Commentary

 

Memorable Occurrences in Swedenborg's Writings

This list of Memorable Occurrences in Swedenborg's Writings was originally compiled by W. C. Henderson in 1960 but has since been updated.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #420

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420. And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. This symbolizes spiritual Divine truth flowing in from heaven into the church with them, examining and exposing them.

A star here symbolizes spiritual Divine truth, because it fell from the spiritual heaven, as described in nos. 387, 388 above. And the earth here symbolizes the church with people concerned with its internal elements, as said in no. 398 above.

Spiritual Divine truth means intelligence springing from a spiritual love, which is love for the neighbor. But because this intelligence is today called faith, and this love, charity, it is faith springing from charity, or rather, it is the truth of faith springing from the goodness of charity, symbolized here by the star.

A star in the singular has a similar symbolic meaning in Revelation 2:28; 22:16. For stars in the plural symbolize concepts of goodness and truth (no. 51), and these are the means to intelligence.

That it is Divine truth examining and exposing is apparent from what follows.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.