“Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.  Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” Revelation 12:1-6

This week we were gifted this beautiful ornament as a New Church Day gift. I have loved looking at it and it has made me reflect on Revelation 12. In looking it up I also found this wonderful verse by verse break down of the story and its inner meaning. I’ve found it powerful to ponder on this story this June.

My boys are currently sitting around the table “worldbuilding.” They are drawing fantastic maps and alien races and developing their end-of-the-world scenarios where the inevitable “Chosen One” will need to arise to save the world from utter destruction.

Meanwhile I’m sitting here looking across my windows at the sixteen pictures my kids and I hung up earlier this week showcasing the life of the Lord: His birth, His baptism, His miracles and teachings, His crucifixion, His resurrection, and His glorification.

The real end-of-the-world-averted-by-the-Chosen-One scenario.

But we haven’t always portrayed it that way.

In previous years, especially when my children were young, I had a tendency to shorten the story. We celebrated the Lord’s birth (Yay Christmas!) and then jumped up to His Resurrection (Yay Easter Morning!). We zeroed in on the cheerful parts and glossed over all the pain and hardship. While it may have felt more child-friendly, without context, the Easter story seemed diminished by the abridgment.

It has been powerful over the last few years to place the happy moments back into context. Easter morning is so much more poignant when seen after the nightmare that was the trial and crucifixion.

I came across this quote a few weeks back and was reminded of just how truly epic the Lord’s First Coming was:

(A)s heaven has been formed of the human race, from the first creation until now, so it will be formed and filled up from the same source hereafter. It is indeed possible that the human race on one earth may perish, which comes to pass when they separate themselves entirely from the Divine, for then man no longer has spiritual life, but only natural, like that of beasts; and when man is such no society can be formed, and held bound by laws, since without the influx of heaven, and thus without the Divine government, man would become insane, and rush unchecked into every wickedness, one against another.

But although the human race, by separation from the Divine, might perish on one earth, which, however, is provided against by the Lord, yet still they would continue on other earths… It was said to me from heaven, that the human race on this earth would have perished, so that not one man would have existed on it at this day, if the Lord had not come into the world, and on this earth assumed the Human, and made it Divine; and also, unless the Lord had given here such a Word as might serve for a basis to the angelic heaven, and for its conjunction.

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Wishing you all a blessed Easter Holiday!

Did you know that the first word in the book of Psalms is “happy?”

I did not.

But this Sunday I learned that little gem.

I also learned that Psalm one is quite the happiness guide. It lays out exactly what actions to avoid and what actions to pursue on our paths to find true happiness.

Which seems a useful resource as I resolve to make New Year resolutions…

Happy is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

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Hoping you all have a blessed 2024!

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain… Blessing, and honor, and glory, and might be to Him who sits on the throne, and the Lamb, for ages of ages.”

Revelation 5:12, 13

I just finished reading through “Conjugial Love” with a group of friends. Wow, is it a powerful book! And Wow, is western culture far afield from where Our Lord designed us to be!

It was pretty painful to read, given the disparity between our adulterous world and the “marital union of one man with one wife.. the precious jewel of human life and the repository of the Christian religion” CL 456. I frequently caught myself wondering “How do I deal with the people my family and I come into contact with who are living lives so contrary to these beautiful Truths?”

Well a few weeks ago I found (and then had emphasized) that the Lord has given us in the New Church very clear boundaries around judgment. First, I came to the end of the book of CL which deals specifically with the topic. Then a few days later in family worship, we read the story of the scroll and the Lamb and its explanation in Apocalypse Revealed.

Below I share my “findings”:

The Lord says, “Judge not, that you be not condemned.” 1 (Matthew 7:1) This cannot in the least mean judging of someone’s moral and civil life in the world, but judging of someone’s spiritual and heavenly life. Who does not see that were it not lawful for a man to judge as to the moral life of those dwelling with him in the world, society would fall! What would society be if there were no public judgments? or if one did not form his own judgment concerning another?

What is not lawful, is judgment as to the quality of the interior mind or soul within man, thus as to what his spiritual state is and hence his lot after death. This is known to the Lord only; nor does the Lord reveal it until after death, and this in order that what a man does he may do from freedom, and that thereby good or evil may be from him and so in him, and he thus live for himself and be himself forever.

That the interiors of the mind, hidden in the world, are revealed after death is because this is a matter of importance and use to the societies into which the man then comes; for there all are spiritual. That they are revealed then is plain from these words of the Lord:

“There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light, and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets, shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” Luke 12:2, 3.

A general judgment is allowed, such as: “If in internals you are what you appear to be in externals you will be saved or condemned;” but a particular judgment such as, “You are such in internals and therefore will be saved or condemned,” is not allowed.

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“And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look at it.”

Revelation 5:4

“Neither to look thereon,” signifies not in the least. Since by “opening the book,” is signified to know the states of life of all, by “looking on it” is signified to see what the state of life of this or that person is, therefore by “no one being able to open the book nor to look thereon,” is signified that they were not able in the least. For the Lord alone sees the state of everyone from inmosts to outmosts, as also what a man has been from infancy to old age, and what he will be to eternity, and likewise what place will be allotted to him either in heaven or in hell; and this the Lord sees in an instant, and from Himself, because He is the Divine truth itself or the Word; but angels and man do not see this in the least, because they are finite, and the finite see only a few things, and those only external, and not these indeed from themselves, but from the Lord.

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