants desire that God's will be done, they ask God to do it, and then He does His will through these His servants. This is how the Kingdom of God works and His will is done on earth.
4. God's servants on earth should have an accurate plan for building God's Kingdom and develop their skills and model Kingdom building in their minds.
5. The time of building the Kingdom of Heaven depends on the development of the human mind and the realization that God is the owner of the planet Earth and no one has the right to appropriate the lands and resources of the Earth. God has given Planet Earth into the common possession of all mankind.
6. Every person on earth has the right to benefit equally from the resources of planet Earth.
7. The Kingdom of God on earth means to have one language, one heart and one soul, which means to have everything in common, no countries, no borders, no possessions, no money. There is only one Kingdom, the Kingdom of God.
8. God's authority on earth is exercised through prophets and judges.
9. The ultimate purpose is to build the Kingdom of God through enlightenment, democratic referendums and elections, voluntarily, through the transformation of the mind.
10. The transitional form of the ultimate purpose (the goal) — Christian democratic socialism on the principles of social justice, with communes, according to the best social models — Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark.
11. Structure of the Party of heaven: The heaven has three levels. On the first level, there are many heavens for different religious communities that believe in God. On the second level, there is a higher heaven, consisting of those who believe in the one God — Jesus Christ.
12. In the third, highest heaven is the Council of the Party of Heaven. They are prophets and judges. They are the New Jerusalem and the wife of God (two become one). They believe that God is Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God. They believe and accept the teaching of the New Jerusalem and develop this teaching from their own experience. The teaching of the New Jerusalem about the inner meaning of the Bible is the ideological foundation of the Third Heaven. The teaching of the New Jerusalem is the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, set forth in the books of Emanuel Swedenborg.
A main idea is to imagine, understand and think that God's servants are God's angels.
· The Kingdom of God is not a place in the universe, but a multitude of God's angels.
· Angels have a more perfect mind than demons.
· Angels are repentant demons. Because without repentance, it is impossible to enter heaven.
· God brings people to repentance, transforms their minds and grows angels out of people and populates heaven and earth with them.
· An angel is one whose mind is exalted into the heavenly spheres, it is one who dwells in God, in heaven and on earth.
Already now, imagine yourself as angels in heaven and on earth and think about what we need to do to fulfill God's will.
Marcus Aurelius wisely said:
If it is possible for someone, then it is possible for you.
Jesus said:
Mark 9:23:
"Everything is possible for him who believes." (Mark 9:23).
In Ephesians 6:12 we read that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens:
Ephesians 6:12:
"¹² For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world 's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)
We understand this to mean that enmity and wars on earth are the result of the spiritual war between the kingdom of light, truth and good and the kingdom of darkness, lies and evil. We understand that our calling is to become warriors of Christ in this spiritual battle.
In John 17:11, 21, 22, 23 Jesus prayed that his disciples may be one. In verses 21 and 23, Jesus said that by seeing this unity in love between us, the world may know Christ and His love, see His living, one Body, know and recognize His power and authority.
"¹¹ I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are.
¹² While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you have given me I have kept. None of them is lost, except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
¹³ But now I come to you, and I say these things in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves.
¹⁴ I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
¹⁵ I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one.
¹⁶ They are not of the world even as I am not of the world.
¹⁷ Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.
¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world.
¹⁹ For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
²⁰ Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word,
²¹ that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.
²² The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one;
²³ I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me.
²⁴ Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.
²⁵ Righteous Father, the world hasn't known you, but I knew you; and these knew that you sent me.
²⁶ I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them. "" (John 17:11-26)
In this chapter (John 17:21), Jesus says that if we are one, then the whole world will know Jesus Christ and his teaching. According to Emanuel Swedenborg, this means that if we use one teaching, then we can unite all beliefs, including philosophy, Confucianism and Marxism, and the whole world under a single teaching about the inner meaning of the sacred books of all beliefs, because they all, in their inner sense, speak about the same thing, — about the building of a single fair, just, ideal, perfect society.
This is the main miracle that the Lord works: "Out of Many, One".
The miracle that God creates is the one Great Man — God, consisting of many people united by one universal idea based on universal human values.
This corresponds to a traditional motto of the United States “E pluribus unum”, appearing on the Great Seal.
Jesus asks for this five times in this prayer of his, which means that it is very important, and that the spirit of God's law and his kingdom lies precisely in the unity of his disciples.
These are the first level churches that work on the first level of sowing and reaping. The Church of Heavenly Jerusalem is the Church of the next level. This is a harvest among those who know the Bible well enough and are ready to go to the next level. The first level church is divided by different teachings about the literal understanding of the Scriptures. The Bible says that God is the Spirit and the Word of God is God. This means that the Bible is a spiritual book and it should be understood spiritually.
The next level church is united by the doctrine of the spiritual meaning of the Word. Only this teaching can make the church one.
Those who are comfortable at the first level do not want to go further, because they have not matured yet and they are not interested in it. However, there are many in the world who are ripe and ready to move to the next level. This is for those who hunger and thirst for truth, mercy and justice for the sake of truth, mercy and justice. God is looking for such people.
Only a spiritual understanding of the Holy Scriptures can bring the children of God together and make them one. To do this, it is necessary to have a doctrine. This doctrine is contained in the books of Emanuel Swedenborg, which reveal the inner (spiritual) meaning of the Bible.
The wisdom of God is innumerable, therefore in the Bible there are innumerable levels in the knowledge of the Word.
There are Christians who immediately go to the next level without stopping at the first. It depends on the intellect.
Intelligence makes a man the man.
When you read the books of Emanuel Swedenborg, you see that it is impossible to write like that without Divine influx and perception. Emanuel Swedenborg reveals the spiritual meaning of the Scriptures using rational and logical thinking. Knowledge is light.
Heavenly Jerusalem is not a city of the future, but of the present in spiritual reality.
God is beyond time and spaces.
God is the God of the present moment.
We must not only spread the Word, but also reveal its Divine meaning.
If we cannot explain the meaning of God's Word, then the listener will remain in darkness.
The Light is inside the Word, not outside.
The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:6:
"⁶ who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:6)
The word of God has everything we need for a happy life and makes paradise a reality.
The New Jerusalem is the teaching about the inner spiritual meaning of the Word. Therefore, we can find the Heavenly Jerusalem in the Word, and live in it.
In this sense, we can say that any religion is a game of imagination. People come together physically and spiritually, virtually and perform religious rites, conduct spiritual conversations, worship the invisible God.
Since the emergence of human society, many thinkers and philosophers have been thinking about a fair, just, ideal, perfect society and have proposed various options for it creation, many of which can be considered utopias. Emanuel Swedenborg describes the people of the Golden Age as a fair, just, ideal, perfect society, or as close as possible to this definition.
Politicians also offer many solutions and programs of political parties designed to improve society and solve many social problems. We, Christians, inhabitants of planet Earth, can also dream and think about what God and we can do to create a fair, just, ideal, perfect society on Earth.
People hope that God and the Church will solve many social problems that exist in society, such as freedom, justice, equality, brotherhood, brotherly love.
The issue of social justice is currently acute in society.
For example, the social teachings of Bernie Sanders are now very popular in the US, especially among young people, which means that the concept of social justice is very relevant in society now.
The term Virtual game and other figures of speech generally accepted in the modern world are used here to convey information in figurative language.
The spiritual world is the world of information (information world).
Jesus said that His words are spirit and life (John 6:63).
John 6:63:
"⁶³ It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life." (John 6:63)
The words of Jesus are His teachings.
Emanuel Swedenborg writes that the entire Bible is about the teaching of God, and the Word is the Divine teaching.
The spirit is the mind.
Everyone lives in the world of information with his mind, because the mind is an informational thing.
All thoughts and ideas come to a person from the world of information.
We live in the computer age and have a corresponding way of thinking.
Simulation theory is now gaining popularity. With the development of computer technology, more and more people believe that God is the Great Programmer and we all live in the matrix. For example, Elon Musk is sure that a billion to one chance of what we live in the program of a large universal computer, and life is a big virtual game.
Odds are we're living in a simulation, says Elon Musk:
"There's a billion to one chance we're living in base reality," Elon Musk said tonight on stage at Recode's Code Conference, meaning that one of the most influential and powerful figures in tech thinks that it's overwhelmingly likely we're just characters living inside a simulation.
(Odds are we're living in a simulation, says Elon Musk)
https://www.theverge.com/2016/6/2/11837874/elon-musk-says-odds-living-in-simulation
Probably, Elon Musk found a way to get a lot of ideas from the spiritual world of information (from the Mind of God as a source and repository of information) and materialize them in physical reality.
This fits well with Emanuel Swedenborg's doctrine of correspondences and we can successfully use this new terminology to communicate our thoughts to people in a modern and understandable language.
Any game is virtual to some extent, and a person is an informational being.
Our way of thinking depends on the information received. Without information, a person cannot think about anything. A virtual game means to use a more perfect language, the language of visualization — to visualize.
The virtual game The Party of Heaven is a manifestation of visualization in the physical world — materialization:
John 1:14:
“The Word became flesh” (John 1:14).
The virtual model becomes a physical reality — materializes.
First, we play this game, in our mind we build the kingdom of God on earth according to the Divine pattern, we model, visualize and develop our skills virtually (in the mind). Then, when the time comes, our thoughts and plans will come true. First God speaks and then He does (Genesis 1).
Genesis 1:3:
"³ God said, "Let there be light, " and there was light." (Genesis 1:3)
Genesis 1:6-7:
"⁶ God said, "Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. "
⁷ God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so." (Genesis 1:6-7)
If we do not have time to see the embodiment of our dreams in the material world, then our program can be used by the next generations, who will remember us and talk about our program. If they remember our program, it means we will live in them, living in their minds and hearts. This is eternal life.
We remember Jesus Christ and his teaching, we remember Emanuel Swedenborg and his doctrine. This means that these people have acquired immortality, because we remember them and accept their doctrine, we believe in their words and thoughts. Also, we will live forever in the hearts and minds of people if we give them our ideas, thoughts and dreams, which will become their ideas, thoughts and dreams, their lives and eventually become a physical reality.
Emanuel Swedenborg writes that angels need a connection with people, because through this connection angels have life, since the minds of people on earth are the soil for heavenly life.
Thus, it is possible to practically apply the teachings of Jesus Christ and Emanuel Swedenborg and accomplish the feat of faith, which will give us immortality.
God wants to build a fair, just, ideal, perfect society after the heavenly pattern and do His will on earth as it is in heaven:
Matthew 6:9-10:
“"⁹ This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
(Prayer of the Lord Jesus Our Father in Matthew 6:9-10)
The kingdom of God is not a territory or land, but living people, citizens (residents) of heaven. For where there is the King of heaven, there is also the Kingdom of heaven. Because the King of heaven cannot be separated from His Kingdom. To build the Kingdom of God on earth, God needs earthly builders, angels in the flesh, and we are these builders.
Therefore, the Lord wants to make us catchers (fishers) of men (Luke 5:10) in order to catch people with truth and love and build a fair, just, ideal, perfect society out of people, a heavenly living temple Heavenly Jerusalem — the coming of Heaven to earth and the reign of God in His living heavenly temple on Earth.
Matthew 4:19:
"¹⁹ He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. "" (Matthew 4:19)
Mark 1:17:
"¹⁷ Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. "" (Mark 1:17)
Luke 5:10:
"¹⁰ and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men. "" (Luke 5:10)
Many of God's people (the prophets, Jesus, John, Swedenborg, and so on) had contacts with heaven in order to understand the structure and life of the Кingdom of Heaven. If it was possible for them, it means it is possible for us:
John 1:51:
"⁵¹ He said to him, "Most certainly, I tell you, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. "" (John 1:51)
Acts 2:17:
"¹⁷ 'It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2:17)
That is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
Joel 2:28:
"²⁸ "It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions." (Joel 2:28)
God uses our imagination (visualization of our faith) to help us see the arrangement and life of His kingdom in heaven and do His will on earth, which means the coming of God's kingdom to Earth and the fulfillment of God's will on earth. If we clearly imagine the structure and life of God's kingdom in heaven and create a plan (program) for the organization of God's kingdom on earth according to the Divine model, then God through us will implement this plan in the physical world.
Because the Lord, through the Bible, the books of Emanuel Swedenborg and through personal revelations to us and our spiritual contacts with Heaven, gives us the appropriate knowledge and skills to implement His Divine plan in the physical world.
We Christians are God's representatives on earth, so it is our duty to do God's will here and return to the Golden Age model that Emanuel Swedenborg wrote about as a model of a fair, just, ideal, perfect society.
This means that the skills and plans acquired in this game will be implemented in the physical world. We will build our dream — a fair, just, ideal, perfect society — the Kingdom of God on earth, which God dreams of building and is looking for builders who will realize His Divine dream.
This is how we can fulfill our earthly destiny.
1. What is the main purpose of God's doctrine and Emanuel Swedenborg's doctrine?
2. Is there a political structure in the Kingdom of God in Heaven?
3. Did Emanuel Swedenborg write about the political structure of God's Kingdom in Heaven?
4. Can we see the political structure in God's Kingdom in Heaven and God's Kingdom on Earth?
5. Our main goal is not just intellectual growth in spirit and unity with God, but also the application of the acquired knowledge and skills in practice.
6. If it was possible for Emanuel Swedenborg and other servants of God to see the secrets of Heaven, to talk with angels, then it is possible for us too.
7. We can develop the doctrine of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of Emanuel Swedenborg in its practical application.
1. Who are we? We are God's angels — God's servants in heaven and on earth.
2. What do we angels have now? We have now (available information, input data):
a. Eternal heavenly life, serving God and living earthly life in our physical bodies;
b. Earthly service to people (the world) with the help of mind and physical body;
c. The Bible;
d. The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem based on the books of Emanuel Swedenborg;
e. Websites and other resources that develop and systematize the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem.
3. What do we angels see here on planet Earth? We see now:
a. Ignorance – darkness;
b. Lies, falsehood;
c. Evil;
d. Injustice;
e. Greed, love of money, worship of Mammon;
f. Hatred, enmity, wars;
g. Imperfect society;
h. Inefficient use of the resources of the planet Earth. Global Inequality.
According to the Wikipedia article Global Day of Action on Military Spending:
“The amount of money spent on the defense sector equals $4.7 billion a day or $249 per person.”
“The negative effects of high militarization include not just the direct ones of money and resources being spent on weapons systems instead of being used for human development but also the associated costs of negative health consequences of research, development, testing and even the safe decommissioning of such weapons, especially nuclear, biological and chemical ones.
As is obvious, the greater the military expenditure, the less there is left to spend on other aspects, both at communal but also at individual level, such as building and maintaining infrastructure, education and health.
In the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed".”
(Global Day of Action on Military Spending, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Day_of_Action_on_Military_Spending
“While decisions about the world’s wealth are being made in Davos, here are a few mind-blowing stats and facts on the current state of wealth inequality from Oxfam’s report.
1. The richest 1% own almost half of the world’s wealth, while the poorest half of the world own just 0.75%
In fact, they have acquired nearly twice as much wealth in new money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population.
2. 81 billionaires have more wealth than 50% of the world combined
Despite this, they are taxed the least, with only 4 cents in every dollar of global tax revenue coming from wealth taxes. In fact, half of the world’s billionaires live in regions where wealth tax is not even a thing.”
(The Richest 1% Own Almost Half the World’s Wealth & 9 Other Mind-Blowing Facts on Wealth Inequality. Even rich people want rich people to be taxed more, GLOBAL CITIZEN)
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/wealth-inequality-oxfam-billionaires-elon-musk/
Income and wealth inequality has risen in many countries in recent decades. Rising inequality and related disparities and anxieties have been stoking social discontent and are a major driver of the increased political polarization and populist nationalism that are so evident today. An increasingly unequal society can weaken trust in public institutions and undermine democratic governance. Mounting global disparities can imperil geopolitical stability. Rising inequality has emerged as an important topic of political debate and a major public policy concern.
(RESEARCH. Rising inequality: A major issue of our time)
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/rising-inequality-a-major-issue-of-our-time/
4. What do we angels want? — Our purpose and God's purpose:
a. to build a fair, just, ideal, perfect society on earth according to the Divine heavenly pattern and establish the rule of God on Earth, which is the New World Order, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10); to make the world a better place; to create the Church after the model of the first church after Pentecost.
5. What are we missing to achieve the purpose?
a. We do not have now the Program (Business Plan) for the practical application of the Doctrine of New Jerusalem in earthly life.
6. What goals and objectives do we need to solve in order to achieve the purpose? Our goals and objectives:
a. We must defeat:
i. Ignorance (darkness);
ii. Lie;
iii. Evil;
iv. Injustice;
v. Greed, love of money, worship of mammon;
vi. Hatred, enmity, wars.
b. We must make:
i. A fair, just, ideal, perfect society;
ii. Peace;
iii. Improve the world. Make the world a better place;
iv. Improve the well-being of all people;
v. Efficient and equitable use and distribution of the Earth's resources.
7. Means and ways to achieve the purpose, the goals and the objectives:
a. Information way: Spread the Doctrine of God and the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem by Emanuel Swedenborg.
b. Develop more advanced (angelic) languages of communication:
i. Develop imagination – visualize (receiving and perceiving of information);
ii. Visualization (transmission of information);
iii. Figurative language and intonation (transmission of information).
c. Christian discussions and debates (receiving and perceiving and transmission of information).
Jesus and His disciples lived in a commune because they had common money — common property:
John 13:29:
"²⁹ For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus said to him, "Buy what things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor." (John 13:29)
The first church also lived in a commune because it had one heart, one soul, common property, common money:
Acts 4:32-37:
"³² The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Not one of them claimed that anything of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
³³ With great power, the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Great grace was on them all.
³⁴ For neither was there among them any who lacked, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
³⁵ and laid them at the apostles ' feet, and distribution was made to each, according as anyone had need.
³⁶ Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of Encouragement ), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race,
³⁷ having a field, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles ' feet." (Acts 4:32-37)
This means that this form of life was a manifestation of the kingdom of Heaven on earth. In heaven, all the angels have everything in common and live a life of communion in a commune.
Jesus said that where your property is, there your heart is also:
Matthew 6:19-21:
"¹⁹ "Don't lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal;
²¹ for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
The church of Jesus and his disciples was a gathering of believers — a community, a commune, a comradeship — from the word common in relation to common ownership and common purpose, because Jesus and his disciples had a common budget — common money, common purpose, goals and objectives for which they combined their private property into common property. They abandoned private property for common property. Thus, they became a public association of people with a common budget.
The definitions of a commune come from a word meaning common:
A commune is “a group of families or single people who live and work together sharing possessions and responsibilities”
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/commune
(Definition of commune from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
A commune is “a group living situation where people share everything.”
(Vocabulary)
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/commune
A commune is an organization in which everyone is a member of this organization, so there should be no aspects separating people, titles, except for a common title denoting members of the same team.
Accordingly, the form of address in the Heavenly Church should be without sexual division, gender distinction (not brothers, sisters, Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms..., and so on, but comrades). Unity is possible if we are comrades of one team, in one comradeship, in accordance to the meaning of this word:
Definition of comradeship from the Cambridge Dictionary & Thesaurus:
“Comradeship is the feeling of friendship between people who live or work together, especially in a difficult situation.”
(Definition of comradeship from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/comradeship
Definition of comradeship from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
“Comradeship is friendship between people who are members of the same group, for example soldiers or people who work together.”
(Definition of comradeship noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/comradeship?q=comradeship
For example, the word comrade (as a member of one team) also has this meaning in Soldier’s Creed:
The Soldier's Creed:
“I am an American Soldier.
I am a warrior and a member of a team.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.”
“The Soldier's Creed is a standard by which all United States Army personnel are expected to live.”
(Soldier's Creed)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldier%27s_Creed
Although the word “comrade” may have a negative connotation for some people at present, it is actually a good word (derived from the word common, community), accurately conveying the heavenly meaning of relations in a fair, just, ideal, perfect society, as the army of God.
The fourth commandment of the Decalogue:
Exodus 20:8:
“⁸ "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)
Exodus 31:12-17:
“¹² Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
¹³ "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, 'Most certainly you shall keep my Sabbaths: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.
¹⁴ You shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
¹⁵ Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Yahweh. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death.
¹⁶ Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
¹⁷ It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. '"” (Exodus 31:12-17)
Emanuel Swedenborg about Sabbath:
“Since peace means the oneness of the Divine itself and the divine human in the Lord and the union of the Lord with heaven and with the church and with everyone in heaven, and also with everyone in the church who accepts him, the Sabbath was instituted as a reminder of these matters and was named for quietness and peace. It became the holiest symbol of the church, which is why the Lord called himself the Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:27–28; Luke 6:5).”
(HEAVEN AND HELL, The Portable New Century Edition, Emanuel Swedenborg)
https://swedenborg.com/product/heaven-hell-nce/
The Sabbath, Encyclopedia Britannica:
“Importance
The central significance of the Sabbath for Judaism is reflected in the traditional commentative and interpretative literature called Talmud and Midrash (e.g., “if you wish to destroy the Jewish people, abolish their Sabbath first”) and in numerous legends and adages from more recent literature (e.g., “more than Israel kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath kept Israel”). Some of the basic teachings of Judaism affirmed by the Sabbath are God’s acts of creation, God’s role in history, and God’s covenant with Israel. Moreover, the Sabbath is the only Jewish holiday the observance of which is enjoined by the Ten Commandments. Jews are obligated to sanctify the Sabbath at home and in the synagogue by observing the Sabbath laws and engaging in worship and study. The leisure hours afforded by the ban against work on the Sabbath were put to good use by the rabbis, who used them to promote intellectual activity and spiritual regeneration among Jews. Other days of rest, such as the Christian Sunday and the Islamic Friday, owe their origins to the Jewish Sabbath.”
(The Sabbath, Encyclopedia Britannica)
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jewish-religious-year/The-Sabbath
Sunday, Wikipedia:
On 7 March 321, Constantine I, Rome's first Christian Emperor, decreed that Sunday would be observed as the Roman day of rest:
On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.
In 363, Canon 29 of the Council of Laodicea prohibited observance of the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday), and encouraged Christians to work on the Saturday and rest on the Lord's Day (Sunday)
(Sunday, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday
The first Christians in the time of Jesus and after Pentecost celebrated the Sabbath and gathered on this day for worship.
Sabbath in seventh-day churches, Wikipedia:
In the 4th century, Socrates Scholasticus (Church History, Book V) stated:
For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this. The Egyptians in the neighborhood of Alexandria, and the inhabitants of Thebaïs, hold their religious assemblies on the sabbath, but do not participate in the mysteries in the manner usual among Christians in general: for after having eaten and satisfied themselves with food of all kinds, in the evening making their offerings they partake of the mysteries.
(Sabbath in seventh-day churches, Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbath_in_seventh-day_churches
The Roman Empire was famous for its ability to assimilate the religions of the conquered peoples and their gods and subordinate them to the authority of the Roman Empire by issuing imperial laws, using violence to enforce them. At the same time, Divide and rule policy (Latin: divide et impera) was widely used.
Thus, in the Roman Empire, Christians were separated from Jews, the one God of Christians and Jews was divided into three personalities (which essentially means three gods), and the Christian day of worship was separated from the Jewish Sabbath day and combined with the day of worship of the Roman Empire's sun god — Sunday.
There are different points of view on why Christianity has come to revere Sunday more than Saturday.
However, it is safe to say that this separates Christians from Jews and Muslims.
Now, with the collapse of the Roman Empire, the need to worship the gods of the Roman Empire and observe Roman religious holidays has disappeared, because the laws of the Roman Empire have lost their force.
In order to get rid of the pagan heritage of the Roman Empire and return to the veneration of the Sabbath day, Christians are advised to abandon Sunday for Friday and officially legislate to move the day off from Sunday to Friday and consider Friday and Saturday as non-working days.
Sundays are considered the first day of the week, and therefore it is logical that it should be a working day. In order for Christians to have time to put themselves in order after a working week and prepare for Saturday worship, it is necessary that Friday be a non-working day.
“Friday is considered the holiest day of the week, and in Islamic tradition, is considered a celebration in itself. Friday Prayers (Juma) are congregational prayers held in mosques, and Muslims are encouraged to wear clean and refined clothes, perfume, and bathe.”
(Islamic holidays)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_holidays
Therefore, it is proposed to make Sunday an official working day, and make Friday and Saturday non-working days.
If we do this, we can get rid of the pagan spirit of the Roman Empire, and this can contribute to the spiritual unity of Christians, Jews and Muslims, as representatives of the three major monotheistic Abrahamic religions.
The practical skills of disseminating information and adapting this program to the listener can now be acquired and applied in virtual reality in communication in discussion clubs on Christian and other Discord servers, as well as on social networks and in some worlds of VRChat social platform, where we can hold meetings, performances, train oral skills performances in front of an audience. Unlike Discord, in VRChat, in addition to voice communication using figurative language and intonation, visualization language is additionally used, which makes it a good illustration of the spiritual world and communication using this more informative type of language — visualization language.
VRChat is a free social platform for communication on various topics, including Christian topics. There are people of different age groups and beliefs. There are Christian worlds, churches, and you can do everything that is in real life and even much more. To do this, there are many different 3D avatars that you can choose for yourself to convey through the visualization your inner world, mood, character, image, state of mind, action. For virtual communication via VRChat, a virtual controller is not required. To do this, it is enough to have a microphone and a modern computer.
1. The Bible (Theory and practice on building The New Jerusalem);
2. Books by Emanuel Swedenborg (Theory — the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem for the building of The New Jerusalem);
3. Priesthood and Clergy Unknown to Christianity (George Bush, 1857) (Practical application of the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem — instructions for building The New Jerusalem);
4. The Last Temptation of Christ (the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, 1955);
5. The Last Temptation of Christ (film by Martin Scorsese, 1988);
6. The Core of Johnny Appleseed (The Unknown Story of a Spiritual Trailblazer, By Ray Silverman, 2012)
7. The Writings of James Madison;
8. Common Sense (by Thomas Paine, 1775-1776), and other literature on political and religious thinking and freedom;
9. Articles of Confederation;
10. The US Declaration of Independence;
11. The US Constitution;
12. The Bill of Rights.
13. http://www.swedenborgstudy.com/articles/bible/bwint.htm#says
14. http://www.swedenborgstudy.com/index.html
15. https://swedenborg.com/bookstore/free-ebooks-downloads/
16. www.biblemeanings.info/index.htm
THE END