Hey friends, So glad you could join us as we explore Swedenborg's interpretations of the Bible. We thrive on your participation so please share your thoughts and comments while you watch! With love and wisdom - Curtis, Jonathan, and team
Your podcasts are very important, keep them coming, and keep to the most famous stories of the Bible, we need it. on a side note: on islam: you can check out Christian Prince: he is quoting islamic sources...to proof islam is not from God.
@@pinpoint3770 I am so glad you like our podcast! If you are looking for something more Bible-based, you might enjoy the show Dr. Jonathan Rose did called "Spirit and Life Bible Study," which is available as a podcast or at this website (for free): www.spiritandlifebiblestudy.com/ I also want to add that Swedenborg was shown that there are many ways we can connect with God and many legitimate forms of revelation here on earth in addition to the Bible, and that there are many different faiths coexisting in heaven. Check out, "The Spiritual Reality Behind All Faiths," ua-cam.com/video/Y-US1qib37g/v-deo.html for more on that idea! Wishing you well!
My interpretation of that Biblical event of Lot's wife turning into s piller of salt was always 'Look forward when you are exiting a bad situation and place your attention (which is God's energy) on what you are trying to accomplish that is good. Do not place your attention (which is God's energy) on what you are trying to overcome. If you do, you will freeze or imobilize in place. Salt is a perservative. It will keep you in place.
Wow, that is great, Sharial! And that is the same idea that Swedenborg learned -- that we must turn our faces toward God's goodness and love to get out of all problems in life and in ourselves. I hope you'll have a chance to watch after the video is posted, to see if the ideas that we share can enhance and support your own insights about this story. Wishing you all the best!
Being raised in a Baptist preacher's home, this one always confounded me. Took me a few decades but I came up with the same interpretation. Yet I've always maintained (from a feminine pov) a certain heart-centered place that we never stop looking back and longing for those we must leave behind.
The world is distroying itself because of love for bad ... let s not waste our time looking at it and trying to understand its logic and and focus in the good and where is God unless we become unproductive and without fruits..
@@crypticthinker1380 Thanks for sharing that interpretation! I'm so glad you are willing to think about these stories as symbolic. Did you have a chance to watch this video? I wonder if any of the ideas we share would resonate with you.
@@manuelgarrido5602 Yes, we certainly must look for and support the goodness, and God's presence. I believe that's involved in the symbolism of "flee to the mountains"!
I'm so glad that is making a difference for you, Ian. Uncertain, unsettled, unnerved -- it is definitely a trying time! I hope these ideas and the the attitude with which they're presented can be helpful to people. Thanks for being here.
So thought-provoking! This was a particular story I with which I struggled. Your channel has turned my anger surrounding the Bible to feelings of peace and great interest.
That's quite a transformation, Tigger! It warms our hearts that the ideas here have been helpful in that turn-around. May you continue to find useful and healing thoughts here!
Well said that I never do let ideas lead. I fool myself into thinking I'm being objective; thinking just from the facts. Some affection or love is leading at all times, either self-centered or God-centered.
Yep, Jon -- Love is the driver. But sometimes we don't notice it sitting there in the driver's seat! That song comes to mind -- "Jesus take the wheel....."
I confess that I have done a lot of “looking back” (uh oh). What I look back at is where I used to be in self-centeredness when I didn’t recognize it in myself. Looking back reminds me of where I never want to go again and thanking the Lord for leading me out of that through repentance , albeit little by little! There is so much to unpack in this episode, I took written notes while listening! I don’t really know how to express my gratitude. OTLE just feeds my soul (how’s that for expression?) 😉😘❤️
gsand07, thank you for sharing how this affected you and your personal interpretation! Feeling the truth of a story in one's own life is a powerful experience, and I think we can all relate to what you shared! Yes, it was a packed episode for sure, and I'm glad you found good soul food here!
Thank you so much for the continuing teachings on hard to grasp subjects; it definitely helps. Since I've switched away from grace-alone and penal substitution doctrines to the revelations that came through Swedenborg, my rather preachy posts on FB have revealed a shift and my Christian friends are more or less wondering what is going on with me. I try to explain but it's hard. Maybe I'll share this video; who knows, someone might watch it.
Joanne, we are always so happy to hear that these ideas are feeling helpful to people -- our fondest wish in starting this channel! Interesting that you think your friends can detect a shift in you. And yes, I can sympathize with it feeling hard to explain! Blessings to you in your continued journey, and feel free to reach out with questions any time. I wish I could know if any of your friends might watch it and might actually be struck by it in a positive way! I'll just have to let go and let God.... :)
🌟Appreciate the support time effort u all put into making these awesome informative videos that provides us with wisdom understanding to great topic in our world to b live one day at a time as best as we can ... b the pepper in life spice it up a bit being an advocate for good thing on earth ... blessing of health safety happiness harmony kindness to all .. 🥰✌🏻💕🐻🙏💌🕊💖
Love the show, guys! I JUST had a discussion with a friend of mine that only quotes scripture in order to tell people how evil they are. I told him "I think it's more about living what Jesus taught and not so much about swinging scripture around like a bully with a pillowcase full of nickels, then blaming God for any split lips" 🤣
The Lord has set an anchor in my heart. My deepest desire is to be led by Him to the Mountains of His Kingdom. You have filled my heart and mind with the beauty of this lesson. Blessings ❤️
Hey Curtis and Johnathan Rose, Thanks for the show today! You guys look healthy and I am glad. I am Always learning and growing spiritual with you. You know last night the I was lead to your video the Lord’s Prayer “ it was another puzzle 🧩 piece that unlocked my understanding- as I was praying the Lord helped me overcome a spiritual cycle of growth, I experienced a internal luminescence and warmth in my forehead , That left me with an experiential the Presence of the Lord and a wonderful gift to strengthen my faith. I feel like a vail has been lifted. I thank the Lord for the patience and mercy to let me continue to gather each day the knowledge and wisdom to see clearly. Like going to an optometrist. Our Father in Heaven Loves is very much, our truths become the New Jerusalem “ the new mind” but most important is to express that Love , the charity to one another in purity of heart. I wish you a lovely and safe day. May we all grow in His Grace and May this be the year that many come to the understanding of The riddle of the whole Bible, which is our Lord . Stay blessed!
What a heart-warming comment, Tommaso! Thanks for sharing the story of that powerful experience. So glad we can be walking the spiritual journey with you!
Your on another level man, there are young people like ourselves really noticing how important influence and sharing teachings and interpretations are. Most of us want the same general things when we grab onto self discovery, find out what's important to us and take responsibility for ourselves. The right thing isn't the easy way out usually, therefore many people just stay idle in ways and keep themselves distracted or 'entertained' so they don't have to deal with their thoughts and reflect, many people have been doing the bare minimum it seems, I'm only 34 so my perspective and experience is limited though but I'm gonna keep growing and continue to be a better me while trying to help others and learn myself, LOVE THY NEIGHBOR!!! Being a better you doesn't make you better than others! Teach and learn! Lead by example and pull others up when opportunities present themselves!
Thank you, Racer X, for making that kind of commitment in how to use your time on earth. What a different world we would have if everyone took that on! I love your statement, "Being a better you doesn't make you better than others" -- humility is indeed key in helping to influence others. Many blessings to you as you work more and more on truly loving your neighbor!
Thank you! Such a good explanation and different perspective(light) on something that is old, dark story .Lots of information, but message is simple,love is above the law and the truth. Thank you.
Wonderful. I had dreamt before this aired that their was a large water lily floating on the water and I was shown the many compartments that join together to keep it afloat and give it strength. I was also shown the roots that go down into the dark waters below in the lily's shadow. On top the sun pours down and I saw a man standing upright with his arms raised as if holding up the sky. The lily turned on its side so that symbolically it's better for all to stare up to the sun whilst supported on the firmament rather than our merky underside. Trust in strength and be like a pillar of support. God I'm lucky. Thanks O.T.L.😊
Shoo this episode is so impactful. I wanna watch it again and again. To know there is a fine line between goodness and truth and that God calls us to recognise this and prioritise love - is such a revelation. Thank you for working so hard and so thoroughly to bring out these lessons.
That is music to our ears, nandimokoena. Let's keep the conversation going! There are plenty more videos and we want to know what they mean in your life.
Like you said, you are honoring the knowledge Swedenborg has given to us by creating these lessons around his revelations about the inner meaning in the Bible. You are putting your truth into use with these shows, and honoring your truth and honoring us, and finally honoring the Lord - the Source of all Wisdom. Thank you for putting your usefulness to work helping all of us. Blessings ❤️
Francis Bennett, thank you for your kind and supportive words. We love our jobs and feel honored to be able to share these things and create this content. I'm so glad it resonates with you and helps you connect with the Lord, as it does for us! Blessings to you too!
This is exactly what I needed in terms of a more fleshed out container for understanding and means of from where and how i place goodness and truth toward my fellow citizens. Thank you 🙏
Finally got to check you guys out, thanks 🙏 so much great to see you again really felt exactly how your perspective on this subject is seen clearly love you guys hope your well and stuff bye
Great episode and explaining bible story that is so hard to understand I am watching Your channel for a year now I’m looking forward to new episodes and go back to old honestly Your channel and Swedenborg’s teachings saved me from life of hopelessness and bitterness. Helped me with grief and outlook on future and gave me so much hope . I don’t know You guys personally but I feel like You are my family thank You for all the good works You do I’m forever grateful that I found this channel ❤️
Margaret, I'm so glad you were led to this channel by Someone who knew it would be healing and useful for you! Divine Providence at work.... So glad to have you as part of the OTLE family!
Shows like this provide me with a mental doorway back to using and viewing the Bible as a loving and relevant spiritual resource. Again and again I come back to these videos to help me get “through” the terrifying parts of the Old Testament, especially regarding the abuse and disregard of women, wives and daughters. Without a spiritual sense, the “Word” is just scary and confusing if you are seeking Gods truth and comfort, especially in regard to abuse or trauma. This story externally presents women as expendable (the offering of Lots daughters to the mob…WHATTTT?). What a wonder it is when the inner sense reaches into a woman’s heart and she finds that God is handing her pearls. The external story feels like a harsh and unexpected knock at the door when you are home alone. The inner sense is like, if you find the courage to answer the door, finding a friend there holding flowers for you. With cake. And a puppy.
Hi Terra Ray! Melissa here. I can so relate to what you're saying. The Bible, externally speaking, sure can be a painful read. For me it's been such a relief to know I don't have to take it literally and try to find truth in some truly confounding stories... I think of it like a geode. Such a hard, calloused, unwelcome surface somehow contains incredible, brilliant beauty within! And like a geode, perhaps that rough exterior was just the perfect thing to protect something much more precious inside, something we have to work a little harder to find... I love that vision of a friend with flowers, cake, and a puppy! That is *definitely* Infinite Love! (= Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us!
Salt (truths meant to bring life) can make us thirst or want water (God's love) yet the excess of salt (doctrinal discussions without practical use) can drive water (love) away. Our lives are built on the pillars of truths we have applied, but knowing many truths is not enough, truth is meant for the good of our neighbors. Cities are symbols of mental strongholds, or spiritual doctrines of life, which sometimes may need to be abandoned, for the greater truths of God (mountains). Which way are our spirits facing, the "cities" or the "mountains"?
You can see the tongues of Scripture. Lots wife is his heart. 2 Corinthians 3:6 (KJV) Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. This is what’s meant “slain by the sword” The word is the sword of the spirit and the letter of it judges us who live under it and not by faith. The religion of “Christianity” is mystery Babylon the great whom just he raised up to show His Power just like He did pharaoh when he took the people out of Egypt. Nobody will go to the wilderness to learn and let Him guide. We all seek men’s teaching. “Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits. Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.” Zechariah 5:1-4 KJV The flying roll is the word
Oh yea, and the thief is John 10:1 (KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. And the door we have to enter in by Psalm 141:3 (KJV) Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Confess the truth, we have to be able to speak the truth Matthew 12:34 (KJV) O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Proverbs 18:21 (KJV) Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. That’s spiritual death, as we are dead already. God saves all of us. Sorry I’m just glad to see someone else whose circumcised in the letter as Paul says. 🙏
Such a great show so glad to see you are almost at 100000 that’s amazing!!! Something I would add was the name Lot literally means “Covering/Veil” ... the sodom means Burning and Gomorrah means submersion - water and fire ... the Veil needs to be taken away for Duality to be destroyed. The timing of this is amazing. Great work everyone. Stay safe and God Bless you all
Fascinating insight, Jacob Israel! Are these translations from the Hebrew? Thank you for sharing that, amazing what we can learn when we look closer! Stay safe, too, friend! Thank you for your support and kindness, bless you!
This was great! I think I might use this story and ideas for our family church service. I always get great ideas from this channel! As far as the icebreaker, I was thinking that sometimes there's a sneaky way that hell gets us to think we aren't losing our compassion over ideas and beliefs, even though we really are. And that is a sort of patronizing tolerance for other ideas because "they don't know any better" which is really just a sort of gloss over smugness. If we pull that outer layer of false compassion away, a lot of times there really is a pride in our own way of thinking. I think one way of getting over it is to keep an eye out for "where is the pride in me in this instance." They say pride is the root of all evil, and in some ways I think that's true. Trying to remain humble is the cure for all that intellectual superiority.
Wow, yes, I really resonate with your response to the icebreaker question. Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked this topic, and I hope it can serve you for a good family church message. It's always a pleasure to hear from you, Nadine!
Icebreaker: when as Curtis says, I feel someone has dangerous or detrimental beliefs, i try to remember that each and everyone of us has a role to play and purpose to fulfill and weather I am right or wrong, God has a purpose for any good or evil being expressed, and who i am to know or to figure out why or how certain beliefs or opinions are working to balance extremes or to expose flaws etc etc. in the end they are a person who feels strongly as i do and in that emotion i can relate to them. As i feel misunderstood by them or i can’t believe they cannot see it my why, they feel the same. And through that i feel i can love them, as a person serving a use to me (examine my views an dhow i can learn to love) and probably in a myraid of other ways i know nothing about. And again as i struggle so do they.
Such a compassionate view, emily! Thanks for spelling it out so I/we can reflect on that. Having a broad range of viewpoints visible IS useful, if uncomfortable! But just acknowledging the human condition in all of us, the very strong feelings for what we each think are the right reasons, can go along way to diffuse anger/resentment/etc. Thanks for adding to the conversation!
Ice b. Knowing people do their best from the amount of good they have, and opinions are not important enough for me to judge someone else, get annoyed because God gives everyone the freedom to believe what they want. Seeds are better planted by a good example, calm demeanor, confident understanding. Great question, great job.
As an old codger, I have been down some broad and rocky roads. With an ability to see how my sins have affected others and myself, from time-to-time I still find myself savoring my sins. Lot's wife was probably in that savoring mode when she turned into a pillar of salt.
That's an interesting way to look at it, Gordon. Thanks for sharing that thought. I appreciate the vantage point of codgerism -- I'm not too far away from that myself. Such useful insights it can provide. Blessings to you!
The best way to lift off because of difference of opinion is "just let go", and remember whom will have it right at the end. God. Each time someone tried to start an argument, you can feel from the get going where it will go. The more you fight for an opinion or else, the more it get worst. If you just let go it almost vanishes away. Salt was a currency a while ago.
Truth is eternally unchangeable. It neither moves left nor right. It can not fall down, nor be lifted higher. It remains as it is. It has never needed a defender. For there is nothing that can threaten it.
This can certainly be a useful approach, Li RicherDL. Someone in my life used to use the phrase "You may be right" in every disagreement -- such a good tool for diffusing the adversarial energy, and neither giving up her own view nor cow-towing to the other's view. In the end, the truth will prevail -- at least I pray every day for that to be true!
Ah! Thanks for that! There do seem to be parallels between Bible stories and ancient myths. Swedenborg suggests they all partake of the ancient knowledge of correspondences....
EXCELLENT EPISODE I LOVE YOU NEIGHBORS AND YOUR TEAMMATES AND TEAMWORK ALL OVERALL...IF POSSIBLE ID TRULY ENJOY BEING A GUEST OF THE NEXT EPISODE TO SIMPLY FELLOWSHIP WITH SUCH BEAUTIFUL MINDS AND TO PROVIDE MUCH CLARITY WHENEVER THINGS DONT MAKE SENSE OR CONTRADICTIONS ARISE:)
@@DR.WISDOM444 The format of our shows keeps changing, and we are not currently having live viewer guests. But if you would like to record a short video of yourself, telling how the concepts on our channel have been helping you, I could see if there is sometime in the future that we could use it! You can contact us at offthelefteye@gmail.com
offTheLeftEye JESÚS HIMSELF IS MY SOURCE (I LOVE HIM & GLORY HIM LIKE YALL LOVE SWEDDY-B.)... AND THE HOLY BIBLE IS ENOUGH FOR ME WELL IF YOU GUYS EVER LIKE TO..ACTUALLY BE HEALED OF ANY PHYSICAL AILMENTS AND OR WHENEVER YALL HAVE CONFUSING TOPICS...FOR EXAMPLE WHEN SAID SOMETHING DIDNT MAKE SENSE...I CAN HELP IS MAKE SENSE...BECAUSE SOME THINGS NEED SPIRITUALLY DISCERNMENT ...& THIS IS OUR SPECIALTY OVERALL...& WE ARE READY TO HELP YE ALL BE REBORN OFFLINE AS WELL ... ID SIMPLY LIKE TO FELLOWSHIP WITH YOU ALL AND TO HELP YE ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO HEAVEN..BECAUSE SIMPLY TALKING/KNOWING ABOUT IT IS NOT ENOUGH...YE MUST BEING APPLYING(BIBLICAL TEACHINGS)TO THY OWN LIFE PERSONALLY ON THE DAILY BASIS ...AND WHILE SWDDY B IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING...HIM AND HIS TEACH ARE NOT THE WAY INTO HEAVEN/ETERNAL PEACE)...ONLY PUTTING AND KEEPING JESÚS1ST..SO IF YE ALL NOW BEGINS VALUING JESÚS OFFLINE PERSONALLY THE WAY YALL SO SWEDDY...YALL LIFE WILL BE SAVES AND CHANGE NOW AND ETERNALLY:)
@@DR.WISDOM444 Thank you, and don't worry, Swedenborg is constantly saying that we must have the Lord at the center of our lives, and that we must apply the Lord's teachings to our lives. That is what we teach on this channel, and that is how we live our lives. Wishing you well, friend!
I have been studying dreams for decades, and I have found that they have a tendency to feature a bizarre & indecipherable conclusion, which often includes symbolism that is beyond comprehesion. This is just like the pillar of salt at the climax of Sodom & Gomorrah.
Yes, Chrono Chromie, excellent observation! And Swedenborg wrote that our dreams are full of correspondences. Have you watched our episode, "Where Dreams Come From" ua-cam.com/video/9bfbNf3OpmU/v-deo.html ? I think you'll find it fascinating! Let me know how it resonates!
I've heard other people wonder about that! What we have in common with the world of spirits is that both places are in the balance between heaven and hell, open to angelic AND hellish influences, as we make our choices and step more and more into who we really are. But Swedenborg says that when we leave our bodies behind, a whole host of earthly concerns just drop away, and our spirits are freer to get about their real business. Those are a couple of quick thoughts. What do you think? Here are three shows about the world of spirits (In order of length, longest to shortest), if you're interested: The World of Spirits: ua-cam.com/video/qoaPwhzDHWM/v-deo.html What the World of Spirits Is: ua-cam.com/video/UQPy8WamcAE/v-deo.html Welcome to the World of Spirits (a 13-minute clip from the first one here): ua-cam.com/video/8RcfriDRPX4/v-deo.html
This episode makes me wonder if all good qualities have an earthly shadow and a true heavenly origin. For instance, Jesus said in one verse that His peace was not the world's peace.
Well, good and truth, or love and wisdom, always go together, says Swedenborg. But yes, love is the reason and love is the goal! God is Love, and Divine Love is the only reality (says Swedenborg), and God is helping us humans try to get there!
You know I have a secret to tell, thanks 🙏 for this episode once again but I predicted the Earthquakes in Japan March 11th 2011, but I was off by 8 months I predicted the date November 11th and also predicted using the word Fukushima if you look it up on Google the earthquakes in Japan 2011 20,000 people lost their lives in Japan in this earthquake, I also had a premonition the day of my sister's death I had a thought recur in my mind what felt like thousands of times saying Candace over and over and my sisters name was Candace, the only thing that keeps me going is this show and the hope faith and goodwill you exude helps me out every time I see an episode, also everything Swedenborg says syncs up and apigns with beliefs that I have known to be true in my own heart 💜 blessings to you and thank god Pennsylvania is not an Earthquake center of the world 🌎 love you guys bye, and Curtis I hope to meet you in person one day keep up the awesome shows
Thanks for your encouragement, Michael! I gather some people really do have premonitions of various kinds -- I hope you don't find that to be an upsetting experience. So glad that the ideas on our channel seem to align with your beliefs, and that they provide your spirit with some comfort!
This is a great sensible explanation of one of the Bible's more "disturbing" stories. But I still have a problem making sense of 2 parts of the story of Lot. Please forgive me if you talked about it and somehow I missed it. Both of my questions are about Lot's daughters. The first part I found disturbing was when Lot offers his daughters to the mob instead of his visitors. And second disturbing story concerning Lot is when his daughters get him drunk so they could have sex with him and get pregnant. No matter how I look at these two parts of Lot's story, I can't seem to find anything positive about them. Could you please help me make sense of this? Thank you!
Hi, Natalie! It’s understandable that you can’t make sense of those parts of the story, because taken literally, those parts are dreadful! Swedenborg said that it is especially hard to think in terms of the deeper meanings of these historical stories, because it’s very hard to detach our minds from the earthly setting and characters. But we have to detach from that literal story and understand that no matter what happened literally back then, the way the story was written down was so that it could be an allegory about the journey of spiritual development. So, we have to try our best to not think of these daughters in the story as people, as young women, but instead as parts of the mind. I’m going to start with the first part of your question, Genesis 19:7-8 The “men of Sodom” represent a very hateful state of mind. Here’s a description by Swedenborg of what they represent: “Being described here is the initial state of the Church . . . when faith starts to be no more because charity is no more. This state . . . is one in which, because they are opposed to the good of charity, no faith exists with them, in particular no acknowledgement of the Lord's Divine Human and His Holy proceeding. All who lead a life of evil deny these at heart, that is to say, all who despise others in comparison with themselves, who hate all those who do not treat them with respect, who take delight in getting their revenge on such, and indeed in being cruel to them, and who think that acts of adultery do not matter. The Pharisees who openly denied the Lord's Divinity did better in their own day than such people today who, for the sake of the respect paid to them and for the sake of their own filthy gain, outwardly worship Him devoutly but inwardly conceal such unholiness. These, as they were progressively to become, are pictured in what follows as 'the men of Sodom', and after that in the overthrow of that city.” -- Secrets of Heaven 2354 In the part of the story where the men of Sodom want to attack and violate the angels, and Lot stops them and offers his daughters instead, the angels represent the deep presence of the Lord which reveals the true quality of things. Anyone who gets a thrill out of hatred, cruelty, revenge, and adultery is furious at the presence of the Lord’s love and truth, which reveals their true nature. They hate it and want to attack and violate it. But to do so is to attack the very life force that sustains them, and the Lord actually takes measures to keep evil people from actually reaching and destroying that life force. That’s represented by Lot shutting the door behind him, and pleading with the men to not attack the angels. Lot represents basic goodness on an earthly level. Lot’s daughters represent affection for truth and goodness, again on the earthly level. We need to cultivate an affection for goodness and truth in order to want to learn more about them and pursue goodness and truth in our lives. We won’t do anything without some interest and desire. The men of Sodom want to destroy and violate the presence of God in their lives, and in life itself. They don’t want to lose their thrills of cruelty, hatred, etc., so they want to destroy the Truth and Love that would confront their thrills. Lot offering his daughters instead represents offering this hateful state of mind an affection for goodness and truth. It’s a request that instead of attacking the deep loving Source of life, that they try to cultivate, on the earthly level, a simple enjoyment in goodness, and in truth. It would be a start that could get them out of that hateful state of mind. Now I will research the next part of the story that you asked about, and get back to you soon!
Okay here’s my attempt at a summary of the part of the story in which Lot has sex with his daughters. The representation of characters in Bible stories changes in nuanced ways according to what is happening in the story. Lot represents goodness, but an external, surface kind of goodness. He represents a state of mind that wants to stay in external generalizations about what is good, and what is true, without really examining one’s own heart, or going more deeply into the process of learning what is genuinely loving, good and true in a heavenly way. After Lot and his daughters escape from Sodom, they are told to escape to the mountains. That’s an instruction to escape to higher, heavenly love. But Lot does not want to do that. He asks to be allowed instead to escape to a city called Zoar. (Zoar represents intellectual ideas of faith.) This request represents a reluctance to make the effort to enter into deeper love, feeling that it would be too hard. It seems easier to just settle for living by certain ideas of intellectual faith rather than really investigating if those ideas embody heavenly love. It’s not an evil state of mind, but it’s a weak state of mind, without the willingness to do the inner spiritual work, deciding that it’s too hard or impossible. In this state, it feels easier to just settle on certain ideas, and obey those ideas. There isn’t enough humility to truly turn to the Lord for help in the process of repentance and regeneration, in order to open up to the Lord’s heavenly love (the mountains). Lot and his daughters are allowed to go to Zoar instead of the mountains, because that is what they are willing to do. This represents how the Lord will not force anyone to spiritually develop beyond what they are willing to put effort into. People who choose to stay in a “Zoar” state of spiritual development will be saved from hell (the self-centeredness that is Sodom), but they will be in a low-level state of goodness that is vulnerable to problems. However, in the story, Lot and his daughters then leave Zoar and dwell in a cave. This represents a state of abandoning true ideas, or, a faith that is at least intellectually based on some truth. A cave represents falsity. So, those characters moving into a cave represents people’s minds moving into false ideas that will justify what they want, and the way they want to live. There might still be some basic goodness in there, but it’s becoming covered over by lower-ego desires and their justifications. Since daughters represent affections for goodness and truth, Lot’s daughters are now representing affection for this lower-ego view of goodness and truth -- an emotional attachment to lower-ego ways of deciding what’s good and true in order to justify personal wants. This kind of “truth” is actually falsity. So, the daughters represent affections for what *feels* good in a lower-ego state of mind, and the false ideas that justify those feelings. This state of mind is spiritually incestuous! One’s sense of goodness is so skewed (drunk on the false justifications) that one doesn’t even realize he or she is “mating” with his or her own lower-ego feelings rather than with feelings that are actually good -- feelings that come from the Lord. The affection for this way of life (the daughters) drives what happens, making any real sense of goodness unable to discern what it actually should be uniting with (Lot being drunk and having sex with his daughters). From this skewed union come “children” (a multiplication of these kinds of lower-ego feelings and false justifications). It creates a false faith, a false worldview. So, there’s my attempt at a summary. I hope that helps a bit to make sense of this story!
@@offTheLeftEye This is a brilliant explanation! Thank you for all the effort you've put into it! A lot of the Old Testament is difficult to read, and this is probably the hardest story of them all to wrap one's brain around.
@@natalieh7037 Yeah, it sure is a tough one! I'm so grateful for these explanations in Swedenborg's writings. I'm glad that was helpful! Thanks for the great question. I love that you are interested in finding how to make sense of these crazy-seeming stories. To me, it is amazing how true and relevant they become when I learn the deeper meanings. Wishing you well, Natalie!
Hey man, Remember me asking someone to interpret this for me? Well was reading and finally was shown. You asked me to share it if I found it so here ya go. “Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light. And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.” Judges 19:26-30 KJV “Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.” Acts 5:9-12 KJV
offTheLeftEye Yes, I’m pretty certain it is. Just can’t articulate exactly what just yet. Once it’s clear to me and I can speak it I’ll share. 🙏 Paul calls this the gospel of the uncircumcised. “Cutting down the word” or rightly dividing the word of truth. Galatians 2:7 (KJV) But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as [the gospel] of the circumcision [was] unto Peter; 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Remember where two or more are gathered in His name there He is in the midst. And He’s Truth.
From Swedenborg's True Christianity, #374, subsection 4, "...This can also be illustrated by a comparison with a temple. As Paul says, man is a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21-22). A person's end in view, intention and objective as a temple of God are salvation and everlasting life; here there is a correspondence with the will, to which these three belong. Then he absorbs doctrinal teachings concerning faith and charity from his parents and teachers and from preachers, and when he comes to years of discretion from the Word and religious books, all of which are means to the end. Here the correspondence is with the understanding. Finally the end is realised in the form of uses in accordance with the teachings which serve as means; this happens by bodily actions, which are known as good deeds. So the end produces effects by mediating causes; these effects are in essence the product of the end, in form that of the teachings of the church, and in performance of uses. That is how a person becomes God's temple." In the whole passage (read the rest here: newchristianbiblestudy.org/exposition/translation/true-christian-religion-chadwick/contents/3740) Swedenborg talks about will and deeds. Intentions and actions. The body, here compared to a temple, is the means by which we act. I believe the passage you refer to from Corinthians is instructing us to take care of ourselves - our bodies ARE the temples that hold God within, and if we care for our bodies well, then we create a place from which we can do God's good works. In other words, good health allows us to be more useful. You are the temple of God, and the spirit of God dwells within you. God acts through us, through our bodies, which can be temples to the Divine. Anything that hurts that temple, hurts the servant and dwelling place of God, and makes that temple useless. That's how I understand it! What do you think?
It's interesting how people usually pose this question when you go to search for an answer. They pose the question as: Why did Lot's wife turn into a pillar of salt? When the two questions they should be asking are: Why did God kill Lot's wife by turning her into a pillar of salt? And why was turning to look at your own city burning such an evil act that it was worthy of instantaneous death?
Curtis Childs, I Was Told That The People That Lived In The City Was Evil 😈 🔥 😈 🔥 And God Told When He Send The Fire 🔥 🔥 Down From Heaven To Burn 🔥 🔥 Down The City!! He Told His Good 👍 👍 Friend Lot, And To Tell His Wife And His Child - Don't Look Back At The Burning City 🔥 🔥 - Or Else You Will Turn Into A Pillar Of Hard Stone Salt!! So Lot's Wife Glance And Looked Back And Turned Into A Pillar Of Salt. It's So Sad 😥 😥.. ( I Say When God Warns You To Obey His Commands - We Have To Listen - And - Obey His Commands. )
Yes, Donald, that's certainly one way to look at it, a lesson in the literal story. As you know from having been watching our channel for a while, Swedenborg emphasizes the symbolic, spiritual meaning behind Bible stories. Did any of Curtis and Jonathan's comments make sense to you, on that level? Thanks for adding to the conversation!
@@offTheLeftEye Yes 👍.. I Like Your Truth Bible Testimonies Of People - And - True Facts Of People That Had Out Of Body Experiences And Came Back To Tell About It.
Leviticus 2:13 (KJV) And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. Numbers 18:19 (KJV) All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it [is] a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee. 2 Kings 2:21 (KJV) And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren [land]. Salt is an emotion we are to offer up. Repentance or faith, Can’t quite put my finger on it.
Thanks, Lord Hughes. One of the things Swedenborg says about salt is that it symbolizes religious truth that desires goodness -- and in the negative sense, the lack of that. So that could be seen as a faith that wants to learn to love, or a prayer to gain that kind of faith, i.e., repentance for not being loving and faithful. A couple of thoughts to align with your suggestion?
offTheLeftEye Awesome food for thought to ponder my friend. Faith that wants to learn from love could fit. Amazingly I just watched Jacobisrael and he did a show on this topic also. I thought how weird that you two were on the same topic and then he’d mentioned speaking to his friend Curtis from offthelefteye concerning this topic. Love you guys channel, I’ve mostly stuck to my Bible because it’s where I found the true gospel “only found in wilderness” but I’ve had confirmation from Scripture itself that their are true brothers out here. I do believe you to be one. I’ve not watched much of the content but I will tune in now. 🙏
Hi! I was wondering how often your team read the Bible as opposed to Swedenborg's writings? I am sure the purpose of his writing is to inspire and encourage people to read the Bible itself (the Word of God) then to meditate on his own writing? More as a commentary to accompany then to be meditated on? I only as this as I suspect that many viewers might spend more time reading Swedenborg then the book he is commenting on. I know this was the case for myself until a number of years ago when I decided to put his books down and read the Bible for myself. Since then my life has radically changed. Hebrews 4:12-13 says the Word of God is alive and active and works to expose sin in our lives. As great as Swedenborg's writing might be they are no substitute for the Bible in people's lives. I think that is something perhaps to keep reminding the views of. As John 12:48-50 says it's the very words of Jesus which will condemn us at the last day, and there is a judge for the one who rejects them. I only share this as I can Imagen Swedenborg turning in his grave as he sees man worshipping his writings and not the very Word they speak of which is the Bible. I know when I was a viewer of your channel I did not read my Bible but I did read Swedenborg and I can't remember ever being encouraged to from the channel. These are just my thoughts but I am really facinated by his work and everything you guys are doing! Have a great week and stay safe!
Michael, thank you for sharing these thoughts and your experience! You are absolutely right, Swedenborg does say how important it is to read the Bible, as it is the Word of God. And it's very important we not lose sight of the Bible and other important forms of revelation, or lose sight of the fact that Swedenborg, great though he was, was just a human being like the rest of us. We do use and quote from the Bible a great deal in our episodes, particularly those that use Swedenborg's writings to interpret Bible stories in Swedenborg & Life Live, every third Monday. Perhaps we could incorporate more encouragement of our viewers to do the same. But our mission here is to share Swedenborg's writings - and to do so in a way that can be accessible to people of all faith backgrounds, not just Christianity. We believe there is universal truth in all faiths, and Swedenborg helps highlight this, so that we can find unity in many thought systems. We share Swedenborg's writings with the knowledge that the Bible is widely read, accessible, and available for free online and anywhere else. And Swedenborg himself wrote a multi-volume opus called "Secrets of Heaven" or "Arcana Celestia" in the Latin that interprets Genesis and Exodus verse by verse. His other works refer to and quote Bible passages constantly. In my reading of Swedenborg, I refer back and forth from his Writings to my Bible, and generally read them together, or one after the other. Sometimes when I read the Bible, it inspires me to read Swedenborg, and other times vice versa. I find that they really belong together! I'm so glad you have returned to your Bible and have found the experience powerful and enlightening, it's wonderfully inspirational to hear that both sources have been beneficial to you, the Word especially. I appreciate your vital reminder to not stray too far from the original works, and definitely hope this is part of our message on this channel as well! Thanks for sharing that, Michael!
@@offTheLeftEye Thanks you for your reply! I do not mean to be facetious but there are many stories in the Bible which I would be surprised if you can find a correspondences such as Levite's concubine in Judges 19? Though I do believe that the old testament is a physical for shadowing of New Testament realities. With your understanding of Swedenborg's writings, do you believe they point to the Old Testament as events that did not occur, but are written as fictional stories to uncover deeper meanings for our lives today? Or real stories that did happen, which were written, and when you do look deeper into these real stories we can also uncover very spiritual principals? Also, with regard to universal truth across all faiths, what was Swedenborg's stance on Jesus? As Jesus refers to himself as the "Way the Truth and the Life" if Swedenbord believes in Jesus and what he says then ultimately Jesus is the universal Truth? As far as I am aware very few faiths have the correct teaching that he was part of the triune God which I know Swedenborg teaches? We can search for unity, but Jesus is the "Truth" so ultimately there is a fundamental cross road which is a MASSIVE one as it deals with salvation and eternity. We can look for unity on this Earth, but after this life non of that unity matters, all that matters then is the ultimate truth and whether we followed it and attained it's salvation? My fear with this sort of teaching is you make many people into converts of philosophy and very few having the spirit God is looking for in a worshipper, which is to worship him with "all their heart" which is something spoke of throughout the bible with regard to his "true worshippers" who worship him in both "spirit and truth" John 4:23-24. And also encourage people to have their on interpretations of the Bible which is spoken of against in 2 Peter 1:20-21 which I am sure there was a very specific reason why God inspired Peter to write this. I do not usually write messages this long, but I am generally interested and would like to know your and Swedenborg's stance on these points.
@@beardedchristian Regarding the Old Testament, yes, ALL of the stories are symbolically telling about the process that Jesus went through, and then also about the process of rebirth that the Lord can take us through if we choose that path: Luke 24: "25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. . . . 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Swedenborg learned that the first 10 chapters of Genesis, and most of chapter 11, are pure allegory, stories that did not happen literally and physically, but that are divine parables about spiritual processes and events. Starting with the stories of Abram/Abraham, the stories are based on historical characters and events, but the way the stories were written down was for the sake of having those stories also be divine parable or allegory about the spiritual journey of Jesus, of humanity, and of each one of us. I don't know how long you have been watching our channel, but we are constantly talking about how the whole point is to connect with the Lord, and to live a life of love toward the neighbor. So, we are not advocating for mere philosophical musings, but rather, we're sharing tools that are suppose to make us actually live the way of life that Jesus taught -- repentance, forgiveness, integrity, all forms of the 10 commandments and the 2 great commandments. Faith or philosophy without love, or without action, is nothing! Swedenborg says this over and over and over. As a servant of the Lord, he was bringing more understanding to what Jesus taught, as he was being taught. Regarding Jesus being the Truth, yes, we believe that, and Swedenborg says that. But people do not connect with Jesus through an intellectual belief or just through belonging to a Christian church. Jesus says that the way people connect with him is by doing good to others: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. --Matthew 7:21 “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. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” --Matthew 25:31-46 People connect with Him in this way even if they are not earthly Christians, or have never heard of Jesus: Acts 10: "34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."
@@beardedchristian Regarding the story of the Levite's concubine in Judges 19: Swedenborg began his writing with "Arcana Coelestia," which was explaining deeper meanings of the Bible, verse by verse. He got all the way through Genesis and Exodus, and there is indication that he had planned to keep going in this way, explaining the rest of the Bible. But he got almost no interest in his "Arcana Coelestia," and seemed to receiving guidance that he had to try a different approach to reveal useful information that would reach people. So he turned to books like "Heaven and Hell,", "Divine Providence," "Divine Love and Wisdom," "The Lord," "Sacred Scripture," "Life," "Faith," and more. In all his books he quotes the Bible, according to what is being talked about, but there is much of the Bible that he did not get to, in regards of explaining the inner meaning. He did end up doing a verse-by-verse explanation of the book of Revelation, though. There is not much explanation of the book of Judges. But Swedenborg did tell the general symbolism of "wife" and "concubine" in the Bible: "a wife in the Word means the church and a concubine means a religion." (Divine Providence 245) Meaning, when a wife is mentioned in the Bible, it has to do with a deeper understanding of God, (Swedenborg uses the word "church" to mean an inner relationship with God), and a concubine has to do with a more external understanding of God, involving doctrine that holds less genuine truth and understanding about God.
@@offTheLeftEye I believe that these correspondences could be events that occurred and where orchestrated by God and are also representations of the physical realities of Jesus's ministry on a personal level. But to believe that they did not occur I believe would dismiss Gods power at controlling the world. I think it shows us the degree to how much God is in control. As if we were to look at a galaxy and see it's spiralling structure, then see a similar pattern in a snail shell, we would not then say that the universe is just a story and does not exist, it's just God putting his thumb print on it and showing his creative power. In 1 Corinthians written by Paul the Apostle the the Church in Corinth in 10:6-10 the Bible says: Now these things occurred (occurred being the key word) as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry." 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel.
Great and helpful discussion although I am difficult on one piercing point. Nowhere in the Bible are we directed to believe 'Lot's wife' is mere allegory. The fate of Lot's wife is spiritually intertwined with the fate of billions subject to an omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (everywhere always) and omnipotent (unlimited power and authority) creator called God which raises the question why would this God knowingly bring beings, Lot's wife & us, into existence with the foreknowledge that some of us would be destroyed, some horrifically, or be destined to eternal damnation? Such acts, building something then destroying it, are characteristic of a psychopath. Yahweh/Jehovah (the only difference in this God is between the 'Y' writers and the 'J' writers) smites Aaron's sons for burning incense yet lets Cain off with the murder of his brother AND the curt affront, "Am I my brother's keeper?" These questions are unsettling territory albeit not fully encompassed without examining the relationship of this Yahweh/Jehovah to Jahbulon of the Royal Arch Mason's and Yaldabaoth, the Demiurge, of the Gnostic (all very similar sounding entities). The loving Jesus Christ has been given all power in heaven and earth (Mat 28:18) and at no time in his life did he ever emulate the dark side of his father EVEN though he states, "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30) and is now - - - "gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him." (1Peter 3:22) This is difficult territory and I'm sane enough to recognize answers are dissertation worthy and beyond a reply here - as there is a lot to unpack. Outside of the looking back of Lot's wife Does Swedenborg address the claimed equanimity of the Father God and his Son Jesus albeit the indications that the Son supersedes the mercy of the Father anywhere? Or why this Creator brings souls into existence with the foreknowledge that some would be eternally damned? Perhaps the good men and women of offTheLeftEye can round table these questions and bring the finding back here. Ever grateful for your attention to this earnest issue. Peace and Blessings to you all - Thomas
Thomas, excellent questions! I get the sense that you are new to our channel, so if you want to skip my rambling and start with some introductory videos, go ahead and do that. Check out this shorter episode, "Who Was Swedenborg?" swedenborg.com/emanuel-swedenborg/about-life/ and this longer episode, "Swedenborg 101: The Basic Nature of Everything." ua-cam.com/video/3Q14EcEwQVQ/v-deo.html If you're willing to stay with me here, I will do my best to unpack your questions and explain how I understand things, based on my reading of Swedenborg and the Bible. 1. Lot's wife may have been a real person, and may have actually died in the destruction of her city. There are indications in history and archaeology, as well as in Swedenborg's writings, that much of the Bible is historic (Swedenborg says it is historic fact after the first 11 chapters of Genesis). Because these are texts passed on through oral tradition for years before they were recorded, we must remember that they are revelation shared through human authors. The tone of these stories reflect their authors more than they actually reflect the nature of God. God seems angry to them, but what they really experienced wasn't God's actual wrath, but rather the destructive results of their own bad behavior (that's how I understand it). Think of a time when your anger or fear made a situation worse, and you blamed God even though you knew you handled it poorly. For example, I recently bumped my head on an open cupboard door. Angry at the door, I punched it, which made my hand hurt - so I had a bruise on my head and on my hand. Then I thought, "why does this always happen to me?" as if I were a cosmic victim, rather than a person who made a foolish decision to punch an inanimate object. Random example, I know, and hardly of the caliber of the devastation of armies and cities, but I bet you can relate to those feelings. Learn more about why God seems so angry in the Bible here, “Why is God So Angry In The Bible?” ua-cam.com/video/yVb66mnefPc/v-deo.html or here, "Does God Ever Get Angry?" ua-cam.com/video/I5TGF82Kexo/v-deo.html 2. Lot's wife's story is a parable that can apply to all of us. While the Bible may hold historic truths, it also is revelation from a Divine author (working through humans). The Bible does tell us it contains allegory, many times. Here are some of those places where that shows up: “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:12). “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12). “Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. . . . And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” -Luke 24: 25-27, 32 There are more but I don't want to annoy you! If you want to learn more about the Bible's Inner Meaning, which Swedenborg wrote about extensively, check out this short clip, “Swedenborg’s Bible Vision Explained” ua-cam.com/video/bmxe3DobuAE/v-deo.html Or try these full length episodes: "What The Bible Is," ua-cam.com/video/v0mE8IDLynE/v-deo.html or "Jesus Wants Us To Seek The Deeper Meaning of His Words," ua-cam.com/video/qUW0wNluf60/v-deo.html or “Angels Don’t Take the Bible Literally,” ua-cam.com/video/nrOnEdTZMwQ/v-deo.html 3. The Father and the Son - confusing indeed. Swedenborg saw the Father, Son, and Holy spirit as three aspects of the same God. Much like our soul, our body, and our actions are three parts of ourselves. Each work in tandem to create the whole human being. This is one way to understand how the Trinity reflects one divine being. Another way to understand this is that the Divine is made up of Love, Wisdom, and Action. Each thing informs the other to create everything! Remove one of those and the whole thing doesn't work anymore. Without a body and soul, there could be no action. Without action, what is the purpose of body and soul? Check out the episode that discusses this - "How to Understand the Trinity," ua-cam.com/video/-YbEHk2N884/v-deo.html I hope that helps answer some of your questions, please feel free to share your thoughts and how these resonate with you! Glad to have you here, Thomas!
One more thing - Swedenborg says that NO ONE is destined for hell. This would be against God's loving nature, and is impossible. In Swedenborg's worldview, WE choose heaven or hell, through what we love, how we act, and the depth of our faith in a higher power. The following quotes are from Swedenborg's book Divine Providence, which is available for free download here, swedenborg.com/product/divine-providence-nce/ or you can watch an episode about it here, "Divine Providence," ua-cam.com/video/wFuGb3G2ZVw/v-deo.html “We are like the earth. It brings forth all kinds of fruit: this ability is what makes it the earth. The fact that it brings forth bad fruit does not negate its ability to bring forth good fruit; though it would negate it if it could bring forth only bad fruit. We are also like an object that changes the light rays that strike it. IF we offer only ugly colors, that is not the fault of the light. The light rays can also be changed into attractive colors.” (DP 330:4). “It is cruel to believe that in God’s divine wisdom the Lord would not make sure that people who lead good lives and believe in God would not be cast into the flames and into eternal torment…it is cruel to believe and think that such a multitude of nations and people are by predestination being handed over to the devil as prey under the Lord’s own guidance and oversight” (Swedenborg, Divine Providence, 330:8d). It was Swedenborg's understanding that God is infinite love and wisdom. As such, God loves unconditionally. Hell, is in fact, a mercy for people who choose not to have a relationship with God, and prefer earthly things to spiritual, being materialistic and twisted from greed or evil. God is always leading us to heaven and to union with the Divine, and loves us no matter what our choices, though he rejoices when we choose heavenly lives, for our own sakes! Here's another short clip about Swedenborg's concept of the afterlife, "What Are Heaven & Hell?" ua-cam.com/video/cCizOSUw6yw/v-deo.html Hope that helps!
Wait a minute, before I spend an hour on this video, are you suggesting to me that this entire video is going to allegorize and turn the story of Lot and his wife into metaphor instead of a literal physical event that happened to literal physical people exactly as it says?
We do see the Bible as both a historical narrative (most of it) AND a symbolic portrayal of our own spiritual evolution. That idea appeals to some and not others....
Lot means hidden or covered. City’s are states of mind Angels are messengers from God which is in heaven which is your mind. Angels and demons are right thinking and wrong thinking. The man is the head of the wife. Man is mind and wife is heart, so lots wife...... Sons are thoughts from the mind and daughters of emotions of the heart. Ezekiel 24:25 (KJV) Also, thou son of man, [shall it] not [be] in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters, I won’t post all the Scripture that interprets these meanings here but if you use blue letter bible app you can search out the Scriptures interpretation. Hebrews 11:3 (KJV) Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 KJV
@@offTheLeftEye I learned that from other brethren who actually study the word in its original Hebrew language. (It's in BLB as well). Apparently her "looking back" is a misinterpretion as well. She tarried behind which is why she was pulverized, aka "turned into a pillar of salt". Ashes basically.
So God can turn a woman into a pillar of salt aye? That's interesting. That's old school. Man can turn god into Gold.....and pure Cash......lets see you top that one God. The Hellish is a bit advanced......God might use a good man, but an Evil man can use God. ......Wise as a serpent....... ;)
@S M. Serpent said........we would have won, who'd figure God would lower himself to the bottom of every molecule of all things ? Didn't calculate that one. Who'd of figured that even a possibility ? Love wasn't in the vocabulary at the time. No one knew what this Love is. Such Power was never known to any at the time of the fall. Nothing written revealed it. Love was the checkmate of all aggression and choice. Who can stand above a higher than that ? What rock can be crawled under to hide such light, no not even in the lowest domain. I mean seriously the One God laying down his life for an enemy. Where did that move come from ? Not spoken with any knowledge available in the days of old. We placed all our cunning in the one basket of Justice. Who'd of figured something higher than that ? Unable to slither past that one. Not even the most subtle of Hell....we've been out written by a Word not written but revealed within a compartment not seen, the Way the Truth the Life of all creation is Love not Justice. The Mother of all Checkmates :(
Thanks for sharing the perspective on your second comment here, jim dude. Something about your wording makes me see it in a new life. Love -- the unexpected but ultimate trump card.
Hey friends, So glad you could join us as we explore Swedenborg's interpretations of the Bible. We thrive on your participation so please share your thoughts and comments while you watch! With love and wisdom - Curtis, Jonathan, and team
Your podcasts are very important, keep them coming, and keep to the most famous stories of the Bible, we need it.
on a side note: on islam: you can check out Christian Prince: he is quoting islamic sources...to proof islam is not from God.
@@pinpoint3770 I am so glad you like our podcast! If you are looking for something more Bible-based, you might enjoy the show Dr. Jonathan Rose did called "Spirit and Life Bible Study," which is available as a podcast or at this website (for free): www.spiritandlifebiblestudy.com/
I also want to add that Swedenborg was shown that there are many ways we can connect with God and many legitimate forms of revelation here on earth in addition to the Bible, and that there are many different faiths coexisting in heaven. Check out, "The Spiritual Reality Behind All Faiths," ua-cam.com/video/Y-US1qib37g/v-deo.html for more on that idea! Wishing you well!
My interpretation of that Biblical event of Lot's wife turning into s piller of salt was always 'Look forward when you are exiting a bad situation and place your attention (which is God's energy) on what you are trying to accomplish that is good. Do not place your attention (which is God's energy) on what you are trying to overcome. If you do, you will freeze or imobilize in place. Salt is a perservative. It will keep you in place.
Wow, that is great, Sharial! And that is the same idea that Swedenborg learned -- that we must turn our faces toward God's goodness and love to get out of all problems in life and in ourselves. I hope you'll have a chance to watch after the video is posted, to see if the ideas that we share can enhance and support your own insights about this story. Wishing you all the best!
Being raised in a Baptist preacher's home, this one always confounded me. Took me a few decades but I came up with the same interpretation. Yet I've always maintained (from a feminine pov) a certain heart-centered place that we never stop looking back and longing for those we must leave behind.
The world is distroying itself because of love for bad ... let s not waste our time looking at it and trying to understand its logic and and focus in the good and where is God unless we become unproductive and without fruits..
@@crypticthinker1380 Thanks for sharing that interpretation! I'm so glad you are willing to think about these stories as symbolic. Did you have a chance to watch this video? I wonder if any of the ideas we share would resonate with you.
@@manuelgarrido5602 Yes, we certainly must look for and support the goodness, and God's presence. I believe that's involved in the symbolism of "flee to the mountains"!
Both you men radiate such inner peace .... seems so needed for others to see and experience in the uncertain world of today.
@Ian Daniel Agree With You! 💫💫
I'm so glad that is making a difference for you, Ian. Uncertain, unsettled, unnerved -- it is definitely a trying time! I hope these ideas and the the attitude with which they're presented can be helpful to people. Thanks for being here.
So thought-provoking! This was a particular story I with which I struggled. Your channel has turned my anger surrounding the Bible to feelings of peace and great interest.
That's quite a transformation, Tigger! It warms our hearts that the ideas here have been helpful in that turn-around. May you continue to find useful and healing thoughts here!
Curtis and Jonathan God bless you for this teaching
So glad you found it helpful, Kobby. Blessings to YOU!
Well said that I never do let ideas lead. I fool myself into thinking I'm being objective; thinking just from the facts. Some affection or love is leading at all times, either self-centered or God-centered.
Yep, Jon -- Love is the driver. But sometimes we don't notice it sitting there in the driver's seat! That song comes to mind -- "Jesus take the wheel....."
I confess that I have done a lot of “looking back” (uh oh). What I look back at is where I used to be in self-centeredness when I didn’t recognize it in myself. Looking back reminds me of where I never want to go again and thanking the Lord for leading me out of that through repentance , albeit little by little! There is so much to unpack in this episode, I took written notes while listening! I don’t really know how to express my gratitude. OTLE just feeds my soul (how’s that for expression?) 😉😘❤️
gsand07, thank you for sharing how this affected you and your personal interpretation! Feeling the truth of a story in one's own life is a powerful experience, and I think we can all relate to what you shared! Yes, it was a packed episode for sure, and I'm glad you found good soul food here!
Thank you so much for the continuing teachings on hard to grasp subjects; it definitely helps. Since I've switched away from grace-alone and penal substitution doctrines to the revelations that came through Swedenborg, my rather preachy posts on FB have revealed a shift and my Christian friends are more or less wondering what is going on with me. I try to explain but it's hard. Maybe I'll share this video; who knows, someone might watch it.
Joanne, we are always so happy to hear that these ideas are feeling helpful to people -- our fondest wish in starting this channel! Interesting that you think your friends can detect a shift in you. And yes, I can sympathize with it feeling hard to explain! Blessings to you in your continued journey, and feel free to reach out with questions any time. I wish I could know if any of your friends might watch it and might actually be struck by it in a positive way! I'll just have to let go and let God.... :)
🌟Appreciate the support time effort u all put into making these awesome informative videos that provides us with wisdom understanding to great topic in our world to b live one day at a time as best as we can ... b the pepper in life spice it up a bit being an advocate for good thing on earth ... blessing of health safety happiness harmony kindness to all .. 🥰✌🏻💕🐻🙏💌🕊💖
Such a heart-warming message, Mumma bear Cuddles. Thanks so much for your support, and so glad to have you part of our community!
Love the show, guys! I JUST had a discussion with a friend of mine that only quotes scripture in order to tell people how evil they are. I told him "I think it's more about living what Jesus taught and not so much about swinging scripture around like a bully with a pillowcase full of nickels, then blaming God for any split lips" 🤣
Well said, Kyle! Amen! Hope your friend can see that the point of scripture is not to judge each other, but to LOVE each other!
The Lord has set an anchor in my heart. My deepest desire is to be led by Him to the Mountains of His Kingdom. You have filled my heart and mind with the beauty of this lesson. Blessings ❤️
Blessings to you too, Mary. So well said. Sending you love on your journey to the Mountains! I believe your heart lives there already. (=
Two Gentleman’s!! 👏👏💟💟
Yes, these two guys are a blessing!
@offTheLeftEye Absolutely They Are !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻💖💖
Hey Curtis and Johnathan Rose, Thanks for the show today! You guys look healthy and I am glad. I am Always learning and growing spiritual with you. You know last night the I was lead to your video the Lord’s Prayer “ it was another puzzle 🧩 piece that unlocked my understanding- as I was praying the Lord helped me overcome a spiritual cycle of growth, I experienced a internal luminescence and warmth in my forehead , That left me with an experiential the Presence of the Lord and a wonderful gift to strengthen my faith. I feel like a vail has been lifted. I thank the Lord for the patience and mercy to let me continue to gather each day the knowledge and wisdom to see clearly. Like going to an optometrist. Our Father in Heaven Loves is very much, our truths become the New Jerusalem “ the new mind” but most important is to express that Love , the charity to one another in purity of heart. I wish you a lovely and safe day. May we all grow in His Grace and May this be the year that many come to the understanding of The riddle of the whole Bible, which is our Lord . Stay blessed!
What a heart-warming comment, Tommaso! Thanks for sharing the story of that powerful experience. So glad we can be walking the spiritual journey with you!
I am so glad you talk about this 🙂🌬❤💛
Glad it feels useful to you, Lapis!
@@offTheLeftEye 🙂Thank you !
Well I learned a lot today! 🤔😊☕️👍🌍❤️🌹
That's great to hear, Rowena! Hope you'll find it useful in your spiritual journey!
offTheLeftEye thank you 😊
Your on another level man, there are young people like ourselves really noticing how important influence and sharing teachings and interpretations are. Most of us want the same general things when we grab onto self discovery, find out what's important to us and take responsibility for ourselves. The right thing isn't the easy way out usually, therefore many people just stay idle in ways and keep themselves distracted or 'entertained' so they don't have to deal with their thoughts and reflect, many people have been doing the bare minimum it seems, I'm only 34 so my perspective and experience is limited though but I'm gonna keep growing and continue to be a better me while trying to help others and learn myself, LOVE THY NEIGHBOR!!! Being a better you doesn't make you better than others! Teach and learn! Lead by example and pull others up when opportunities present themselves!
Racer X Just wanted to say I love your perspective!💖
@@gsand07 thank you! Together we can have quite a bit of sway in our communities and world!
Thank you, Racer X, for making that kind of commitment in how to use your time on earth. What a different world we would have if everyone took that on! I love your statement, "Being a better you doesn't make you better than others" -- humility is indeed key in helping to influence others. Many blessings to you as you work more and more on truly loving your neighbor!
Thank you! Such a good explanation and different perspective(light) on something that is old, dark story .Lots of information, but message is simple,love is above the law and the truth. Thank you.
Yes, Lazy Dayzy, succinctly and perfectly summarized! Thanks! I'm so glad it was valuable for you.
Wonderful. I had dreamt before this aired that their was a large water lily floating on the water and I was shown the many compartments that join together to keep it afloat and give it strength. I was also shown the roots that go down into the dark waters below in the lily's shadow. On top the sun pours down and I saw a man standing upright with his arms raised as if holding up the sky. The lily turned on its side so that symbolically it's better for all to stare up to the sun whilst supported on the firmament rather than our merky underside. Trust in strength and be like a pillar of support. God I'm lucky.
Thanks O.T.L.😊
Thanks for sharing that beautiful dream with us, Mark! And for being part of our community here. You're welcome, and blessings to you!
@@offTheLeftEye THANKYOU!!!❤
Shoo this episode is so impactful. I wanna watch it again and again. To know there is a fine line between goodness and truth and that God calls us to recognise this and prioritise love - is such a revelation. Thank you for working so hard and so thoroughly to bring out these lessons.
That is music to our ears, nandimokoena. Let's keep the conversation going! There are plenty more videos and we want to know what they mean in your life.
@offTheLeftEye I only discovered Swedenborg and this channel a few months ago and it has really changed my life for the better. Thank you.
Thank you. I learned a lot that will stick with me. Many blessings.
Wonderful! Continued blessings to you, too, G!
Thank you for this, it was lovely. You two are wonderful. 🙏🏼🏔
Eyrun, thank you for your kind words! You are wonderful too! God bless.
WOW, What an awesome discussion.
Thanks guys
You're welcome, my friend!
Like you said, you are honoring the knowledge Swedenborg has given to us by creating these lessons around his revelations about the inner meaning in the Bible. You are putting your truth into use with these shows, and honoring your truth and honoring us, and finally honoring the Lord - the Source of all Wisdom. Thank you for putting your usefulness to work helping all of us. Blessings ❤️
Francis Bennett, thank you for your kind and supportive words. We love our jobs and feel honored to be able to share these things and create this content. I'm so glad it resonates with you and helps you connect with the Lord, as it does for us! Blessings to you too!
Excellent!
This is exactly what I needed in terms of a more fleshed out container for understanding and means of from where and how i place goodness and truth toward my fellow citizens. Thank you 🙏
Carrie, I'm so glad it resonated with you and inspired that understanding! Thank you for sharing!
Finally got to check you guys out, thanks 🙏 so much great to see you again really felt exactly how your perspective on this subject is seen clearly love you guys hope your well and stuff bye
Great to hear that this resonated so well with you, Michael! Everyone on the team is doing well, thanks, and we hope the same for you. Blessings!
Great episode and explaining bible story that is so hard to understand I am watching Your channel for a year now I’m looking forward to new episodes and go back to old honestly Your channel and Swedenborg’s teachings saved me from life of hopelessness and bitterness. Helped me with grief and outlook on future and gave me so much hope . I don’t know You guys personally but I feel like You are my family thank You for all the good works You do I’m forever grateful that I found this channel ❤️
Margaret, I'm so glad you were led to this channel by Someone who knew it would be healing and useful for you! Divine Providence at work.... So glad to have you as part of the OTLE family!
Shows like this provide me with a mental doorway back to using and viewing the Bible as a loving and relevant spiritual resource. Again and again I come back to these videos to help me get “through” the terrifying parts of the Old Testament, especially regarding the abuse and disregard of women, wives and daughters. Without a spiritual sense, the “Word” is just scary and confusing if you are seeking Gods truth and comfort, especially in regard to abuse or trauma. This story externally presents women as expendable (the offering of Lots daughters to the mob…WHATTTT?). What a wonder it is when the inner sense reaches into a woman’s heart and she finds that God is handing her pearls. The external story feels like a harsh and unexpected knock at the door when you are home alone. The inner sense is like, if you find the courage to answer the door, finding a friend there holding flowers for you. With cake. And a puppy.
Hi Terra Ray! Melissa here. I can so relate to what you're saying. The Bible, externally speaking, sure can be a painful read. For me it's been such a relief to know I don't have to take it literally and try to find truth in some truly confounding stories...
I think of it like a geode. Such a hard, calloused, unwelcome surface somehow contains incredible, brilliant beauty within! And like a geode, perhaps that rough exterior was just the perfect thing to protect something much more precious inside, something we have to work a little harder to find...
I love that vision of a friend with flowers, cake, and a puppy! That is *definitely* Infinite Love! (= Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us!
Salt (truths meant to bring life) can make us thirst or want water (God's love) yet the excess of salt (doctrinal discussions without practical use) can drive water (love) away. Our lives are built on the pillars of truths we have applied, but knowing many truths is not enough, truth is meant for the good of our neighbors. Cities are symbols of mental strongholds, or spiritual doctrines of life, which sometimes may need to be abandoned, for the greater truths of God (mountains). Which way are our spirits facing, the "cities" or the "mountains"?
That's a lovely painting of this idea, Veritas. Thanks so much for adding to the discussion!
You can see the tongues of Scripture. Lots wife is his heart.
2 Corinthians 3:6 (KJV)
Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
This is what’s meant “slain by the sword”
The word is the sword of the spirit and the letter of it judges us who live under it and not by faith. The religion of “Christianity” is mystery Babylon the great whom just he raised up to show His Power just like He did pharaoh when he took the people out of Egypt.
Nobody will go to the wilderness to learn and let Him guide. We all seek men’s teaching.
“Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits. Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.”
Zechariah 5:1-4 KJV
The flying roll is the word
Oh yea, and the thief is
John 10:1 (KJV)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
And the door we have to enter in by
Psalm 141:3 (KJV)
Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Confess the truth, we have to be able to speak the truth
Matthew 12:34 (KJV)
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Proverbs 18:21 (KJV)
Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
That’s spiritual death, as we are dead already. God saves all of us.
Sorry I’m just glad to see someone else whose circumcised in the letter as Paul says. 🙏
Thank you Sharial for your interpretation... 👍😊 Awesome!!! I am looking forward to the discussion on the 27th.
We'll "see" you tonight!
Such a great show so glad to see you are almost at 100000 that’s amazing!!! Something I would add was the name Lot literally means “Covering/Veil” ... the sodom means Burning and Gomorrah means submersion - water and fire ... the Veil needs to be taken away for Duality to be destroyed. The timing of this is amazing. Great work everyone. Stay safe and God Bless you all
Fascinating insight, Jacob Israel! Are these translations from the Hebrew? Thank you for sharing that, amazing what we can learn when we look closer! Stay safe, too, friend! Thank you for your support and kindness, bless you!
This was great! I think I might use this story and ideas for our family church service. I always get great ideas from this channel! As far as the icebreaker, I was thinking that sometimes there's a sneaky way that hell gets us to think we aren't losing our compassion over ideas and beliefs, even though we really are. And that is a sort of patronizing tolerance for other ideas because "they don't know any better" which is really just a sort of gloss over smugness. If we pull that outer layer of false compassion away, a lot of times there really is a pride in our own way of thinking. I think one way of getting over it is to keep an eye out for "where is the pride in me in this instance." They say pride is the root of all evil, and in some ways I think that's true. Trying to remain humble is the cure for all that intellectual superiority.
Wow, yes, I really resonate with your response to the icebreaker question. Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked this topic, and I hope it can serve you for a good family church message. It's always a pleasure to hear from you, Nadine!
Icebreaker: when as Curtis says, I feel someone has dangerous or detrimental beliefs, i try to remember that each and everyone of us has a role to play and purpose to fulfill and weather I am right or wrong, God has a purpose for any good or evil being expressed, and who i am to know or to figure out why or how certain beliefs or opinions are working to balance extremes or to expose flaws etc etc. in the end they are a person who feels strongly as i do and in that emotion i can relate to them. As i feel misunderstood by them or i can’t believe they cannot see it my why, they feel the same. And through that i feel i can love them, as a person serving a use to me (examine my views an dhow i can learn to love) and probably in a myraid of other ways i know nothing about. And again as i struggle so do they.
Such a compassionate view, emily! Thanks for spelling it out so I/we can reflect on that. Having a broad range of viewpoints visible IS useful, if uncomfortable! But just acknowledging the human condition in all of us, the very strong feelings for what we each think are the right reasons, can go along way to diffuse anger/resentment/etc. Thanks for adding to the conversation!
Ice b. Knowing people do their best from the amount of good they have, and opinions are not important enough for me to judge someone else, get annoyed because God gives everyone the freedom to believe what they want. Seeds are better planted by a good example, calm demeanor, confident understanding. Great question, great job.
Oh, excellent icebreaker response. Very inspiring. Thank you so much, Thomas!
As an old codger, I have been down some broad and rocky roads. With an ability to see how my sins have affected others and myself, from time-to-time I still find myself savoring my sins. Lot's wife was probably in that savoring mode when she turned into a pillar of salt.
That's an interesting way to look at it, Gordon. Thanks for sharing that thought. I appreciate the vantage point of codgerism -- I'm not too far away from that myself. Such useful insights it can provide. Blessings to you!
A Glass With Wather & Salt 🧂 Is Good To Put In Our Houses. Against Bad Energys.
Alexa Martins true
Interesting!
The best way to lift off because of difference of opinion is "just let go", and remember whom will have it right at the end. God. Each time someone tried to start an argument, you can feel from the get going where it will go. The more you fight for an opinion or else, the more it get worst. If you just let go it almost vanishes away. Salt was a currency a while ago.
Truth is eternally unchangeable. It neither moves left nor right. It can not fall down, nor be lifted higher. It remains as it is. It has never needed a defender.
For there is nothing that can threaten it.
This can certainly be a useful approach, Li RicherDL. Someone in my life used to use the phrase "You may be right" in every disagreement -- such a good tool for diffusing the adversarial energy, and neither giving up her own view nor cow-towing to the other's view. In the end, the truth will prevail -- at least I pray every day for that to be true!
So that's what tears more closely correspond to. Makes sense now.
Glad it strikes you that way, Sean!
I have to point out a slight parallel with a Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice, and the element of don't look back.
Ah! Thanks for that! There do seem to be parallels between Bible stories and ancient myths. Swedenborg suggests they all partake of the ancient knowledge of correspondences....
EXCELLENT EPISODE I LOVE YOU NEIGHBORS AND YOUR TEAMMATES AND TEAMWORK ALL OVERALL...IF POSSIBLE ID TRULY ENJOY BEING A GUEST OF THE NEXT EPISODE TO SIMPLY FELLOWSHIP WITH SUCH BEAUTIFUL MINDS AND TO PROVIDE MUCH CLARITY WHENEVER THINGS DONT MAKE SENSE OR CONTRADICTIONS ARISE:)
Please join our live chat that happens during the original airing of these shows -- it's a great community, sharing fellowship, love, and good humor!
offTheLeftEye HOW MAY I BE AN ACTUAL LIVE GUEST THOUGH:)
@@DR.WISDOM444 The format of our shows keeps changing, and we are not currently having live viewer guests. But if you would like to record a short video of yourself, telling how the concepts on our channel have been helping you, I could see if there is sometime in the future that we could use it! You can contact us at offthelefteye@gmail.com
offTheLeftEye JESÚS HIMSELF IS MY SOURCE (I LOVE HIM & GLORY HIM LIKE YALL LOVE SWEDDY-B.)... AND THE HOLY BIBLE IS ENOUGH FOR ME WELL IF YOU GUYS EVER LIKE TO..ACTUALLY BE HEALED OF ANY PHYSICAL AILMENTS AND OR WHENEVER YALL HAVE CONFUSING TOPICS...FOR EXAMPLE WHEN SAID SOMETHING DIDNT MAKE SENSE...I CAN HELP IS MAKE SENSE...BECAUSE SOME THINGS NEED SPIRITUALLY DISCERNMENT ...& THIS IS OUR SPECIALTY OVERALL...& WE ARE READY TO HELP YE ALL BE REBORN OFFLINE AS WELL ... ID SIMPLY LIKE TO FELLOWSHIP WITH YOU ALL AND TO HELP YE ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO HEAVEN..BECAUSE SIMPLY TALKING/KNOWING ABOUT IT IS NOT ENOUGH...YE MUST BEING APPLYING(BIBLICAL TEACHINGS)TO THY OWN LIFE PERSONALLY ON THE DAILY BASIS ...AND WHILE SWDDY B IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING...HIM AND HIS TEACH ARE NOT THE WAY INTO HEAVEN/ETERNAL PEACE)...ONLY PUTTING AND KEEPING JESÚS1ST..SO IF YE ALL NOW BEGINS VALUING JESÚS OFFLINE PERSONALLY THE WAY YALL SO SWEDDY...YALL LIFE WILL BE SAVES AND CHANGE NOW AND ETERNALLY:)
@@DR.WISDOM444 Thank you, and don't worry, Swedenborg is constantly saying that we must have the Lord at the center of our lives, and that we must apply the Lord's teachings to our lives. That is what we teach on this channel, and that is how we live our lives. Wishing you well, friend!
I have been studying dreams for decades, and I have found that they have a tendency to feature a bizarre & indecipherable conclusion, which often includes symbolism that is beyond comprehesion. This is just like the pillar of salt at the climax of Sodom & Gomorrah.
Yes, Chrono Chromie, excellent observation! And Swedenborg wrote that our dreams are full of correspondences. Have you watched our episode, "Where Dreams Come From" ua-cam.com/video/9bfbNf3OpmU/v-deo.html ? I think you'll find it fascinating! Let me know how it resonates!
Do you think it's possible that we are in the world of sprits now here?
I've heard other people wonder about that! What we have in common with the world of spirits is that both places are in the balance between heaven and hell, open to angelic AND hellish influences, as we make our choices and step more and more into who we really are. But Swedenborg says that when we leave our bodies behind, a whole host of earthly concerns just drop away, and our spirits are freer to get about their real business. Those are a couple of quick thoughts. What do you think?
Here are three shows about the world of spirits (In order of length, longest to shortest), if you're interested:
The World of Spirits: ua-cam.com/video/qoaPwhzDHWM/v-deo.html
What the World of Spirits Is: ua-cam.com/video/UQPy8WamcAE/v-deo.html
Welcome to the World of Spirits (a 13-minute clip from the first one here): ua-cam.com/video/8RcfriDRPX4/v-deo.html
This episode makes me wonder if all good qualities have an earthly shadow and a true heavenly origin. For instance, Jesus said in one verse that His peace was not the world's peace.
Great point, nandimokoena! It does seem that our earthly experience of everything must be but an echo of the spiritual reality behind it all.
Wonderful.is it as simple as love before law….always….?
Well, good and truth, or love and wisdom, always go together, says Swedenborg. But yes, love is the reason and love is the goal! God is Love, and Divine Love is the only reality (says Swedenborg), and God is helping us humans try to get there!
You know I have a secret to tell, thanks 🙏 for this episode once again but I predicted the Earthquakes in Japan March 11th 2011, but I was off by 8 months I predicted the date November 11th and also predicted using the word Fukushima if you look it up on Google the earthquakes in Japan 2011 20,000 people lost their lives in Japan in this earthquake, I also had a premonition the day of my sister's death I had a thought recur in my mind what felt like thousands of times saying Candace over and over and my sisters name was Candace, the only thing that keeps me going is this show and the hope faith and goodwill you exude helps me out every time I see an episode, also everything Swedenborg says syncs up and apigns with beliefs that I have known to be true in my own heart 💜 blessings to you and thank god Pennsylvania is not an Earthquake center of the world 🌎 love you guys bye, and Curtis I hope to meet you in person one day keep up the awesome shows
Thanks for your encouragement, Michael! I gather some people really do have premonitions of various kinds -- I hope you don't find that to be an upsetting experience. So glad that the ideas on our channel seem to align with your beliefs, and that they provide your spirit with some comfort!
This is a great sensible explanation of one of the Bible's more "disturbing" stories. But I still have a problem making sense of 2 parts of the story of Lot. Please forgive me if you talked about it and somehow I missed it. Both of my questions are about Lot's daughters. The first part I found disturbing was when Lot offers his daughters to the mob instead of his visitors. And second disturbing story concerning Lot is when his daughters get him drunk so they could have sex with him and get pregnant. No matter how I look at these two parts of Lot's story, I can't seem to find anything positive about them. Could you please help me make sense of this? Thank you!
Hi, Natalie! It’s understandable that you can’t make sense of those parts of the story, because taken literally, those parts are dreadful! Swedenborg said that it is especially hard to think in terms of the deeper meanings of these historical stories, because it’s very hard to detach our minds from the earthly setting and characters. But we have to detach from that literal story and understand that no matter what happened literally back then, the way the story was written down was so that it could be an allegory about the journey of spiritual development. So, we have to try our best to not think of these daughters in the story as people, as young women, but instead as parts of the mind.
I’m going to start with the first part of your question, Genesis 19:7-8
The “men of Sodom” represent a very hateful state of mind. Here’s a description by Swedenborg of what they represent:
“Being described here is the initial state of the Church . . . when faith starts to be no more because charity is no more. This state . . . is one in which, because they are opposed to the good of charity, no faith exists with them, in particular no acknowledgement of the Lord's Divine Human and His Holy proceeding. All who lead a life of evil deny these at heart, that is to say, all who despise others in comparison with themselves, who hate all those who do not treat them with respect, who take delight in getting their revenge on such, and indeed in being cruel to them, and who think that acts of adultery do not matter. The Pharisees who openly denied the Lord's Divinity did better in their own day than such people today who, for the sake of the respect paid to them and for the sake of their own filthy gain, outwardly worship Him devoutly but inwardly conceal such unholiness. These, as they were progressively to become, are pictured in what follows as 'the men of Sodom', and after that in the overthrow of that city.”
-- Secrets of Heaven 2354
In the part of the story where the men of Sodom want to attack and violate the angels, and Lot stops them and offers his daughters instead, the angels represent the deep presence of the Lord which reveals the true quality of things. Anyone who gets a thrill out of hatred, cruelty, revenge, and adultery is furious at the presence of the Lord’s love and truth, which reveals their true nature. They hate it and want to attack and violate it. But to do so is to attack the very life force that sustains them, and the Lord actually takes measures to keep evil people from actually reaching and destroying that life force. That’s represented by Lot shutting the door behind him, and pleading with the men to not attack the angels.
Lot represents basic goodness on an earthly level. Lot’s daughters represent affection for truth and goodness, again on the earthly level. We need to cultivate an affection for goodness and truth in order to want to learn more about them and pursue goodness and truth in our lives. We won’t do anything without some interest and desire.
The men of Sodom want to destroy and violate the presence of God in their lives, and in life itself. They don’t want to lose their thrills of cruelty, hatred, etc., so they want to destroy the Truth and Love that would confront their thrills. Lot offering his daughters instead represents offering this hateful state of mind an affection for goodness and truth. It’s a request that instead of attacking the deep loving Source of life, that they try to cultivate, on the earthly level, a simple enjoyment in goodness, and in truth. It would be a start that could get them out of that hateful state of mind.
Now I will research the next part of the story that you asked about, and get back to you soon!
Okay here’s my attempt at a summary of the part of the story in which Lot has sex with his daughters. The representation of characters in Bible stories changes in nuanced ways according to what is happening in the story.
Lot represents goodness, but an external, surface kind of goodness. He represents a state of mind that wants to stay in external generalizations about what is good, and what is true, without really examining one’s own heart, or going more deeply into the process of learning what is genuinely loving, good and true in a heavenly way.
After Lot and his daughters escape from Sodom, they are told to escape to the mountains. That’s an instruction to escape to higher, heavenly love. But Lot does not want to do that.
He asks to be allowed instead to escape to a city called Zoar. (Zoar represents intellectual ideas of faith.) This request represents a reluctance to make the effort to enter into deeper love, feeling that it would be too hard. It seems easier to just settle for living by certain ideas of intellectual faith rather than really investigating if those ideas embody heavenly love. It’s not an evil state of mind, but it’s a weak state of mind, without the willingness to do the inner spiritual work, deciding that it’s too hard or impossible. In this state, it feels easier to just settle on certain ideas, and obey those ideas. There isn’t enough humility to truly turn to the Lord for help in the process of repentance and regeneration, in order to open up to the Lord’s heavenly love (the mountains).
Lot and his daughters are allowed to go to Zoar instead of the mountains, because that is what they are willing to do. This represents how the Lord will not force anyone to spiritually develop beyond what they are willing to put effort into. People who choose to stay in a “Zoar” state of spiritual development will be saved from hell (the self-centeredness that is Sodom), but they will be in a low-level state of goodness that is vulnerable to problems.
However, in the story, Lot and his daughters then leave Zoar and dwell in a cave. This represents a state of abandoning true ideas, or, a faith that is at least intellectually based on some truth. A cave represents falsity. So, those characters moving into a cave represents people’s minds moving into false ideas that will justify what they want, and the way they want to live. There might still be some basic goodness in there, but it’s becoming covered over by lower-ego desires and their justifications.
Since daughters represent affections for goodness and truth, Lot’s daughters are now representing affection for this lower-ego view of goodness and truth -- an emotional attachment to lower-ego ways of deciding what’s good and true in order to justify personal wants. This kind of “truth” is actually falsity. So, the daughters represent affections for what *feels* good in a lower-ego state of mind, and the false ideas that justify those feelings.
This state of mind is spiritually incestuous! One’s sense of goodness is so skewed (drunk on the false justifications) that one doesn’t even realize he or she is “mating” with his or her own lower-ego feelings rather than with feelings that are actually good -- feelings that come from the Lord. The affection for this way of life (the daughters) drives what happens, making any real sense of goodness unable to discern what it actually should be uniting with (Lot being drunk and having sex with his daughters).
From this skewed union come “children” (a multiplication of these kinds of lower-ego feelings and false justifications). It creates a false faith, a false worldview.
So, there’s my attempt at a summary. I hope that helps a bit to make sense of this story!
@@offTheLeftEye This is a brilliant explanation! Thank you for all the effort you've put into it! A lot of the Old Testament is difficult to read, and this is probably the hardest story of them all to wrap one's brain around.
@@natalieh7037 Yeah, it sure is a tough one! I'm so grateful for these explanations in Swedenborg's writings. I'm glad that was helpful! Thanks for the great question. I love that you are interested in finding how to make sense of these crazy-seeming stories. To me, it is amazing how true and relevant they become when I learn the deeper meanings. Wishing you well, Natalie!
Hey man, Remember me asking someone to interpret this for me? Well was reading and finally was shown. You asked me to share it if I found it so here ya go.
“Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light. And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.”
Judges 19:26-30 KJV
“Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.”
Acts 5:9-12 KJV
Thank you! So, are you saying that you feel this story in Acts is shedding some light for you on that story in Judges?
offTheLeftEye Yes, I’m pretty certain it is. Just can’t articulate exactly what just yet. Once it’s clear to me and I can speak it I’ll share. 🙏 Paul calls this the gospel of the uncircumcised. “Cutting down the word” or rightly dividing the word of truth.
Galatians 2:7 (KJV)
But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as [the gospel] of the circumcision [was] unto Peter;
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Remember where two or more are gathered in His name there He is in the midst. And He’s Truth.
Does Swedenborg have an interpretation of 1 Corinthians 3:16-17?
From Swedenborg's True Christianity, #374, subsection 4, "...This can also be illustrated by a comparison with a temple. As Paul says, man is a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21-22). A person's end in view, intention and objective as a temple of God are salvation and everlasting life; here there is a correspondence with the will, to which these three belong. Then he absorbs doctrinal teachings concerning faith and charity from his parents and teachers and from preachers, and when he comes to years of discretion from the Word and religious books, all of which are means to the end. Here the correspondence is with the understanding. Finally the end is realised in the form of uses in accordance with the teachings which serve as means; this happens by bodily actions, which are known as good deeds. So the end produces effects by mediating causes; these effects are in essence the product of the end, in form that of the teachings of the church, and in performance of uses. That is how a person becomes God's temple."
In the whole passage (read the rest here: newchristianbiblestudy.org/exposition/translation/true-christian-religion-chadwick/contents/3740) Swedenborg talks about will and deeds. Intentions and actions. The body, here compared to a temple, is the means by which we act. I believe the passage you refer to from Corinthians is instructing us to take care of ourselves - our bodies ARE the temples that hold God within, and if we care for our bodies well, then we create a place from which we can do God's good works. In other words, good health allows us to be more useful. You are the temple of God, and the spirit of God dwells within you. God acts through us, through our bodies, which can be temples to the Divine. Anything that hurts that temple, hurts the servant and dwelling place of God, and makes that temple useless. That's how I understand it! What do you think?
offTheLeftEye I love that interpretation! Thanks so much!
@@thelachstar4294 You're very welcome! I'm so glad that resonated with you.
It's interesting how people usually pose this question when you go to search for an answer. They pose the question as: Why did Lot's wife turn into a pillar of salt? When the two questions they should be asking are: Why did God kill Lot's wife by turning her into a pillar of salt? And why was turning to look at your own city burning such an evil act that it was worthy of instantaneous death?
I guess everyone has different questions in their heart, educational. Thanks for sharing yours. Do you have answers for your questions?
Curtis Childs, I Was Told That The People That Lived In The City Was Evil 😈 🔥 😈 🔥 And God Told When He Send The Fire 🔥 🔥 Down From Heaven To Burn 🔥 🔥 Down The City!! He Told His Good 👍 👍 Friend Lot, And To Tell His Wife And His Child - Don't Look Back At The Burning City 🔥 🔥 - Or Else You Will Turn Into A Pillar Of Hard Stone Salt!! So Lot's Wife Glance And Looked Back And Turned Into A Pillar Of Salt. It's So Sad 😥 😥.. ( I Say When God Warns You To Obey His Commands - We Have To Listen - And - Obey His Commands. )
Yes, Donald, that's certainly one way to look at it, a lesson in the literal story. As you know from having been watching our channel for a while, Swedenborg emphasizes the symbolic, spiritual meaning behind Bible stories. Did any of Curtis and Jonathan's comments make sense to you, on that level? Thanks for adding to the conversation!
@@offTheLeftEye Yes 👍.. I Like Your Truth Bible Testimonies Of People - And - True Facts Of People That Had Out Of Body Experiences And Came Back To Tell About It.
Leviticus 2:13 (KJV)
And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.
Numbers 18:19 (KJV)
All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it [is] a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
2 Kings 2:21 (KJV)
And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren [land].
Salt is an emotion we are to offer up. Repentance or faith, Can’t quite put my finger on it.
Thanks, Lord Hughes. One of the things Swedenborg says about salt is that it symbolizes religious truth that desires goodness -- and in the negative sense, the lack of that. So that could be seen as a faith that wants to learn to love, or a prayer to gain that kind of faith, i.e., repentance for not being loving and faithful. A couple of thoughts to align with your suggestion?
offTheLeftEye Awesome food for thought to ponder my friend. Faith that wants to learn from love could fit.
Amazingly I just watched Jacobisrael and he did a show on this topic also. I thought how weird that you two were on the same topic and then he’d mentioned speaking to his friend Curtis from offthelefteye concerning this topic.
Love you guys channel, I’ve mostly stuck to my Bible because it’s where I found the true gospel “only found in wilderness” but I’ve had confirmation from Scripture itself that their are true brothers out here. I do believe you to be one. I’ve not watched much of the content but I will tune in now. 🙏
@@lordhughes7690 We feel blessed to have you here, friend, engaging in whatever way feels right to you. God bless!
Hi! I was wondering how often your team read the Bible as opposed to Swedenborg's writings? I am sure the purpose of his writing is to inspire and encourage people to read the Bible itself (the Word of God) then to meditate on his own writing? More as a commentary to accompany then to be meditated on? I only as this as I suspect that many viewers might spend more time reading Swedenborg then the book he is commenting on. I know this was the case for myself until a number of years ago when I decided to put his books down and read the Bible for myself. Since then my life has radically changed. Hebrews 4:12-13 says the Word of God is alive and active and works to expose sin in our lives. As great as Swedenborg's writing might be they are no substitute for the Bible in people's lives. I think that is something perhaps to keep reminding the views of. As John 12:48-50 says it's the very words of Jesus which will condemn us at the last day, and there is a judge for the one who rejects them. I only share this as I can Imagen Swedenborg turning in his grave as he sees man worshipping his writings and not the very Word they speak of which is the Bible. I know when I was a viewer of your channel I did not read my Bible but I did read Swedenborg and I can't remember ever being encouraged to from the channel. These are just my thoughts but I am really facinated by his work and everything you guys are doing! Have a great week and stay safe!
Michael, thank you for sharing these thoughts and your experience! You are absolutely right, Swedenborg does say how important it is to read the Bible, as it is the Word of God. And it's very important we not lose sight of the Bible and other important forms of revelation, or lose sight of the fact that Swedenborg, great though he was, was just a human being like the rest of us. We do use and quote from the Bible a great deal in our episodes, particularly those that use Swedenborg's writings to interpret Bible stories in Swedenborg & Life Live, every third Monday. Perhaps we could incorporate more encouragement of our viewers to do the same.
But our mission here is to share Swedenborg's writings - and to do so in a way that can be accessible to people of all faith backgrounds, not just Christianity. We believe there is universal truth in all faiths, and Swedenborg helps highlight this, so that we can find unity in many thought systems. We share Swedenborg's writings with the knowledge that the Bible is widely read, accessible, and available for free online and anywhere else. And Swedenborg himself wrote a multi-volume opus called "Secrets of Heaven" or "Arcana Celestia" in the Latin that interprets Genesis and Exodus verse by verse. His other works refer to and quote Bible passages constantly. In my reading of Swedenborg, I refer back and forth from his Writings to my Bible, and generally read them together, or one after the other. Sometimes when I read the Bible, it inspires me to read Swedenborg, and other times vice versa. I find that they really belong together!
I'm so glad you have returned to your Bible and have found the experience powerful and enlightening, it's wonderfully inspirational to hear that both sources have been beneficial to you, the Word especially. I appreciate your vital reminder to not stray too far from the original works, and definitely hope this is part of our message on this channel as well! Thanks for sharing that, Michael!
@@offTheLeftEye Thanks you for your reply! I do not mean to be facetious but there are many stories in the Bible which I would be surprised if you can find a correspondences such as Levite's concubine in Judges 19? Though I do believe that the old testament is a physical for shadowing of New Testament realities. With your understanding of Swedenborg's writings, do you believe they point to the Old Testament as events that did not occur, but are written as fictional stories to uncover deeper meanings for our lives today? Or real stories that did happen, which were written, and when you do look deeper into these real stories we can also uncover very spiritual principals? Also, with regard to universal truth across all faiths, what was Swedenborg's stance on Jesus? As Jesus refers to himself as the "Way the Truth and the Life" if Swedenbord believes in Jesus and what he says then ultimately Jesus is the universal Truth? As far as I am aware very few faiths have the correct teaching that he was part of the triune God which I know Swedenborg teaches? We can search for unity, but Jesus is the "Truth" so ultimately there is a fundamental cross road which is a MASSIVE one as it deals with salvation and eternity. We can look for unity on this Earth, but after this life non of that unity matters, all that matters then is the ultimate truth and whether we followed it and attained it's salvation? My fear with this sort of teaching is you make many people into converts of philosophy and very few having the spirit God is looking for in a worshipper, which is to worship him with "all their heart" which is something spoke of throughout the bible with regard to his "true worshippers" who worship him in both "spirit and truth" John 4:23-24. And also encourage people to have their on interpretations of the Bible which is spoken of against in 2 Peter 1:20-21 which I am sure there was a very specific reason why God inspired Peter to write this. I do not usually write messages this long, but I am generally interested and would like to know your and Swedenborg's stance on these points.
@@beardedchristian Regarding the Old Testament, yes, ALL of the stories are symbolically telling about the process that Jesus went through, and then also about the process of rebirth that the Lord can take us through if we choose that path:
Luke 24: "25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
. . . 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Swedenborg learned that the first 10 chapters of Genesis, and most of chapter 11, are pure allegory, stories that did not happen literally and physically, but that are divine parables about spiritual processes and events. Starting with the stories of Abram/Abraham, the stories are based on historical characters and events, but the way the stories were written down was for the sake of having those stories also be divine parable or allegory about the spiritual journey of Jesus, of humanity, and of each one of us.
I don't know how long you have been watching our channel, but we are constantly talking about how the whole point is to connect with the Lord, and to live a life of love toward the neighbor. So, we are not advocating for mere philosophical musings, but rather, we're sharing tools that are suppose to make us actually live the way of life that Jesus taught -- repentance, forgiveness, integrity, all forms of the 10 commandments and the 2 great commandments. Faith or philosophy without love, or without action, is nothing! Swedenborg says this over and over and over. As a servant of the Lord, he was bringing more understanding to what Jesus taught, as he was being taught.
Regarding Jesus being the Truth, yes, we believe that, and Swedenborg says that. But people do not connect with Jesus through an intellectual belief or just through belonging to a Christian church. Jesus says that the way people connect with him is by doing good to others:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
--Matthew 7:21
“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. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
--Matthew 25:31-46
People connect with Him in this way even if they are not earthly Christians, or have never heard of Jesus:
Acts 10: "34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."
@@beardedchristian Regarding the story of the Levite's concubine in Judges 19: Swedenborg began his writing with "Arcana Coelestia," which was explaining deeper meanings of the Bible, verse by verse. He got all the way through Genesis and Exodus, and there is indication that he had planned to keep going in this way, explaining the rest of the Bible. But he got almost no interest in his "Arcana Coelestia," and seemed to receiving guidance that he had to try a different approach to reveal useful information that would reach people. So he turned to books like "Heaven and Hell,", "Divine Providence," "Divine Love and Wisdom," "The Lord," "Sacred Scripture," "Life," "Faith," and more. In all his books he quotes the Bible, according to what is being talked about, but there is much of the Bible that he did not get to, in regards of explaining the inner meaning. He did end up doing a verse-by-verse explanation of the book of Revelation, though. There is not much explanation of the book of Judges. But Swedenborg did tell the general symbolism of "wife" and "concubine" in the Bible:
"a wife in the Word means the church and a concubine means a religion." (Divine Providence 245)
Meaning, when a wife is mentioned in the Bible, it has to do with a deeper understanding of God, (Swedenborg uses the word "church" to mean an inner relationship with God), and a concubine has to do with a more external understanding of God, involving doctrine that holds less genuine truth and understanding about God.
@@offTheLeftEye I believe that these correspondences could be events that occurred and where orchestrated by God and are also representations of the physical realities of Jesus's ministry on a personal level. But to believe that they did not occur I believe would dismiss Gods power at controlling the world. I think it shows us the degree to how much God is in control. As if we were to look at a galaxy and see it's spiralling structure, then see a similar pattern in a snail shell, we would not then say that the universe is just a story and does not exist, it's just God putting his thumb print on it and showing his creative power. In 1 Corinthians written by Paul the Apostle the the Church in Corinth in 10:6-10 the Bible says: Now these things occurred (occurred being the key word) as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry." 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel.
Great and helpful discussion although I am difficult on one piercing point. Nowhere in the Bible are we directed to believe 'Lot's wife' is mere allegory. The fate of Lot's wife is spiritually intertwined with the fate of billions subject to an omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (everywhere always) and omnipotent (unlimited power and authority) creator called God which raises the question why would this God knowingly bring beings, Lot's wife & us, into existence with the foreknowledge that some of us would be destroyed, some horrifically, or be destined to eternal damnation? Such acts, building something then destroying it, are characteristic of a psychopath. Yahweh/Jehovah (the only difference in this God is between the 'Y' writers and the 'J' writers) smites Aaron's sons for burning incense yet lets Cain off with the murder of his brother AND the curt affront, "Am I my brother's keeper?" These questions are unsettling territory albeit not fully encompassed without examining the relationship of this Yahweh/Jehovah to Jahbulon of the Royal Arch Mason's and Yaldabaoth, the Demiurge, of the Gnostic (all very similar sounding entities). The loving Jesus Christ has been given all power in heaven and earth (Mat 28:18) and at no time in his life did he ever emulate the dark side of his father EVEN though he states, "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30) and is now - - - "gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him." (1Peter 3:22) This is difficult territory and I'm sane enough to recognize answers are dissertation worthy and beyond a reply here - as there is a lot to unpack. Outside of the looking back of Lot's wife Does Swedenborg address the claimed equanimity of the Father God and his Son Jesus albeit the indications that the Son supersedes the mercy of the Father anywhere? Or why this Creator brings souls into existence with the foreknowledge that some would be eternally damned? Perhaps the good men and women of offTheLeftEye can round table these questions and bring the finding back here. Ever grateful for your attention to this earnest issue. Peace and Blessings to you all - Thomas
Thomas, excellent questions! I get the sense that you are new to our channel, so if you want to skip my rambling and start with some introductory videos, go ahead and do that. Check out this shorter episode, "Who Was Swedenborg?" swedenborg.com/emanuel-swedenborg/about-life/ and this longer episode, "Swedenborg 101: The Basic Nature of Everything." ua-cam.com/video/3Q14EcEwQVQ/v-deo.html
If you're willing to stay with me here, I will do my best to unpack your questions and explain how I understand things, based on my reading of Swedenborg and the Bible.
1. Lot's wife may have been a real person, and may have actually died in the destruction of her city. There are indications in history and archaeology, as well as in Swedenborg's writings, that much of the Bible is historic (Swedenborg says it is historic fact after the first 11 chapters of Genesis). Because these are texts passed on through oral tradition for years before they were recorded, we must remember that they are revelation shared through human authors. The tone of these stories reflect their authors more than they actually reflect the nature of God.
God seems angry to them, but what they really experienced wasn't God's actual wrath, but rather the destructive results of their own bad behavior (that's how I understand it). Think of a time when your anger or fear made a situation worse, and you blamed God even though you knew you handled it poorly. For example, I recently bumped my head on an open cupboard door. Angry at the door, I punched it, which made my hand hurt - so I had a bruise on my head and on my hand. Then I thought, "why does this always happen to me?" as if I were a cosmic victim, rather than a person who made a foolish decision to punch an inanimate object. Random example, I know, and hardly of the caliber of the devastation of armies and cities, but I bet you can relate to those feelings. Learn more about why God seems so angry in the Bible here, “Why is God So Angry In The Bible?” ua-cam.com/video/yVb66mnefPc/v-deo.html or here, "Does God Ever Get Angry?" ua-cam.com/video/I5TGF82Kexo/v-deo.html
2. Lot's wife's story is a parable that can apply to all of us. While the Bible may hold historic truths, it also is revelation from a Divine author (working through humans). The Bible does tell us it contains allegory, many times. Here are some of those places where that shows up: “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:12). “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12). “Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. . . . And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” -Luke 24: 25-27, 32 There are more but I don't want to annoy you!
If you want to learn more about the Bible's Inner Meaning, which Swedenborg wrote about extensively, check out this short clip, “Swedenborg’s Bible Vision Explained” ua-cam.com/video/bmxe3DobuAE/v-deo.html
Or try these full length episodes: "What The Bible Is," ua-cam.com/video/v0mE8IDLynE/v-deo.html or "Jesus Wants Us To Seek The Deeper Meaning of His Words," ua-cam.com/video/qUW0wNluf60/v-deo.html or “Angels Don’t Take the Bible Literally,” ua-cam.com/video/nrOnEdTZMwQ/v-deo.html
3. The Father and the Son - confusing indeed. Swedenborg saw the Father, Son, and Holy spirit as three aspects of the same God. Much like our soul, our body, and our actions are three parts of ourselves. Each work in tandem to create the whole human being. This is one way to understand how the Trinity reflects one divine being. Another way to understand this is that the Divine is made up of Love, Wisdom, and Action. Each thing informs the other to create everything! Remove one of those and the whole thing doesn't work anymore. Without a body and soul, there could be no action. Without action, what is the purpose of body and soul? Check out the episode that discusses this - "How to Understand the Trinity," ua-cam.com/video/-YbEHk2N884/v-deo.html
I hope that helps answer some of your questions, please feel free to share your thoughts and how these resonate with you! Glad to have you here, Thomas!
One more thing - Swedenborg says that NO ONE is destined for hell. This would be against God's loving nature, and is impossible. In Swedenborg's worldview, WE choose heaven or hell, through what we love, how we act, and the depth of our faith in a higher power. The following quotes are from Swedenborg's book Divine Providence, which is available for free download here, swedenborg.com/product/divine-providence-nce/ or you can watch an episode about it here, "Divine Providence," ua-cam.com/video/wFuGb3G2ZVw/v-deo.html
“We are like the earth. It brings forth all kinds of fruit: this ability is what makes it the earth. The fact that it brings forth bad fruit does not negate its ability to bring forth good fruit; though it would negate it if it could bring forth only bad fruit. We are also like an object that changes the light rays that strike it. IF we offer only ugly colors, that is not the fault of the light. The light rays can also be changed into attractive colors.” (DP 330:4).
“It is cruel to believe that in God’s divine wisdom the Lord would not make sure that people who lead good lives and believe in God would not be cast into the flames and into eternal torment…it is cruel to believe and think that such a multitude of nations and people are by predestination being handed over to the devil as prey under the Lord’s own guidance and oversight” (Swedenborg, Divine Providence, 330:8d).
It was Swedenborg's understanding that God is infinite love and wisdom. As such, God loves unconditionally. Hell, is in fact, a mercy for people who choose not to have a relationship with God, and prefer earthly things to spiritual, being materialistic and twisted from greed or evil. God is always leading us to heaven and to union with the Divine, and loves us no matter what our choices, though he rejoices when we choose heavenly lives, for our own sakes! Here's another short clip about Swedenborg's concept of the afterlife, "What Are Heaven & Hell?" ua-cam.com/video/cCizOSUw6yw/v-deo.html
Hope that helps!
Wait a minute, before I spend an hour on this video, are you suggesting to me that this entire video is going to allegorize and turn the story of Lot and his wife into metaphor instead of a literal physical event that happened to literal physical people exactly as it says?
We do see the Bible as both a historical narrative (most of it) AND a symbolic portrayal of our own spiritual evolution. That idea appeals to some and not others....
Lot means hidden or covered.
City’s are states of mind
Angels are messengers from God which is in heaven which is your mind. Angels and demons are right thinking and wrong thinking.
The man is the head of the wife. Man is mind and wife is heart, so lots wife......
Sons are thoughts from the mind and daughters of emotions of the heart.
Ezekiel 24:25 (KJV)
Also, thou son of man, [shall it] not [be] in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,
I won’t post all the Scripture that interprets these meanings here but if you use blue letter bible app you can search out the Scriptures interpretation.
Hebrews 11:3 (KJV)
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 KJV
Thanks, Lord Hughes, for sharing your perspective and adding to the conversation!
The correct interpretation is that she was pulverized.
Thanks for sharing your viewpoint, YAHUAH'S Baby Girl.
@@offTheLeftEye I learned that from other brethren who actually study the word in its original Hebrew language. (It's in BLB as well). Apparently her "looking back" is a misinterpretion as well. She tarried behind which is why she was pulverized, aka "turned into a pillar of salt". Ashes basically.
@@Velvet_Rosee ah, I see! A translation issue. Thanks for that correction!
So God can turn a woman into a pillar of salt aye? That's interesting. That's old school.
Man can turn god into Gold.....and pure Cash......lets see you top that one God.
The Hellish is a bit advanced......God might use a good man, but an Evil man can use God.
......Wise as a serpent....... ;)
@S M. Serpent said........we would have won, who'd figure God would lower himself to the bottom of every molecule of all things ?
Didn't calculate that one. Who'd of figured that even a possibility ? Love wasn't in the vocabulary at the time. No one knew what this Love is. Such Power was never known to any at the time of the fall. Nothing written revealed it.
Love was the checkmate of all aggression and choice.
Who can stand above a higher than that ?
What rock can be crawled under to hide such light, no not even in the lowest domain.
I mean seriously the One God laying down his life for an enemy. Where did that move come from ? Not spoken with any knowledge available in the days of old. We placed all our cunning in the one basket of Justice. Who'd of figured something higher than that ? Unable to slither past that one. Not even the most subtle of Hell....we've been out written by a Word not written but revealed within a compartment not seen, the Way the Truth the Life of all creation is Love not Justice. The Mother of all Checkmates :(
@@jimdude5529 ... posting without watching the OffTheLeftEye vid doesn't do much for your cred sport ... more fool you.
Thanks for sharing the perspective on your second comment here, jim dude. Something about your wording makes me see it in a new life. Love -- the unexpected but ultimate trump card.
@@iandaniel2153 A fool, Guilty as charged. But I do have the best Advocate this Universe has ever known.