[SCHEME OF "THE CORONIS" OR APPENDIX TO "THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION"] ¹ I. THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE

II. THE LAST JUDGMENT

III. THE COMING OF THE LORD

IV. RESTORATION AND THE NEW CHURCH: ITS QUALITY

1. THE APPEARING OF THE LORD JEHOVIH

2. THE MORNING, OR RISE

3. THE DAY, OR PROGRESSION

4. THE EVENING, OR VASTATION

5. THE NIGHT, OR CONSUMMATION

6. THE COMING OF THE LORD

7. THE LAST JUDGMENT

8. THE NEW HEAVEN

9. THE NEW CHURCH

10. REDEMPTION

ABOUT MIRACLES

SUMMARIES

I. There have been four Churches on this earth since the time of the creation: a First, which is to be called the Adamic; a Second, the Noachian; a Third, the Israelitish; and a Fourth, the Christian.

II. There have been four Periods, or successive States, of each Church, which in the Word are meant by "morning," "day," "evening," and "night."

III. In each Church the four changes of states have been consecutive; the first of which has been the Appearing of the Lord Jehovih and Redemption, and then was its Morning, or Rise; the second has been its Instruction, and then was Mid-day, or Progression; the third has been its Decline, and then was its Evening, or Vastation; the fourth has been its End, and then was its Night, or Consummation.

After its End, or Consummation, the Lord Jehovih appears and executes a judgment on the men of the former Church, and separates the good from the evil, and raises the good to Himself Into heaven, and removes the evil from Himself into hell.

After these things, of the good raised to Himself He forms a new heaven, and of the evil removed from Himself, a new hell; and in both He establishes order, so that they may remain under His control and under obedience to Him to eternity; and then through the new heaven He successively inaugurates and establishes a new Church on earth.

From this new heaven, the Lord Jehovih derives and produces a new Church on earth; which takes place by means of a Revelation from His mouth or from His Word, and by inspiration.

IV. These periodical changes of state which occurred in succession in the first, or Most Ancient Church, which was the Adamic, are described by Moses in the first chapters of Genesis; but by celestial representatives, and by other things, belonging to the world, to which spiritual things correspond.

V. The periodical changes of state which occurred in succession in the second, or Ancient Church, which was the Noachian, are also described in Genesis, and here and there in the four remaining books of Moses.

VI. The periodical changes of state which occurred in succession in the third Church, which was the Israelitish, are also described in Moses, and afterwards in Joshua, in the Books of the Judges, of Samuel, and of the Kings, and likewise in the Prophets.

VII. The periodical changes which occurred in succession in the fourth Church, which is the Christian, are described in the Word of both Testaments; its Rise, or Morning, in particular, in the Evangelists, and in the Acts and writings of the Apostles; its Progression towards Noon-day, in the ecclesiastical history of the first three centuries; its Decline, or Evening, by the history of the centuries immediately following; and its Vastation even to Consummation, which is its Night, in the Apocalypse.

VIII. After those four Churches, a new one is to arise which will be truly Christian, foretold in Daniel and in the Apocalypse, and by the Lord Himself in the Evangelists, and looked for by the Apostles.

IX. The Church successively declines from the truths of faith and the goods of charity, and it declines in the same proportion also from the spiritual understanding and genuine sense of the Word.

X. Consequently, the Church departs in the same proportion from the Lord, and removes Him from itself.

XI. In proportion as this is effected, it tends towards its end.

XII. It is the end of the Church, when there remains no longer any truth of faith or genuine good of charity.

XIII. The Church is then in falsities and the evils therefrom, and in evils and the falsities therefrom.

XIV. Hence, from the deceased out of the world hell increases, so that it raises itself up towards heaven, and interposes itself between heaven and the Church, like a black cloud between the sun and the earth.

XV. This interposition prevents the access of any truth of faith, and thence any genuine good of charity, to the men of the Church; but, instead of them, falsified truth, which in itself is falsity, and adulterated good, which in itself is not good.

XVI. Then naturalism and atheism take possession together.

XVII. This state of the Church is meant and described in the Word, by "Vastation," "Desolation" and "Consummation."

XVIII. While Vastation lasts, and before Consummation supervenes, the Lord's Advent is announced, also Redemption by the Lord, and after this there is a new Church.

XIX. While the Israelitish Church still endured, these three were announced in many passages of the Word in the Prophets.

XX. The Coming of the Lord.

XXI. Redemption.

XXII. A new Church.

Almost everywhere in the prophetic Word, Vastation and Consummation, also the Last Judgment, the Lord's Coming, a new Church, and Redemption, are treated of.

XXIII. As regards Redemption in particular, through which alone Salvation takes place, it was accomplished by Jehovah God incarnate, who is our Lord Jesus Christ.

XXIV. The first part of Redemption was a total subjugation of the hells.

XXV. The second part of Redemption was the separation of the evil from the good, and the casting down of the evil into hell and the raising of the good into heaven.

XXVI. And, lastly, there is the arrangement in order of all in hell, and the arrangement in order of all in heaven.

XXVII. And then, at the same time, Instruction concerning the truths which are to be of faith, and the goods which are to be of charity.

XXVIII. And thus the Establishment of a new Church.

XXIX. The final and efficient Cause of Redemption was the Regeneration of man, and thereby salvation.

XXX. The Lord, because He is the only Redeemer, is therefore the only Regenerator, and thus the only Saviour.

XXXI. By His first Advent, and the Redemption then wrought, the Lord was not able to form a new heaven of Christians, and from that a new Church, because there were as yet no Christians, but they came into existence gradually through the preachings and writings of the Apostles.

XXXII. Neither was He able afterwards, since from the beginning so many heresies broke forth that scarcely any doctrine of faith appeared in its own light.

XXXIII. And at length the Apostolic Doctrine was increasingly torn, rent asunder, and adulterated by abominable heresies.

XXXIV. This is meant by "the abomination of desolation," and by "the affliction such as was not, either will be," and by "the darkening of the sun, moon, and stars," in the Evangelists, in Daniel, and also in the Prophets; likewise by "the Dragon" and many other things, in the Apocalypse.

XXXV. Because the Lord foresaw these things, therefore of necessity if man were to be saved, He promised that He would come again into the world and accomplish a Redemption, and would thus institute a new Church, which would be truly Christian.

XXXVI. The Lord Himself foretold His Second Coming, and the Apostles frequently prophesied respecting it, and John openly so in the Apocalypse;

XXXVII. In like manner respecting the New Church which is meant by the "New Jerusalem" in the Apocalypse.

XXXVIII. This Second Redemption was effected in the same way as the first (of which above, from n. xxiii to xxx),

XXXIX. And also for the sake of the Regeneration, and hence the Salvation, of the men of the Church, as its final and efficient cause.

XL. The falsities which have hitherto desolated, and have at length consummated, the Christian Church, were chiefly the following:

XLI. They receded from the worship of the Lord, preached by the Apostles, and from faith in Him.

They separated the Divine Trinity from the Lord, and transferred it to three Divine Persons from eternity, consequently to three Gods.

XLII. They divided saving faith among these three Persons.

XLIII. They separated charity and good works from that faith, as not at the same time saving.

XLIV. They deduced justification-that is, remission of sins, regeneration, and salvation-from that faith alone, independently of man's co-operation.

XLV. They denied to man free-determination in spiritual things, thus asserting that God alone operates in man, and that man on his part does nothing.

XLVI. From this necessarily flowed forth Predestination, by which religion is abolished.

XLVII. They decreed that the Passion of the Cross is Redemption.

XLVIII. From these heresies, falsities burst forth in such abundance that there does not remain a single genuine truth which is not falsified, nor, consequently, a single genuine good which is not adulterated.

XLIX. The Church knows absolutely nothing about this, its Desolation and Consummation, nor can it know, until the Divine Truths announced by the Lord in the work entitled THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, are seen in light and acknowledged.

The Word is thus obscured and darkened, so that not a single truth any longer appears in it.

L. For many reasons this New Christian Church is not being established through any miracles, as the former was.

LI. But, instead of them, the spiritual sense of the Word is revealed, and the spiritual world disclosed, and the nature of both heaven and hell manifested; also, that man lives as a man after death; which things surpass all miracles.

LII. This New truly Christian Church, which is at this day being established by the Lord, will endure to eternity, as is proved from the Word of both Testaments; also it was foreseen from the creation of the world; and it will be the Crown of the four preceding Churches, because it will have true faith and true charity.

LIII. In this New Church there will be spiritual peace, which is "glory," and internal blessedness of life, as is also proved from the Word of both Testaments.

LIV. These things will exist in this New Church, by reason of its conjunction with the Lord, and through Him with God the Father.

LV. An invitation addressed to this Church and to the whole Christian world; and an exhortation to worthily receive the Lord, who has Himself foretold that He would come into the world for the sake of this Church and to it.

LASTLY, ABOUT MIRACLES

I. Miracles were performed in the Church before the Lord's Advent, because, at that time, men were external, or natural, and could not be led to their representative worship except by miracles.

The Miracles performed in Egypt, in the wilderness, in the land of Canaan, and even to the present time, are to be enumerated.

And that, yet, they never influence men.

II. After the Lord's Advent, when man from external became internal, and when the capacity of being able to know was imparted to man, miracles were withheld.

Also, if that capacity were impeded, man would become more external than before.

III. Miracles would abolish worship truly Divine, and introduce the former idolatrous worship; as also has taken place for very many centuries back.

Nevertheless, the latter have not been Divine miracles, but such as were wrought by the magicians of old.

IV. At this day, in place of miracles, there has taken place a manifestation of the Lord Himself, an intromission into the spiritual world, and enlightenment there, by immediate light from the Lord, in such things as are the interior things of the Church.

But, above all, the opening of the spiritual sense in the Word, in which the Lord is in His own Divine light.

V. These Revelations are not miracles; since every man is in the spiritual world as to his spirit, without any separation from his body in the natural world — I, however, with a certain separation, though only as to the intellectual part of my mind, but not as to the voluntary; - and as regards the spiritual sense, the Lord through it is with all who approach Him in faith in the above light; also, through that sense He is in man's natural light.

Amanothi Omhumushi noma Imibhalo yaphansi:

3. The same four Churches on this earth are described by four beasts rising up out of the sea, in Daniel; of which it is there written:

The first was seen like a lion, but it had eagle's wings. I beheld until the wings thereof were plucked out, and it was lifted up from the earth, and set up upon feet, erect like a man, and a man's heart was given to it. Afterwards, behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side; three ribs were in its mouth between the teeth: moreover, they were saying thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After these things, I beheld, and, lo, another, like a leopard, which had four wings, like birds' wings, upon the back of it; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this, I saw in the night visions, and beheld a fourth beast, terrible and dreadful, and strong exceedingly, which had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet; but it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I beheld till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit; and the judgment was set, and the books were opened; and, behold, one like the Son of Man was coming with the clouds of the heavens. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; and all peoples, nations and languages should worship Him: His dominion is a dominion of an age, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not perish (Dan. 7:3-9, [7:10], 7:13-14, etc.).

That by these beasts, in like manner, are meant and described those four Churches, is manifest from all the particulars there (which shall be unfolded in their order in the following pages); more especially from the last expressions there, that after those four beasts there will come "the Son of Man, to whom shall be given dominion, and a kingdom which shall not pass away nor perish"; who, also, is meant by the Stone made into "a great Rock, which shall fill the whole earth," as may be seen above (n. 2, at the end).

[2] That the states of the Church are likewise described by beasts, as well as by metals, in the Word, is evident from numberless passages, some only of which I will adduce here; which are as follows:

Thou causest the rain of benefits to drop; thou wilt confirm thy wearied inheritance; the beast ¹ -thy assembly-shall dwell therein (Psalm 68:9-10).

Every wild beast of the forest is Mine, the beasts in the mountains of thousands; I know every bird of the mountains, the beasts of My fields are with Me (Psalm 50:10-11).

Asshur was a cedar in Lebanon, his height was exalted; all the birds of the heavens made their nests in his branches, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth, and in his shadow dwelt all great nations (Ezek. 31:3, 5-6, 13; Dan. 4:7-13).

In that day will I make a covenant for them with the beast of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and I will betroth Myself unto thee to eternity (Hosea 2:18-19).

Rejoice and be glad; be not afraid, ye beasts of My fields; for the habitations of the desert are become full of grass (Joel 2:21-22).

Thou, son of man, say unto the bird of every wing, and to every beast of the field, Gather yourselves together to My sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel: thus I will set My glory among the nations (Ezek. 39:17, 20-21).

The enemy hath reproached Jehovah; deliver not the soul of the turtle-dove unto the beast ² (Psalm 74:18-19).

Jehovah gathereth the outcasts of Israel; every beast of My fields, come (Isa. 56:8-9).

The spirit urging, made Jesus to go forth into the wilderness and He was with the beasts; and angels ministered unto Him (Mark 1:12-13).

He was not with beasts, but with devils, with whom He fought and whom He subdued-(not to mention a thousand other passages, which are adduced in part in the APOCALYPSE REVEALED , n. 567). Moreover, it is well known that the Lord Himself, in the Word, is called a "Lamb" and also a "Lion"; likewise, that the Holy Spirit was represented as a "Dove"; that the cherubs, also, by which the Word in the literal sense is signified, appeared like "four beasts," in Ezekiel and in the Apocalypse; and that the man of the Church who acknowledges the Lord as his God and Shepherd, is called a "sheep"; and, on the other hand, he who does not acknowledge Him, is called a "he-goat" and also a "dragon"; and that an assembly of the latter is described, in like manner as in Daniel, by

The beast out of the sea, like a leopard, whose feet were as it were a bear's, and his mouth as it were a lion's (Rev. 13:1-2).

These comparisons originate from the spiritual world, where all the affections and thoughts therefrom, of angels and spirits, are presented at a distance from them as beasts, which also appear in a form in all respects similar to that of the beasts in the natural world; the affections of the love of good as gentle beasts and good uses, but the affections of the love of evil as savage beasts and evil uses. Hence it is that beasts are so often named in the Word; and by them in the spiritual sense are signified affections, inclinations, perceptions and thoughts. From these considerations it is manifest what is meant by creatures in the following passages:

Jesus commanded the disciples to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).

If any one be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away, and all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17).

These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creature of God (Rev. 3:14).

By "creatures," here, are meant those who are capable of being created anew, that is, regenerated, and thus becoming of the Lord's Church.

Imibhalo yaphansi: