and hence according to his works; and that if the life were changed the organization would be destroyed, which never can be done. That a change of organization can only take place in the material body, and by no means in the spiritual body, after the former is rejected. The works, according to which it shall be rendered unto everyone, are the life, for the life effects them, and they are according to the life." For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that be bath done whether it be good, or bad. II Corinthians v:10. For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He shall reward every man according to his works. St. Matthew xvi:27. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is bewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits, ye shall know them. And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth, and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and bell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death, and bell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelations xx:11-15. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and be which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and be that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and be that is boly, let him be holy still. And bebold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as bis work shall be. Blessed are they that do bis commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city. Revelations xxii:11,12,14. AND THE REDEEMED ONES IN HEAVEN ND I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Zion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written upon their foreheads. Revelations xiv:1. "This signifies the Lord now in the New Heaven from Christians who acknowledge Him as the God of heaven, and earth, and were in truths of doctrine from Him through the Word. Having His Father's name in their foreheads, signifies acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine, and the Divine Human, from love, and faith with them. By Father is meant the Lord, as to the Divine from whom all things are, which is called the Father, and at the same time, as to the Divine Human, which is called the Son, because they are One, and One Person, united like soul, and body, and consequently that the Lord is to be approached as to the Divine Human, and that thus, and not otherwise the Divine which Divine is called the Father is approached. By the Lamb is meant the Lord, as to the Divine Human which is called the Son, thus the Lord alone. That when the Lord's Human is acknowledged to be Divine, there is effected a full marriage of the Lord and the church, for then God the Father, and He are acknowledged to be One, as the soul in the body and the church which desires to be conjoined with the Lord loves truths, because they are truths, for by truths when one lives according to them conjunction is effected.' Behold I have set before thee an open door. Revelations iii:8. "This signifies that heaven is open to those who are in truths from good from the Lord. The Lord alone is the God of heaven, and earth, they therefore who do not directly approach Him cannot see the way to heaven, nor can they find the door, and if haply they are permitted to approach it, it is shut and if they knock it is not opened. The Lord Himself says, I am the door of the sheep, by me if any man enter in be shall be saved. That the Lord is the very gate by which men are to enter into the church, and thence into heaven." "Man is born for heaven, although he does not enter heaven, unless he becomes spiritual, and he can become spiritual only by means of regeneration. Thus follows the necessity that the natural man with its lusts must be subdued, subjugated otherwise man cannot approach a single step towards heaven, but sinks deeper, and deeper into hell. So far as man is regenerated sins are removed, because regeneration is the restraining of the flesh that it may not rule, and the subjugation of the old man with its lusts, that it may not rise up, and destroy the intellectual faculty, for that would render man incapable of reformation, reformation being impossible unless man's spirit which is above the flesh is instructed, and perfected. In the Word the regenerate are called, Sons of God, and born of God, and regeneration is described by a new heart, and a new spirit. Man is so created that as to his internal he cannot die, for he can believe in, and also love God, and thus be conjoined by faith, and love; and to be conjoined to God is to live to eternity. Love to the Lord, and love towards the neighbor, constitute heaven; and also faith, so far as it has life from those loves. And because the love, and the faith thence derived are from the Lord, it is evident that the Lord Himself constitutes heaven. Heaven is with every man according to his reception of love, and faith from the Lord; and they who receive heaven from the Lord while they live in the world come into heaven after death as the Lord Himself teaches. The life of man after death, is the life of his love, and the life of his faith; hence, such as his love, and faith had been, when he lived in the world, such his life will remain to eternity. With those who loved themselves, and the world above all things, it is the life of hell; and with those who loved God above all things, and their neighbor as themselves, it is the life of heaven. The life of heaven is called eternal life, and the life of hell is called spiritual death." "The spirit of man after the death of the body appears in the spiritual world in a human form, in every respect as in the world. He enjoys the faculties of seeing, of hearing, of speaking, and of feeling, as in the world, in a word he is a man as to each, and everything, except he is not encompassed with the gross body which he had in the world. This he leaves when he dies, nor does he ever resume it. Hence it is, that every man lives to eternity, whatever be his quality. Because every one after death lives to eternity, no angel, or spirit ever thinks of death; wherefore when death is mentioned in the Word, the angels understand by it either damnation, which is death in the spiritual sense, or continuation of life, and the resurrection." Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall be also reap. For be that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but be that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Galations vi:7, 8. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and they are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness. Idolatry, witchcraft, batred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, beresies. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I bave also told you in time in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. Meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections, and lusts. |