Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Aracana Coelestia, Vol. 5: The Heavenly Arcana Contained in the Holy Scriptures or Word of the Lord Unfolded, Beginning With the Book of Genesis; Together With Wonderful Things Seen in the World of Spirits and in the Heaven of Angels
But learn. A parable from the Jig-tree: ten its branch is yet tender, and its leaves sprinyforth, ye know that wmnm' 1s myh. Signifies the first of a new church; the fig-tree denotes good of the natural principle, its branch is the affection thereof. And the leaves are truths; the parable which they should learn is, that those things are signified. He who does not know the internal sense of t 1e 70rd, cannot possibly know what is involved in the comparison of the Lord's coming with the fig-tree, and its branch and leaves; but inasmuch as all eoniparatives in the Word are also significatives, see n. 3579, it may hence be known what those things mean. Wheresoever l tig - tree is named in the \yord, in the internal sense it signi ties good of the natural principle, see u. 217; the reason why branch denotes the affection thereof, is because affection springs ind ?ourishes from good as a branch from its trunk; that leaves denote truths, sec n. 885. Hence, then, it is evident what this parable involves, viz., that when a new church is created by the Lord, good of the natural principle first of all appears, that is, good in an external form with its affection and truths. By good of the natural principle, is not meant the good into which man is born, or which he derives from his parents, but the good which is spiritual as to its origin; into this good no one is born, but is led into it by the Lord through the knowledges of good and truth; wherefore, until man is in this Spiritual good, he is not a man of the church, howsoever it may appear from eonnate good that he is so. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near at the doors, signifies when those things appear, which are signified in the internal sense hv the words mentioned immediately above (verses 29 to and by these words concerning the fig-tree, that then is the consummation of the church, that is, the last judgment, and the coming of the Lord; consequently, that then the old church is rejected, and the new established. It is said, at the doors, because the good of the natural principle and its truths are the first which are insinuated into man, whilst he is regenerating and becoming a church. Verily, I say unto you, This genera tion shall not pass away, until all these things befulfillecl, sig nities that the Jewish nation shall not be extirpated as other nations; the reason whereof may be seen, u. 3479. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
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