Abstract: We will use text from the book “Secrets of Heaven” by Emanuel Swedenborg, which is a Bible commentary on the Bible books of Genesis and Exodus. To understand the meaning of the word “correspondence”, we will also draw information from the “Dictionary of Correspondence” a dictionary like any other in form, except a book of Bible words and their spiritual meaning drawn from the Bible commentaries of Emanuel Swedenborg.
We will attempt to explain how all human sickness is from a spiritual source that has a connection to and is developed by human beings making poor choices to serve self rather than to serve God and to follow His commands found in the Ten Commands which is the order of the universe. We will try to also add more modern meaning to the text where needed as an author rendering in (italic). As Swedenborg was a polymath and also a scientist, his explanation of human sickness is technical but the laws of the Lord’s universe are not subject to change. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8)
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Key to Blog Text,
Bold highlighting = Important terms and concepts. Blue highlighting = words, terms, and concepts containing primarily a spiritual sense or TRUTH. Red highlighting = words, terms, and concepts containing a sense directly related to The Lord Himself or LOVE. Gray highlighting = words, terms, and concepts relating to evil and hell. Italic letters in (parentheses) = my emphasis.
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IN THIS SECTION THE CORRESPONDENCE OF SICKNESSES WITH THE SPIRITUAL WORLD
What is correspondence? For example, a “snake” in the Bible corresponds to evil and hell. The opposite is an “angel” which corresponds to heaven and good. The “broad way” is to choose to love the things of the world, which lead to hell. And the “narrow way” is to chose not to take the easy way but to make good choices that lead to eternal life in heaven. Every single word, letter, dot, and punctuation in the Holy Bible has a spiritual significance or “correspondence” to be found in the spiritual world. Whether that be from heaven or hell, that manifests or reveals its presence or makes an appearance in the natural world. This is from divine order since the creation of the world.
Since the subject (the area of study here) is to be the correspondence (every single word, dot, and punctuation in the Holy Bible has a spiritual significance or “correspondence” to be found in the spiritual world. Whether that be from heaven or hell) of sicknesses (in the body), it should be recognized (be understood) that all human sicknesses too have a correspondence with the spiritual world (it is either from heaven or hell). For nothing at all comes into being in the natural creation (found in the world) that does not have a correspondence with the spiritual world (everything we see and experience in the world comes from a spiritual source, whether that be from heaven or hell); it has no “cause” from which it may be brought into being (how it affects things in the natural world) and from which it may be kept in being (As long as hell is winning it prevails in the world, in a person or a group of people. As long as heaven is winning it prevails in the world, in a person or a group of people ). Things existing in the natural world are nothing else than “effects“; their “causes” exist (they are found) in the spiritual world (from heaven or hell), while the “causes” behind those “causes“, which are the “ends“, exist more internally in heaven (good causes are much more powerful than evil causes).
Swedenborg teaches (from what he was taught) that everything seen in our world is from this principle,
“cause” → “effect” → “end“
People living in the world are constantly living halfway between heaven and hell. Because the Lord did not make robots or mindless beings they have free will and free choice. If they chose an evil thought, evil manifests itself in the world. If they chose a good thought with the Lord in mind, heaven manifests itself in the world. This is the “cause“, and it makes up the “effect” that is seen in the natural world we live in. The “end” of these choices we make can be eternal spiritual death or eternal spiritual life. This is the Divine design or what is the same the infinite order.
No “effect” (this is the result seen in the world when a person or group of people make decisions, whether they are good decisions with God in mind, or bad decisions made with self in mind) can remain in being (seen in the world) unless its “cause” (when a person or group of people make decisions, whether they are good decisions with God in mind, or bad decisions made with self in mind) is present within it constantly; for the instant (a second of time) a “cause” ceases to exist, so does its “effect” (this effect is subject to change, the person may change their mind and go in the opposite direction, either in a good way or in a bad way). Essentially an “effect” is nothing else than its “cause“; but a “cause” so clothes itself outwardly (in the world) with an “effect” (what is then seen in the world) that it is enabled to act as a “cause” in a lower sphere than its own (the person who made a bad decision to honor self joins themself to hell, and the person who made a good decision to honor God joins themself to heaven. But thanks to the Lord Jesus’ mercy a person living in the world can change that “cause” by making a better decision to honor God and join themselves in heaven. This is the word “repent” or “repentance” found in the Bible).
For this reason, evil from hell can enter the world and show itself as sickness in the human body because of the bad and unwise choices made by the person or even by a group of people in the world. But a wise choice made with God in mind brings health, healing, and vitality to the human body; “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear Jehovah and depart from evil. Healing shall be to your navel and marrow to your bones” Proverbs 3:7-8.
“cause” → “effect” → “end“
And similar (very much like) to the relationship between an “effect” and its “cause” is the relationship (how they act with each other) between a “cause” and its “end”. Unless a “cause” likewise comes into being from its own cause (not influenced by human decisions), which is the “end”, it is not a “cause”; for without an “end” (what the final result is of those human decisions will be seen or make an appearance in the natural world. In this case sickness in the body if they are poor or bad decisions) a “cause” is devoid of order (all three parts must fit together), and where there is no order (of the three parts) nothing is brought into being (the effect in the world will not be seen or make an appearance). From this, it is now evident (can be seen) that the essence (behavior) of an “effect” is its “cause” (For this reason, evil from hell can enter the world and show itself as sickness in the human body because of bad and unwise choices made by the person or even by a group of people in the world. But a wise choice made with God in mind brings health, healing, and vitality to the human body; “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear Jehovah and depart from evil. Healing shall be to your navel and marrow to your bones” Proverbs 3:7-8.
While the essence (behavior) of a “cause” is its “end” (what the final result is of those human decisions will be seen or make an appearance in the natural world. In this case sickness in the body if they are poor or bad decisions), and that an “end” (all the decisions the person makes in this world) which has good in view (always making decisions to please God and His commandments) exists in heaven (this order of the three steps also rules heaven) and comes forth from the Lord (the righteous Lord treats everyone the same whether in the world or in heaven).
Consequently, an “effect” is not an “effect” unless there is a “cause” within it, constantly there, and a “cause” is not a “cause” unless there is an “end” within it, constantly so (all three degrees/steps, “cause” → “effect” → “end“, are simultaneous occurring or in effect at the same time). Nor is an “end” an “end” that has good in view (from the person or a group decision) unless the Divine which goes forth from the Lord is present within it (unless the Lord approves and gives that good decision power from Himself it will not show or make an appearance as good in the natural world. For they have made an error in that decision). From this it is also evident that even as every single thing in the world has been brought into being from the Divine (the creator), so it is kept in being from the Divine (every human decision will be judged whether it is in agreement with His Holy Word or it is found in the Holy Bible). “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3).
All this has been stated (here said before on the subject of sickness) so that people may know that even (human) sicknesses have a correspondence (similarity or much the same meaning found) with the spiritual world. They do not have a correspondence with heaven (sickness is not found in heaven), which is the Grand Man (the church in heaven is made up of the body of Christ or what is the same as “the Grand Man”), but with those in a contrary place (the opposite home), thus with those in hell (this is where sickness is found). The expression spiritual world is used in an all-embracing sense to mean both heaven and hell (both of these are a place of spiritual habitation not like that of the natural world); for when a person dies he passes from the natural world into the spiritual world.
The reason (human) sicknesses have a correspondence (similar or much the same meaning found) with those in hell is that sicknesses (found in humans or people in the world) correspond (similarity or much the same meaning found) to the evil desires and cravings of the lower mind (animus) (of people in the natural world), and these desires and cravings are the origins (in hell these are spiritual sicknesses but in the world, they are sicknesses that appear in the body) of those sicknesses, the origins of sicknesses in general (a big majority) being various kinds of intemperance (no self-control) and self-gratification (always seeking things they think they want), wholly physical pleasures (things that please the body), as well as feelings of envy, hatred, revenge, lust, and the like (evil things that occur in the mind), which destroy a person’s interiors (they become unable to love or even like other people). Once these are destroyed (the light of heaven can no longer shine into their heart) his exteriors (their bodies) suffer and subject him to sickness and so to death. The fact that human death is the result of evils or due to sin is well known in the Church (this is not something new); so too are sicknesses, for these are bringers of death.
From all this it may be seen that sicknesses too have a correspondence with the spiritual world (spiritual sicknesses that are found in hell can begin to appear in the human body as natural sicknesses of the body found in the world), with the forms of uncleanness there (the filth found in hell); for essentially (the root problem of) sicknesses are forms of uncleanness. As stated above, they have their origin in uncleanness (the people found in hell love to be vile, disgusting, vulgar, and terrifying).
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