Iqiniso, noma okuyiqiniso, kuyindlela yokuchaza lokho okuyiqiniso ekugcineni. Ngokwezinga elingokwemvelo, iqiniso lingabhekwa njengelimane linembile kuyilapho ekuphileni kwethu kokukhula ngokomoya, iqiniso lingaba ukufundwa kwezimfundiso ezisekelwe ngokomoya noma, kangcono, ukwamukela kwethu kuzo njengamaqiniso aphezulu. Kodwa iSwedenborg iqhubekela phambili encazelweni yakhe yeqiniso, ifundisa ukuthi iqiniso liwuhlobo lothando, noma indlela uthando oluziveza ngayo.

Ngomqondo othile, iqiniso liwuhlelo lokunikeza uthando futhi ngenxa yokuthi ukwabelana ngothando kuyinjongo yangempela, lokhu kwenza iqiniso libaluleke kakhulu. Futhi nakuba iqiniso lingase lifike ngendlela eyomile, imithetho namaqiniso abandayo, limsulwa kakhulu liyinto yobuhle obungachazeki, into esishukumisa ngaphakathi.

Ubunjalo beqiniso busuka embonweni wokuthi iNkosi engqikithini Yakhe iluthando uqobo lwalo, luphelele futhi alunamkhawulo, nokuthi uyasithanda ngaphezu kwamandla ethu okucabanga. Futhi njengoba nje sifuna abantu esibathandayo baphinde basithande, kanjalo neNkosi inesifiso esijulile sokuthi siyithande futhi; Uthando lwakhe lufuna ukufinyelela kithi futhi lukhuthaze uthando ngokulandelana.

Nokho, uthando alukwazi ukuzisebenza ngokwalo; idinga umuntu ozosebenza kuyo. Cabanga ngalokhu ngale ndlela: ukuze ubonise uthando ngothile, udinga ubuso ozomomotheka nabo, izwi ozokhuluma nalo, izingalo ozogona ngazo, noma amathuluzi ahlukahlukene ongawasebenzisa ukuze wenze okuhle, ngothando. izinto zabantu obathandayo. Ngaphandle kwalezo zinto kuwumuzwa nje, onamathele ngaphakathi futhi kunalokho okungenamsebenzi. Ngomqondo othile, uma ingenakuvezwa, ubukhona bayo abuphelele ngempela.

Khona-ke, “iqiniso,” lingachazwa ngokuthi “ukubonakaliswa kothando” noma mhlawumbe “uthando olubonakaliswayo.” Lokhu kungaba kuhle kakhulu futhi kube kuhle: ukubonakala kobuso bukamama omusha, ukubona ingane yakhe okokuqala - okuyiqiniso, ezingeni elingaphezu kwamagama. Umuzwa okuye uyavezwa, futhi siyawuthatha futhi sizizwe sikhuphuka imizwa ngokwethu. Ezingeni eliphakeme nokho, singase sizame ukubonisa isimo sobuso beNkosi lapho isibheka, uthando oluthululwa luvela kuyo; lokho kuyiqiniso ekujuleni kwalo.

Kodwa iqiniso liza emazingeni aphansi futhi. Cabanga ngezindlela esithanda ngazo izingane zethu - ngezinye izikhathi lokho kusho ukubeka imithetho eqinile, emnyama nemhlophe. "Gcina izandla zakho kuwe" futhi "udinga ukungilalela" akuzwakali unothando kakhulu, futhi ukwenza ingane ikhiphe udoti akukhuthazi ncamashi imizwa efudumele nemicabango esankondlo. Kodwa eqinisweni siyabathanda lapho sibafundisa izifundo ezizobasiza babe abantu abalungile, ngisho noma lolo thando lungakhanyi kulokho esikushoyo. INkosi kufanele isiphathe ngendlela efanayo ngezinye izikhathi, ikakhulukazi ezigabeni zokuqala zokukhula kwethu ngokomoya. "Ungabulali" akuzwakali konke lokho kunothando, futhi umyalo wokungafisi ungabonakala ungekho ngokoqobo futhi ungenabulungisa. Nokho, uma sibabhekisisa, siyabona ukuthi banothando, futhi basiholela ekubeni sibe abantu abanothando.

Ngakho-ke iqiniso liza emazingeni amaningi nangezindlela eziningi, lakheke futhi livumelane nezindlela ezahlukahlukene esingaholwa ukuba sibe abahle futhi sibe nothando. Yingakho izinto eziningi ezahlukene eBhayibhelini - amatshe, amanzi, iwayini, izitshalo, izinkemba nezinye eziningi - zonke zimelela iqiniso; zonke zinemithunzi yencazelo ekhombisa izinhlobo eziningi zeqiniso iNkosi ezisebenzisayo ukusihola.

Nokho, enhliziyweni, lonke iqiniso liyindlela yokwabelana ngothando. Uma sibheka lokho, sizokwazisa ngendlela efanele.

(Odkazy: Apocalypse Explained 434; Izimfihlakalo Zezulu 1904 [3], 3077, 3207 [1-3], 3295, 3509 [2], 4247, 5912, 6880, 7270 [2-3], 8301 [2], 8456, 9407, Arcana Coelestia 9407 [13], 9806, 10026; Divine Wisdom 9; Inhlakanipho Yobungelosi 10, 36; The Apocalypse Explained 627 [5-6]; The Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem 36; The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 24; Inkolo YeQiniso yobuKhrestu 209 [2-4], 224 [1-2], 379, 398)

628. And the angel stood near, saying, signifies the Lord's will and command. This is evident from the signification of "to stand near," as being here will (of which presently); also from the signification of "angel," as being the Lord in respect to the Word (See above, n. 593); also from the signification of "saying," as being, when the Lord speaks, command; for what the Lord says is to be done, or that anyone should do it, is a command. "The angel stood near" means here the Lord's will, because in the spiritual world the thought, with the purpose, and will to see another, to speak with him, and to give him a command, causes the other to be present, that is, to stand near; for in that world there are no distances that are constant and thence measurable, as in the natural world; but likeness of affection and of thought thence causes presence, and unlikeness of these causes absence; this is the origin of all distances in that world. This comes from the universal principle that the Lord is present with all according to their love to Him and according to their love towards the neighbor and thoughts from these. From this universal principle all distances, that is, all presence and absence among angels and spirits, exist; therefore when anyone desires to speak with another, that is, thinks about him from a purpose or wish to speak with him, that one immediately becomes present, or he is present with that one. (That this is so can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 191-199, where Space in Heaven is treated of.) From this it can now be seen why the Lord's will is signified by "the angel stood near," for "to stand near" means to be present.

439. Of the tribe Naphtali twelve thousand sealed, signifies regeneration and temptation. This is evident from what is represented and thence signified by "Naphtali" and his tribe, as meaning temptation and the state after it; and as temptations occur for the sake of regeneration, regeneration too is signified by "Naphtali." (That those who are regenerated undergo temptations see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 187-201.) That "Naphtali" and thence the tribe named from him, signify temptation and the state after it, and accordingly regeneration, can be seen from the words of Rachel, when Bilhah her handmaid bare him, which are these:

And Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, With wrestlings of God have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed; and she called his name Naphtali (Genesis 30:7, 8).

"Wrestlings of God" signify spiritual temptations; and as Rachel represented the internal church, which is spiritual, and Leah the external church, which is natural, Rachel's wrestling with her sister and prevailing signifies evidently the combat between the spiritual and the natural, since every temptation is a combat between the spiritual man and the natural; for the spiritual man loves and wills the things that are of heaven, since it is in heaven, while the natural man loves and wills the things that are of the world, since it is in the world; consequently the desires of the two are opposite, which gives rise to collision and combat, and this is called temptation.

[2] That "Naphtali" signifies temptation and the state after it, and thence regeneration, is further evident from the following passages. From the blessing he received from his father Israel:

Naphtali is a hind let loose; giving sayings of elegance (Gen. 49:21).

"Naphtali" here signifies the state after temptation, which state is full of joy from affection, that the spiritual and the natural, and good and truth, have been conjoined, for these are conjoined by temptations; "a hind let loose" signifies the freedom of the natural affection; "giving sayings of elegance," signifies gladness of mind. (This is more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 6412-6414.)

[3] Again, from the blessing he received from Moses:

And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with the good pleasure and full of the blessing of Jehovah; possess thou the west and the south (Deuteronomy 33:23).

This, too, describes the state after temptation, in which man is filled with every good of love and with truths therefrom; for after temptations he is filled with joy, and good bears fruit, and truth is multiplied with him; to be filled with the good of love is meant by "satisfied with the good pleasure of Jehovah;" and to be filled with truths therefrom is signified by "full of the blessing of Jehovah;" the consequent affection of truth and illustration are signified by "possess thou the west and the south," the affection of truth is signified by "the west," and illustration by "the south." It is said "possess thou the west and the south," because those who are raised up into heaven after having been instructed are carried through the west to the south, that is, through the affection of truth into the light of truth.

[4] "Naphtali" has a similar signification in the song of Deborah and Barak, in the book of Judges:

Zebulun, a people that devoted their soul to death, and Naphtali upon the heights of the field (Judges 5:18).

These were the two tribes that fought against Sisera, the captain of the host of Jabin, king of Canaan, and conquered him, the other ten tribes remaining quiet; and this represented the spiritual combat against the evils that infest the church; as is evident also from the prophetic song of Deborah and Barak, of which this is the subject. Only the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali fought, because "Zebulun" signifies the conjunction of good and truth which constitutes the church, and "Naphtali" the combat against the evils and falsities that infest it and that resist the conjunction of good and truth, consequently the two signify reformation and regeneration; "the heights of the field" signify the interiors of the church, from which combat is maintained. Again "Zebulun and Naphtali" together also signify reformation and regeneration by means of temptations (in Isaiah 8:22; 9:1, 2; also in Matthew 4:12-16).

[5] In the highest sense however "Zebulun and Naphtali" signify the uniting of the Divine and the Human in the Lord, for the highest sense treats solely of the Lord, in general of the glorification of His Human, and the subjugation of the hells, and the arranging of the heavens by Him. In this sense Zebulun and Naphtali are mentioned in David:

They have seen Thy goings, O God; the goings of my God, my King in the midst of the sanctuary. The singers went before, the minstrels after, in the midst of the maidens playing on timbrels. Bless ye God in the assemblies, the Lord from the fountain of Israel. There little Benjamin is set over them, the princes of Judah their company, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. Thy God hath commanded thy strength; put on strength, O God; this Thou hast wrought for us out of Thy temple at Jerusalem; kings shall bring oblations to Thee. Rebuke the wild beast of the reed, the congregation of the mighty among the calves of the peoples; trampling upon the plates of silver, He hath scattered the peoples, they desire combats. Those that are fat shall come out of Egypt. Ethiopia shall hasten her hands unto God (Psalms 68:24-31).

This treats in the spiritual sense of the coming of the Lord, of the glorification of His Human, of the subjugation of the hells, and the consequent salvation. Celebration of the Lord because of His coming is described in these words: "They have seen Thy goings, O God, the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. The singers went before, the minstrels after, in the midst of the maidens playing on timbrels. Bless ye God in the assemblies, the Lord from the fountain of Israel." (What the particulars here signify see explained above, n. 340.) The innocence of the Lord, by which He wrought and accomplished all things, is signified by "there little Benjamin is set over them;" Divine truth from Divine good is signified by "the princes of Judah their company;" His glorification, or the uniting of the Divine and Human by His own power, is signified by "the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali;" that from this the Lord's Human has Divine power is signified by "thy God hath commanded thy strength; put on strength, O God; this Thou hast wrought for us out of Thy temple at Jerusalem," "temple" meaning here the Lord's Divine Human, and "Jerusalem" the church for which He did this. The subjugation of the hells is signified by "rebuke the wild beast of the reed, the congregation of the mighty, among the calves of the peoples; trampling upon the plates of silver, He hath scattered the peoples, they desire combats;" "the wild beast of the reed and the congregation of the mighty" mean the knowing faculty of the natural man perverting the truths and goods of the church; "the calves of the people" mean the goods of the church; "the plates of silver" mean the truths of the church; "He hath scattered the people, they desire combats," signifies to pervert truths and reason against them.

[6] The subjugation of the hells means the subjugation of the natural man; for evils from hell are in the natural man, for in it, too, are the delights of the love of self and of the world and the knowledges [scientifica] that confirm these delights; and when these delights are regarded as ends and become dominant they are against the goods and truths of the church. That when the natural man has been subjugated it supplies accordant knowledges [scientifica)], and also cognitions of truth and good, is signified by "those that are fat shall come out of Egypt, Ethiopia shall hasten her hands unto God." "Egypt" meaning the natural man in respect to knowledges [scientifica], and "Ethiopia" the natural man in respect to cognitions of good and truth. From these few instances the signification of "Naphtali" and his tribe in the Word can be seen, namely, that it signifies in the highest sense the Lord's own power, by which He subjugated the hells and glorified His Human, in the internal sense temptation and the states after temptation, and in the external sense resistance by the natural man; therefore "Naphtali" signifies also reformation and regeneration, because these are results of temptations.