Apocalypse Revealed (Coulsons) n. 924

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924. [verse 26] 'And there shall not enter into it any unclean thing, nor one doing abomination and a lie' signifies that no one is received into the Lord's New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, who adulterates the goods and falsifies the truths of the Word, and who does evils from confirmation, and thus also untruths. By 'not to enter' is signified not to receive, as above. By 'an unclean thing' is signified spiritual whoredom, which is the adulteration of the good and falsification of the truth of the Word (n. 720 and 728), for this is uncleanness and impurity itself; because the Word is cleanness and purity itself, and this is defiled by evils and untruths when it is perverted. That adultery and whoredom correspond to the adulteration of good and the falsification of the truth of the Word may be seen (n. 134, 632). By 'to do abomination and a lie' is signified to do evils and thus also untruths. By 'abominations' are signified evils of all kinds, especially those that are named in the Decalogue (n. 891); and by 'a lie' are signified untruths of every kind, here untruths of evil that in themselves are evils, thus untruths confirming evil, which are the same as the evils confirmed. [2] The reason why 'a lie' signifies untruth of doctrine is because a spiritual lie is nothing else; consequently by 'to do a lie' is signified to live in accordance with an untruth of doctrine. That 'a lie' in the Word signifies untruth of doctrine can be established from the following passages:-

We have entered into a covenant with death, and with hell have we made a vision, we have put our trust in a lie, and in falsity have we hidden ourselves Isa. xxviii 15.

They are mocking, a man at his companion, and are not speaking the truth (veritas), and they have taught their tongue to speak a lie Jer. ix 4.

This is a people of rebellion, lying sons, they are not willing to hear the law of Jehovah Isa. xxx 9.

Behold, I am against those prophesying the dreams of a lie; they narrate them that they may lead My people astray by their lies Jer. xxiii 32.

The diviners are seeing a lie, and are speaking dreams of vanity Zech. x 2.

They have seen vanity and the divination of a lie; because you are speaking vanity and seeing a lie, therefore behold I am against you, that My hand may be against the prophets speaking a lie Ezek. xiii 6-9; xxi 29 [H.B. 34].

Woe to the city of bloods, it is all a lie and full of robbery Nahum iii 1.

In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible obduracy, in committing adultery and walking in a lie Jer. xxiii 14.

From the prophet even unto the priest, everyone is doing a lie Jer. viii 10.

In Israel they have done a lie Hosea vii 1.

You are of your father the devil, he was a murderer from the beginning, because the truth is not in him, when he is speaking a lie he is speaking out of his own things, because he is speaking a lie, and is the father of it John viii 44.

Here also by 'a lie' is understood untruth.


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