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.

(Izinkomba: 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)

209. (vi) REMARKABLE EFFECTS PRODUCED BY THE WORD FROM ITS SPIRITUAL SENSE.

In the natural world the Word does not produce any remarkable effects, because the spiritual sense is not evident there, and is not inwardly accepted by a person in its real form. In the spiritual world, however, remarkable effects can be seen produced by the Word, because all the people there are spiritual, and spiritual things affect people just as natural things do natural people. There are many remarkable effects produced by the Word in the spiritual world, a few of which I shall describe here.

The Word itself kept in the sanctuaries of churches there is seen by the angels shining like a great star, at times resembling the sun, and the most beautiful rainbows are to be seen produced by its radiance. This happens as soon as the sanctuary is opened.

[2] I was able to establish that every single truth in the Word shines from the fact that, if a verse from the Word is written out on a piece of paper and the paper is tossed into the air, the paper itself shines, outlining the shape into which it has been cut. Spirits are therefore able to use the Word to make various shining shapes, including birds and fishes. Something even more remarkable is that when anyone rubs his face, his hands or the clothes he is wearing with the open Word, putting the writing against them, his face, hands and clothes shine, as if he were standing in a star with its light streaming round him. I have often seen this happen to my astonishment. This showed me how it was that Moses' face shone when he carried down the tablets of the covenant from Mount Sinai.

[3] Apart from these there are many more remarkable effects in the spiritual world produced by the Word. For instance, if someone who is full of false notions looks towards the Word as it lies in its holy place, thick darkness descends upon his eyes making the Word look black to him, at times as if coated in soot. If the same person touches the Word, there is a loud explosion and he is hurled into the corner of the room, where he lies for some time as if dead. If anyone full of false notions copies out anything from the Word on a piece of paper, and then tosses the paper up towards heaven, then there is a similar explosion in the air between his eye and heaven, and the paper is shredded and disappears. The result is the same, if the paper is thrown towards the angel ¹ who stands near by. I have seen this happen many times.

[4] This has made it plain to me that there can be no communication with heaven by means of the Word for those who have false notions about doctrine; their reading falls apart on the way up and vanishes, like gunpowder wrapped in a screw of paper, set alight and tossed into the air. The opposite is the case with those who have true ideas about doctrine, learned from the Lord by means of the Word; when they read the Word it reaches all the way to heaven and makes a link with angels there. The angels themselves, when they come down from heaven to perform a duty below, appear to be surrounded by small stars, especially round their heads; this is a sign that they possess Divine truths from the Word.

[5] Moreover, the spiritual world contains similar things to those on earth, but every one of them has a spiritual origin. So there are gold and silver there too, and precious stones of all kinds. The spiritual origin of these is the literal sense of the Word. That is why in Revelation the foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem are described as of twelve precious stones. The reason is that the foundations of its wall mean the teachings of the new church derived from the literal sense of the Word. That too is why the ephod of Aaron contained twelve precious stones called Urim and Thummim, and replies were given from heaven by means of them.

In addition, there are still more remarkable effects produced by the Word, relating to the power of truth there, which is so immense that no one would believe a description. Its power there is enough to overturn mountains and hills, carry them to a distance, throw them into the sea, and other things. In short, the Lord's power derived from the Word is boundless.

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