Did Jesus Abrogate or Nullify the Ten Commandments?

God's revelations to mankind have passed through several ages or "dispensations."  The dispensation of the gospel, or that of Christianity, followed the dispensation of the law or that of Judaism, and this is stated in several instances of the New Testament (John 1:17, Matt. 11:13, Rom. 5:14, 6:14, Eph. 2:15, Col. 2:14).  These dispensations occur when the church of the previous age has become corrupted due to falsity.  So does this mean that Jesus Christ abolished or nullified the ten commandments contained in the law of Moses?  No it does not.  As explained in the The Fallacy of Salvation and Justification by Faith Alone, just as there are different meaning to the word "works," so there are different meanings to the word law, as follows:

1.  The law refers to the entire Word or scripture, or
2.  The law refers to the first 5 books of Moses, known as the Torah, or
3.  The law refers to the 10 commandments, or
4.  The law refers to the external rituals of the Mosaic law, otherwise known as statutes or ordinances.

There are some who whenever they see the word "law" in scripture they think it refers to any work that one does, which is not true.  The portion of the law that was abrogated are the external rituals of the Mosaic law, #4 in the list above.  Paul uses the word "ordinances" (Eph. 2:15, Col. 2:14) when speaking of the laws that were abrogated, and Paul uses a similar word to describe Jewish rituals elsewhere (Heb. 9:1, 9:10; Rom 2:26).  Jesus also confirmed that it was the external rituals of the law of Moses that were abrogated (Mark 7:14-19, John 4:21-23).  The reason this was so is that the Jews were given many symbolic rituals that were prophetic of the Christian dispensation, or as Paul states, "shadows of things to come" (Heb. 10:1, Col. 2:17).

In the Old Testament these laws are distinguished into commandments, judgments, and statutes.  When one looks at the word statutes in scripture, it is clear that these refer to the external rituals which were abrogated by the coming of Jesus and dispensation of Christianity, which Swedenborg confirms in his analysis of scripture:

“In many passages in the Word, "judgments," "commandments," and "statutes" are mentioned; and "judgments" there signify civil laws, "commandments" the laws of spiritual life, and "statutes" the laws of worship. That "judgments" signify civil laws, is evident from Exodus (xxi., xxii., xxiii.), where the things commanded are called "judgments" because according to them the judges gave judgments in the gates of the city; nevertheless they signify Divine truths, such as are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom in the heavens, for they contain these in the spiritual sense; as can be seen from the explanation of them in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 8971-9103, 9124-9231, 9247-9348). …"commandments" mean the laws of life, especially those contained in the Decalogue, which are therefore called the Ten Commandments; while "statutes" mean the laws of worship which related especially to sacrifices and holy ministrations; and "judgments" mean civil laws; and as these laws were representative of spiritual laws, they signify such Divine truths as are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom in the heavens.” (Apocalypse Explained, n. 946.4)

The ten commandments or Decalogue do not belong among the statues or external rituals, and are not abrogated or nullified by the coming of Jesus.  In fact, Jesus confirmed the 10 commandments when he stated that the two great commandments were to love God and love one's neighbour (Matt. 22:36-40): the first four commandments of the Decalogue concern love towards God, and the last six commandments concern love of the neighbour.  Thus the 10 commandments were put on two tables of stone.  It sums up the Christian life, for Jesus said if one loves him, they would follow the commandments (John 14:15).  Paul confirmed this when he said only the doers of the law are justified (Rom. 2:13, 10:5) and that love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:8).  Those who say we are justified by faith alone, without doing anything, are greatly mistaken (see also The False Theological Definition of the word "Grace").

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

All ten commandments of the Decalogue are repeated in the New Testament, showing that they are not abrogated.  Here is a list (see also The Ten Commandments in the New Testament):

	Old Testament	New Testament
1. Worship the Lord, and none other	Ex. 20:2-3; Deut. 5:6-7	Matt 4:10, 22:37-38; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 4:8
2. No idolatry	Ex. 20:4-6; Deut. 5:8-10	Acts 15:20, 21:25; Rom. 2:22; 1 Cor. 5:10-11; 6:9-10; 10:7, 14; 12:2; 2 Cor. 6:16; Gal. 5:19-20; Eph. 5:5; Rev. 9:20
3. Do not take God's name in vain	Ex. 20:7; Deut. 5:11	Matt. 5:33-37; 12:31; Mark 7:22; 1 Timothy 6:1; James 2:7
4. Keep the Sabbath Day Holy	Ex. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15	Matt. 24:20; Luke 4:16, 31, 13:10; Acts 17:1-2; 18:4
5. Honor Parents	Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16	Matthew 15:4-9; 19:19; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Rom. 1:29-30; Eph. 6:1-3
6. Do not murder	Ex. 20:13; Deut.5:17	Matt. 5:21-22; 19:18; Mark 7:21; 10:19; Luke 18:20; Rom. 1:29-30; 13:9; Rev. 9:21
7. Do not commit adultery	Ex. 20:14; Deut.5:18	Matt. 5:27-28; 19:9, 18; Mark 7:21; 10:11-12, 19; Luke 16:18; 18:20; Rom. 2:22, 7:2-3, 13:9
8. Do not steal	Ex. 20:15; Deut. 5:19	Matt. 19:18; Mark 7:22; 10:19; Luke 18:20; Romans 13:9; Eph, 4:28;1 Peter 4:15; Rev. 9:21
9. Do not lie	Ex. 20:16; Deut. 5:20	Matt. 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Acts 5:3-4; Rom. 13:9; Eph. 4:25
10. Do not covet	Ex. 20:17; Deut. 5:21	Matt. 19:21; Mark 7:22; Luke 12:15; Rom. 1:29; 7:7; 13:9; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3, 5

In the New Church, following the 10 commandments is one of its main pillars of doctrine, the other worshiping one God in one person, Jesus Christ.  There are other Christian organizations that emphasize the 10 commandments: these include the Seventh Day Adventists, Messianic Jews, the Worldwide Church of God, and other Christian organizations known as "Sabbatarian" (see Sabbatarianism).  And this leads us to a very interesting question...

WHEN IS THE SABBATH, AND WAS THE SABBATH DAY ABROGATED?

The Sabbath day is Saturday (to be precise, it is Friday evening to Saturday evening), and it is part of the 10 commandments.  So was it abrogated or not?  It is is an interesting question, for it is part of the 10 commandments or Decalogue, and yet many of the Jewish feast days were part of the statutes which were abrogated (see Col. 2:16).  And if it is not abrogated, should we stop Sunday worship?  It has become part of an endless debate between Sabbatarians and those who worship on Sunday.  The argument between the two is unnecessary, and I will explain why.

The external form of Jewish observance of the Sabbath, which was merely a day of idleness and no work, has been abrogated.  The Sabbath, under true Christian worship, is now changed into a day of instruction and doing good towards others.  That the external form of the Jewish worship on the Sabbath was abrogated, is clearly taught by Jesus (see Matt. 12:1-13, Mark 2:23-3:5, Luke 6:1-10).  But throughout the gospels it is clear that for Jesus the Sabbath is a day of instruction in Divine things, and doing good towards others.  Jesus healed on the Sabbath many times (see Luke 13:15-16, 14:1-6, John 5:9-10, 7:22-23, 9:14), which in the spiritual sense means to become spiritually healed by removing evils.  Jesus did not just heal on the Sabbath just to annoy the Jews; he did it to show the spiritual meaning of the Sabbath.  Sabbath means rest, and spiritual rest and peace is achieved when one conquers from laboring against evil and falsity during temptation, and was ultimately fulfilled the day Jesus rested before He rose from the dead.  This is explained by Swedenborg when discussing the spiritual sense of these passages, and is summed up in his work True Christian Religion:

"The six days represented His labors and combats with the hells, and the seventh day His victory over them and thus rest. And because that day was representative of the close of the Lord's whole work of redemption, therefore it was holiness itself. But when the Lord came into the world, and the representations of Him therefore ceased, that day became a day of instruction in Divine things, and thus also a day of rest from labors, and of meditation on such things as relate to salvation and eternal life; as also a day of love toward the neighbor. That it became a day of instruction in Divine things is plain from this, that the Lord on that day taught in the temple and in synagogues (Mark vi. 2; Luke iv. 16, 31, 32; xiii. 10); and that He said to the man who was healed, Take up thy bed and walk; and to the Pharisees, that it was lawful for the disciples on the Sabbath day to gather the ears of corn and eat (Matt. xii. 1-9; Mark ii. 23-28; Luke vi. 1-6; John v. 9-19); by each of which particulars in the spiritual sense is signified to be instructed in doctrinals. That that day became also a day of love toward the neighbor, is evident from what the Lord did and taught on the Sabbath day (Matt. xii. 10-14; Mark iii. 1-9; Luke vi. 6-12; xiii. 10-18; xiv. 1-7; John v. 9-19; vii. 22, 23; ix. 14, 16). From these and the former passages it is plain why the Lord said that He is Lord also of the Sabbath (Matt. xii. 8; Mark ii. 28; Luke vi. 5); and because He said this, it follows that that day was representative of Him." (True Christian Religion, n. 301)

As the Sabbath is now a day of instruction, it becomes a day of rest, but resting from work is not the primary purpose of the Sabbath as it was among the Jews.  In another passage Swedenborg lists those commandments which are binding, those which are optional if considered "useful," and those which have been abrogated (see Heavenly Arcana, n. 9349.4).  The commandment to literally do no work on the Sabbath is one listed as optional if considered useful.  Likewise, the feasts of the Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles are considered optional if seen to be useful.  Thus in the Christian church, Passover is now celebrated as Easter, and Pentecost is celebrated as the day when the Holy Spirit was given.  The feast of the Tabernacles did not become celebrated within Christian tradition, as many do not know that this feast day actually marks the day when Jesus was born, who "tabernacled" among us (John 1:14).

WHAT OF SUNDAY WORSHIP?

Many are probably surprised that Saturday, not Sunday, is the Sabbath.  Does that mean we should stop worship on Sunday?  No.  In the early Christian church, there was Sabbath instruction followed by a day of worship on Sunday, which was called the "Lord's Day"  which is mentioned in the Apocalypse (Rev. 1:10).  That the early church met on the Sabbath for a day of instruction, followed by a day of worship on Sunday as the Lord's Day, is documented historically in the first four centuries of the Christian church (see the article Lord's Day, and Acts 20:7).  It was only later that church councils stopped Sabbath days of worship.  Thus the argument between Sabbatarians and those who worship on Sunday I see as unnecessarily divisive.  Both days should be honored.

Within the Roman Catholic Church, the apparitions of Mary at Fatima Portugal support the idea of honoring both the Sabbath and continuing to honor the Lord's Day on Sunday.  The angel mentioned a practice to restore a form of Saturday worship once a month in the Catholic Church:

“I shall come to ask... that on the First Saturday of every month, Communions of reparation be made in atonement for the sins of the world.”

Reparation involves confession, communion, the rosary and meditation.  These practices are given by way of permission to the Catholic Church, and other churches should use their free will in their form of worship.  In the New Church, the Sabbath is known to be a symbolic representation of the Divine Human, as well as a state of rest from temptation from evils, but it is also taught it should be a day of instruction.  For instruction to happen, dedicated time must be set aside - and it should be the Sabbath.  Worship honoring the Lord's day on Sunday should continue as well, as it did in the early church.

THEN WHY THE INCARNATION?

By the time Jesus came, the power of hell had gained control over humanity, and the entire human race was threatened with damnation as it had become corrupted to the point where it was losing its capacity to do good, as contact with heaven was being cut off by the power of hell.  This is why Paul calls the law one of "sin and death," for mankind was losing its spiritual capacity to fulfill it as it was under the power of hell.  There was no transference of sins, but rather Jehovah took upon a human form to fight against all of hell through the temptations He endured through the human form, until He conquered and reordered heaven and hell.  In such a way, the power of hell was subdued, and God's power through the Holy Spirit became available to mankind.  Through the Holy Spirit, we now live in the spirit through Jesus Christ to live by the 10 commandments.  Thus Jesus fulfilled the law, and did not destroy it (Matt. 5:17-18); and through a spirit of love, the 10 commandments are fulfilled:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer. 31:31-34)

This is the true faith: to live by the 10 commandments, through the grace of the spirit we have now in Jesus Christ.

The Identity of the Two Witnesses of Revelation

The book of Revelation is highly symbolic, and in it there is this curious passage which speaks of the coming of two witnesses who prophesy for three and a half years, and are then killed by the "beast from the abyss," which many take for a future Antichrist (Rev. 11).  If we take a survey of how different groups interpret this passage, there are differing opinions.  In the early Christian Church, the two witnesses were taken to be the prophets Enoch and Elijah, for they were two prophets that had been taken up into heaven without dying. Such a theory is also described in the apocryphal book of Enoch, which has many portions which preceded the writing of the book of Revelation.  In more recent times opinion shifted that the two witnesses represent Moses and Elijah. The Bahai faith states that they are the prophets Mohammed and Ali. The Seventh Day Adventists take a more symbolic approach, and state that the two witnesses represent the Old and New Testaments, and the time when the two witnesses were killed was the period of the French Revolution. The Seventh Day Adventists are actually close to getting the timing right (see The Prophecy of the Abomination of Desolation, The Prophecy of the Abomination of Desolation, part 2, and The Spiritual Meaning of the Abomination of Desolation).

Most interpretations are very literal, seeking fulfillment in two individual persons.  Very few interpretations take the two witnesses to be symbolic, which I think is the correct approach in the context of the entire book of Revelation, which is full of symbols.  But if the two witnesses are symbolic, they are symbolic of what? Without understanding the symbolism behind scripture, and direct revelation, one will be at a total loss to explain not only this passage, but most of the Apocalypse. And so the issue remained closed until the 18th century, when Emanuel Swedenborg's vision was opened so that the internal senses of scripture could be revealed. He wrote two large works on the book of Revelation: Apocalypse Explained and Apocalypse Revealed. Beyond Genesis and Exodus, he was instructed to especially focus on Revelation.

THE BOOK OF SEVEN THUNDERS

The two witnesses appear right after an angel descends out of heaven with a little book (Rev. 10), who utters seven thunders - and mysteriously the apostle John is told not to write them down. This is indicative that a future revelation would be made - and such a revelation did occur when Swedenborg's vision was opened.  The angel who descends with the little book represents a forgotten doctrine of Christianity, which is hidden in its theology but is rarely explained accurately due to other false doctrines.  It is the doctrine that Jehovah himself descended to become incarnate, and made His human body Divine.  This Divine Human is what is known in scripture as the "Son of God." A portion of this doctrine is found in the Athanasian Creed, which declares that in the one person Jesus Christ man became God and God became man, and are united as one as the soul and body. This is explained in detail in The Mystery of the Book of Seven Thunders Explained. Why did John not write it down? That in itself is symbolic - it symbolizes that the doctrine would be forgotten and rejected. And that is the case today in the illogical tritheistic conception of God as three persons, instead of one.

THE TWO WITNESSES ARE TWO PRINCIPLES OF THE NEW CHURCH

The meaning of the two witnesses in the book of Revelation follows from the meaning of the book of seven thunders. To sum up the answer, the two witnesses are two principle doctrines of the New Church, which doctrines were spelled out in the 18th century in visions to Emanuel Swedenborg:

1. That God is One in Person in our Lord Jesus Christ, and
2. One must repent and live by God's commandments in order to be saved.

ANY person, who follows these two principles, and exposes the error of the former churches, essentially become a representation of the testimony of the two witnesses.  They are the two basic principles of the New Church. These two principles are opposed by two prevalent theological concepts within the Christian Church, which through the centuries gradually deviated from scripture:

1. That God is three in persons, a trinity of three beings or persons, and,2. That one is saved by faith or belief alone, and punishment for sin is automatically transferred onto the cross (theory of "vicarious atonement").

Most denominations subscribe to the first principle of a Trinity of three persons, a theology that cannot be explained according to logic or reason. So the theology demands that no one question it by calling it a "mystery of faith."  Faith is what is of truth, not blind obedience to authority. As for the second principle, that is held mainly by the Protestant denominations, who make faith separate from good works, by misinterpreting the writings of Paul who was speaking about Jewish rituals. For this see Christus Victor and "Pauline" Christianity. The two theologies are exactly opposite to each other, and Swedenborg was shown that a spiritual war would result between the two. And this direct opposition is what is described in the book of Revelation.

That the first principle, that God is one in person, who made his human Divine in Jesus Christ, Swedenborg explains as follows:

"And I will give unto My two witnesses, signifies those who confess and acknowledge from the heart that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that His Human is Divine, and who are conjoined to Him by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue. These are they who are here meant by the two witnesses, because those two things are the two essentials of the New Church. That the first essential, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that His Human is Divine, is a testimony, and hence that they who in heart confess and acknowledge it are witnesses, may be seen n. 6, 846, and also from these passages: I am the fellow-servant of thy brethren who have the testimony of Jesus; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Apoc. xix. 10). The angels of Michael overcame the dragon by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of His testimony: and the dragon went away to make war with the rest of her seed, who kept the commandments of God, and had the testimony of Jesus Christ (Apoc. xii. 11, 17). The souls of them who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God (Apoc. xx. 4). These are they who acknowledged the Lord. This is called the testimony of Jesus, because the Lord testifies it from His Word, and thus from Himself; therefore He is called the faithful and true witness (Apoc. i. 5; iii. 14): and He says, I testify of myself, and my testimony is true; because I know whence I come, and whither I go (John viii. 14): also, When the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, is come, He shall testify of Me (John xv. 26). That the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, which is also the Holy Spirit, is the proceeding Divine, and that this is the Lord Himself, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord (n. 46-54). Now because the Lord Himself is the witness, therefore they also are meant by witnesses who testify this from the Lord as John did: Jesus said, Ye sent unto John, and he was a witness to the truth; yet I receive not testimony from man (John v. 33). John came for testimony, that he might testify concerning the Light: he was not the Light, but that he might testify of the Light. The Word, which was with God, and which was God, was the true Light (John i. 1-14, 34)." (Apocalypse Revealed, n. 490).

That the second principle is repentance and a life of obedience to the 10 commandments, Swedenborg also deduces from other scripture:

"That the second essential of the New Church, which is conjunction with the Lord by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue, is a testimony, is manifest from the fact that the Decalogue is called the Testimony; as in these places: Thou shalt put into the ark the Testimony which I will give thee (Exod. xxv. 16). Moses put the Testimony into the ark (Exod. xl. 20). The mercy-seat which is over the Testimony (Lev. xvi. 13). Leave the staves of the tribes before the Testimony (Num. xvii. 19). Besides other places, as Exod. xxv. 22; xxxi. 7, 18; xxxii. 15; Ps. lxxii. 5; Ps. cxxxii. 12. Something shall here be said concerning conjunction with the Lord by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue. There are two tables upon which those precepts are written, the one for the Lord, the other for man. The first table teaches that many Gods are not to be worshipped, but one: the second table, that evils are not to be done. When therefore one God is worshipped, and man does not do evils, conjunction takes place; for as far as a man desists from evils, that is, repents, so far he is accepted of God, and does good from Him. But who now is the one God? A trinal God or a triune God is not one God, when the trinal and triune is in three Persons; but He in whom the trine or triune is in one Person, He is the one God; and that God is the Lord. Perplex the ideas as far as you can, yet you still will not bring it out clear that God is one, unless He is also one in Person." (Apocalypse Revealed, n. 490)

That these two principles are the two witnesses, makes sense from evidence of other passages of scripture, but especially from the two greatest commandments:

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt. 22:36-40)

The two tablets containing the 10 commandments are the 2 testimonies: the first tablet regards the love and worship of one God, who is one being and one person, and the second regards love of the neighbor.  The two witnesses are thus these two principles.  The other point is that Jesus said that on these two commandments "hang all the Law and the Prophets."  In a symbolic sense, in other passages Swedenborg states that Moses represents the law (Torah) of scripture, and Elijah represents the prophets (Nevi'im) of scripture.  Thus the interpretations which noted the similarity of the two witnesses to Moses and Elijah are correct, albeit on a superficial level.  For those who base their theology on a false reading of the apostle Paul will have the tendency to ignore and reject many sections of the Old Testament - this is the Law and the Prophets, the two witnesses that are rejected.

OTHER SYMBOLISM OF THE TWO WITNESSES

Swedenborg wrote volumes on the Apocalypse or book of Revelation, and in order to interpret the symbolism he goes through it line by line, and discloses the symbolism by referencing other scripture.  There is no other book that I know of that goes into such detail.  So what about the rest of chapter 11 of the book of Revelation , what is its spiritual meaning?  Here is a short summary:

And they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days = to prophesy is to teach, and this time period means from beginning to end. The emphasis of the New Church should be to teach these two principles, from beginning to end. Other than the Swedenborgian Church, the Pentecostals fulfill the first principle in their Oneness doctrine, and the Seventh Day Adventists fulfill the second principle by their focus on the 10 commandments.

Clothed in sackcloth = mourning on account of the lack of reception of these two truths within the Christian Church in general, which has become corrupted. There will be a period of sadness.

These are the two olive-trees and the two candlesticks, which stand before the God of the earth = from these two principles comes all love and intelligence from the Lord.

And if any one will hurt them, fire shall go forth out of their mouth, and shall devour their enemies. And if any one will hurt them, thus must he be killed = those who turn against these two principles will perish from their own selfish loves. Every evil contains its own punishment.

These have power to shut heaven, that the rain fall not in the days of their prophecy = those who turn against these two principles will be unable to receive any heavenly truth, for all heavenly truth is founded on these two. As plants grow from water, so love grows from truth.

And they have power over the waters to turn them into blood = those who turn against these two principles will falsify and profane what little truths they know.

And to smite the earth with every plague as often as they will = those who turn against these two principles will suffer in many ways from their own selfish desires. Anything that turns against one God will begin to focus on the self, and anything that turns against the commandments will justify and ignore sin.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and shall overcome them, and shall kill them = those especially who espouse the doctrine of justification by faith alone will hate and reject these two principles of the New Church. Justification by faith alone will be used as the "measure" by which all others are accepted or rejected, blind to the fact that scripture does not support such a doctrine (thus, the abyss of darkness).

And their bodies shall lie upon the street of the great city = these two principles will be regarded as nothing by those who are in faith alone.

Which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt = those who teach the doctrine of faith alone are in the pride of their own self love and the pride of ruling others from their own self intelligence.

Where also our Lord was crucified = the non-acknowledgement of the Lord's Divine Human. This originates from dividing God into three persons, and the Lord into two natures in the Chalcedonian Creed.

And they of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations shall see their bodies three days and a half - at the end, when these two principles are rejected by the majority so as to be practically non-existent, and closed to all discussion...

And shall not suffer their bodies to be put into sepulchres - they will utterly condemn such doctrines as heresy...

And they who dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and be glad, and shall send gifts one to another = they shall continue in their false worship together, delighted in the doctrine of faith alone...

Because those two prophets tormented them who dwell upon the earth = the principle of one God in one person, and a life according to the commandments, are in direct opposition to a trinity of three beings, vicarious atonement, and justification by faith alone, and thus those who are in such worship will be upset when shown what they believe to be false.

And after the three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet - when the doctrine of faith alone appears victorious, the Lord will intervene and fill those who followed these two principles with a new inner spiritual life.

And great fear fell upon them who saw them = means confusion in those who grew up believing in a trinity of three beings, and justification by faith alone, when they realize what they have been taught was false.

And they heard a great voice from heaven, saying unto them, Come up hither = these two essentials will be protected by heaven.

And they ascended up into heaven in a cloud = those who follow these two essential truths will have conjunction with heaven, and will have support from the literal sense from scripture.

And their enemies beheld them = and those who were in faith alone remained fixed in their belief of justification by faith alone, unwilling to recognize the falsity in their own beliefs.

And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth part of the city fell. And there were slain in the earthquake names of men seven thousand = and after the truth was shown to them, and they rejected it, they became spiritually condemned, and completely separated from heaven. Their visible church on earth will begin to collapse from within, and decline.

And the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven = means that there will be a few, a small remnant, who will adjoin charity and good works to faith, having recognized the error of those who promoted justification by faith alone.

The second woe is past; behold, the third woe cometh quickly = lamentation over the corrupt state of the Christian Church, and its coming judgment.

And the seventh angel sounded = exploration by heaven into the internal spiritual state of the church on earth.

And there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become our Lord's and His Christ's and He shall reign for ever and ever = Now, a New Church will gradually grow where Jesus will be recognized as Jehovah in human form, who made his human Divine.

AN UNEXPECTED INTERPRETATION

This interpretation will obviously be an unexpected twist to many. In Apocalypse Revealed and Apocalypse Explained, it is supported by numerous scriptural references, where symbolism is used to abstract the text from person, place or time. For most expect two literal witnesses, who will use miracles to fight against a future political tyrant, an Antichrist.  But the Antichrist is not an individual political tyrant, it is a false system of thought that has been gradually planted within the very church itself, until it is no longer a church, but a false image of it. But consider this: what is more illogical that God should be divided into multiple persons, where the church is no longer monotheistic?  What is more illogical, that religion should be one of belief only, that it does not matter what you do? The Antichrist is not a person, it is a false system of thought, a false Christianity. Should we automatically assume the religion we were born in is the absolute truth? Question the truth, and search scripture to determine if it is true or not. Don't follow tradition for sake of tradition.

The Spiritual Symbolism of the 10 Commandments

...the angels have lamented before the Lord that when they look into the world they see nothing but darkness, and among men no knowledge of God, of heaven, and of the creation of nature, on which their angelic wisdom may rest. (Divine Love and Wisdom, n. 284)

So Swedenborg wrote in his work Divine Love and Wisdom, indicating a general lack of knowledge of spiritual matters in a materialistic world. The purpose of the work Divine Love and Wisdom is to described the true nature of God Himself. God is not only love and truth itself, but as He is love and truth, He is a personal supreme being. Swedenborg goes on to describe how the spiritual world is outside of time and space, and yet flows into natural forms in all their aspects. The objective of creation is to return back to the Creator from which it came. To do this, we have to subdue the desires of our selfish ego. Once the ego is subdued, and we start looking outside of our self towards others, God's spirit can flow into us. As spiritual beings, we become moral beings.  As these spiritual and moral laws are described in the 10 commandments, I thought I would discuss some of the symbolism contained within them. Most probably think these are just simple moral rules - which they are - but contained within them is a deeper spiritual symbolism.

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

If we examine the 10 commandments, the first are summed up as love towards God, and the latter are summed up as love towards the neighbor. And it was on these two commandments that Jesus said hang all the law and the prophets. The 10 commandments are as follows:

1. You shall have no other gods before Jehovah.
2. You shall not make any idols.
3. You shall not take God's name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not lie.
10. You shall not covet.

Catholic and Lutheran churches do not enumerate the 10 commandments properly: they consolidate commandments #1 and #2 into one, and artificially split the command not to covet into two separate commandments, and unfortunately Swedenborg followed this tradition. Once enumerated properly, one can discover that there is a correspondence between the first and second tablet, where we discover that in the highest spiritual sense, God is our neighbor, we love Him by loving others (see Matt. 25):

Love towards God	Love towards Neighbor
1. No gods before Jehovah	5. Honor father and mother 6. Do not murder
2. No idols	7. Do not commit adultery 8. Do not steal
3. Do not take God's name in vain	9. Do not lie
4. Remember the Sabbath	10. Do not covet

Also see some old blog posts on this subject: if one counts the Hebrew letters, this is the most likely division between the two tablets. Also, the 10 commandments in themselves may explain the origin of the Hebrew alphabet.  See The Divine Symbolism of the Hebrew Alphabet and The Divine Symbolism of the Hebrew Alphabet (part 2).

1. ONE GOD <---> 5. HONORING FATHER AND MOTHER

In a spiritual sense God Himself is our Father, is shown in the Lord's prayer, how we are to pray to Him calling him our Father. It is through obedience to Him that we become children of God, rather than mere natural children to our parents. That the spiritual meaning of honoring the father and mother means to honor God and the church, is shown by the promise in the commandment:

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. (Ex. 20:12)

In the literal sense, the commandment states if one honors their parents they will live long in the land of Canaan. But in the spiritual sense, it means if we honor God and his church, we will have eternal life in the kingdom of heaven, which is symbolized by the land of Canaan. That this commandment corresponds to worshiping one God, is shown by the first commandment:

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. (Ex. 20:2-3)

Egypt here, in the spiritual sense, represents slavery to sin. The Israelites were brought out of Egypt into the land of Canaan - this shows that commandment #5 corresponds to the first commandment.

1. ONE GOD <---> 6. DO NOT MURDER

The correspondence between the first commandment and commandment #6, do not murder, is easy to see, when we know that God is the origin of all life, and is life itself. That God is life, and life forms are mere recipients of that life, is shown in the following passages:

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)

And note that Jesus said he is not a recipient of life, as other life forms, but is the originator of all life:

For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26)

2. NO IDOLS <----> 7. DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY

In scripture idolatrous worship is referred to as acting like a harlot or behaving as an adulterer towards God:

"Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry And children of harlotry, For the land has committed great harlotry By departing from the LORD." (Hos. 1:2)

In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the groom and the church is the bride. Thus to depart from worshiping Jesus, to turn away towards a false god, is adultery.

2. NO IDOLS <----> 8. DO NOT STEAL

In the spiritual sense, to steal means to steal what belongs to God and treat it as belonging to one's self.  Thus, those who teach a false religion and lead others astray are stealing from God. Those who place any Divinity in themselves are also stealing from God. And those who are self-righteous, and regard any good that they do as originating from their self, also steal from God. We should act from our self, but acknowledge that all love and truth originate from God. We are mere recipients and vessels of what we receive from the Divine.

3. DO NOT TAKE GOD'S NAME IN VAIN <---> 9. DO NOT LIE

To not take God's name in vain in general means not to profane what is holy.  It also means to first belong to the church, acknowledging the truth, and then to turn back and deny it. This is taking God's name in vain, and the act of departure or denial after first acknowledging the spiritual matters of faith is one of the worst things one can do. Thus the correspondence between the third commandment, and the ninth is obvious, for the ninth commandment tells us not to lie or bear false witness. In the spiritual sense, the ninth commandment means we should be true witnesses to our faith by acknowledging it in our life. To say one thing, and do another, is bearing false witness.

4. REMEMBER THE SABBATH <----> 10. DO NOT COVET

The parallel between the fourth commandment, remembering the Sabbath, and the tenth, do not covet, is not obvious and requires a bit of explanation.

The command of not to covet is usually taken as meaning as to not be greedy, or desire what other's have. In a more spiritual sense, it covers all the commandments, and teaches that not only should we not disobey the commandments, but should not desire to disobey them. Thus one who hates another is guilty of killing that person. One who desires another person's wife has committed adultery with her in his heart. If you withhold something that would be of use to others, or help them in some way, you have stolen from them. So in a general spiritual sense, do not covet means we should put our internal desires under submission. Every act will first begin with the thought to do it.

In the spiritual sense, the day of the Sabbath represents a state of spiritual rest, which is preceded by six days of work which represents a state of combat against temptation to do sin. This is discussed in extensive detail by Emanuel Swedenborg in his work, Heavenly Arcana, and I have discussed some other symbolism in the seven days of creation in previous blog posts under the label "Universal Order of Design" which one can see in the left column of this blog. The Sabbath represents a spiritual state where one is led by the Lord in everything, rather than by the self. This interpretation is not so apparent in the literal sense of the Bible, but notice how the spiritual interpretation of the Sabbath as revealed to Swedenborg corresponds perfectly with the tenth commandment, which teaches us that we should subdue our selfish desires.

THE TRINITY AS FOUND IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Most Christian churches have been corrupted by a false definition dividing God into three persons, a definition that is explicitly forbidden and not supported by scripture.  It is a false conclusion that Christian theologians attempt to support by the vision of John the Baptist at the time of the baptism of Jesus, and they will also always point to the fact that Jesus prayed to the Father as to another person. But the hidden reason for that is Jehovah had descended into a human vessel that had inherited sinful tendencies from the human mother Mary, and in such a state had entered a state of being where He could be tempted as any other human. Such a state of temptation could not be possible unless he had entered a state of being where he appeared as separate from the Divine itself. He had to grow towards union with the Divine as any other human would, except with the Lord, he achieved a perfect union with the Divine. In the New Church, the Trinity is defined as an emanation of the Divine: the Divine itself, the Divine in the human, and the proceeding Divine in the form of the Holy Spirit. Or to say it in a different way, the Trinity is the soul, body and spirit of Jesus Christ.

Those who search for a Trinity of three persons in scripture will not find that definition anywhere. But, for those who have thought on the ten commandments, one can find a definition of the Trinity in the first three commandments. Here are the first three commandments again:

1. I am Jehovah your God...you shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not worship idols.
3. You shall not take the name of God in vain.

Note from above, that the first commandment corresponds to the fifth commandment, honor your father and mother. The first commandment, beginning with "I am Jehovah" is a reference to the Divine itself, the invisible Divine that no one has seen, which is known in the New Testament as the Father. The Father is not a separate person from the Son, but rather is the Divine itself which resides as the soul of the body of Jesus. Thus in the gospel of John Jesus told Philip that the Father resides inside of him, and he should not view the Father as a separate being or person. As the first commandment is in reference to the Father, the second commandment is in reference to the Son. How so?  Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God:

...Christ, who is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Col. 1:15)
...who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person (Heb. 1:3)

He is the image of the invisible God, as Jehovah resided in Jesus as the soul resides in the body. Thus Jesus calls his body a temple. What about the third commandment, how is that related to the Holy Spirit?  To not take God's name in vain means not to blaspheme or profane that which is holy.  Compare it with this statement concerning the Holy Spirit:

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matt. 12:31-32)

So what does this passage mean, why is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit unforgivable? It is when one turns against the spiritual truth after having first acknowledged it. Not only does Swedenborg explains this, but also relates it to the third commandment:

By these words is described the profanation of truth from the Lord ...These are the things which are signified by taking the name of God in vain. That such a state with man cannot be cured, thus cannot be remitted, is signified also by the words which immediately follow, namely, Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain, by which is meant that it cannot be remitted. ...By taking the name of God in vain is also signified blaspheming, which is done when those things which are of the Word or of the doctrine of faith, thus which are holy, are regarded with derision and are brought down to what is unclean and earthly, and thus defiled  (Heavenly Arcana, n. 8882).

Thus the third commandment corresponds to the Holy Spirit. The 10 commandments generally describe what not to do first, rather than what to do, for the first step in spiritual development is to remove what is evil and what is false.  Inasmuch what is evil and false is removed, one prepares oneself to receive the Divine from within.