Doc. of Lord (Potts) n. 33

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33. iv. That the Lord made His Human Divine by means of temptations admitted into Himself, and by means of continual victories in them, has been treated of above, n. 12-14; to which shall be added only this: Temptations are nothing but combats against evils and falsities; and as evils and falsities are from hell, temptations are combats against hell. Moreover with the men who are undergoing spiritual temptations, there are present evil spirits from hell, who induce them. The man is unaware that evil spirits induce the temptations; yet that they do so has been granted me to know from much experience. [2] This is the reason why man is drawn out of hell and elevated into heaven when from the Lord he conquers in temptations; and this again is why man becomes spiritual, and therefore an angel, by means of temptations, or combats against evils. The Lord, however, fought from His own power against all the hells, and completely mastered and subjugated them; and as He at the same time glorified His Human, He holds them so to eternity. [3] For before the Lord's advent the hells had grown up to such a height that they were beginning to infest the very angels of heaven, and also every man that came into the world and went out of it. The cause of so high a growth of the hells was the complete devastation of the church, and the consequent prevalence of idolatries which caused the men of this world to be in mere falsities and evils; and the hells are from men. Hence it was that no man could have been saved unless the Lord had come into the world. [4] Of these combats of the Lord the Psalms and Prophets treat much, but the Evangelists little. It is these combats which are meant by the temptations that the Lord endured, the last of which was the passion of the cross. And it is on account of them that the Lord is called Savior and Redeemer. This is so far known in the church as to lead them to say that the Lord conquered death or the devil (that is, hell), and that He rose again victorious; and also that without the Lord there is no salvation. That the Lord also glorified His Human, and thereby became the Savior, Redeemer, Reformer, and Regenerator to eternity, will be seen in what follows. [5] That by means of these combats or temptations the Lord has become our Savior, is evident from the passages quoted above in n. 12-14; and also from this one in Isaiah:

The day of vengeance is in Mine heart, and the year of My redeemed is come; I have trampled them in Mine anger, I have brought down their victory to the earth; so He became their Savior (Isa. 63:4, 6, 8). This chapter treats of the Lord's combats. Also from this passage in David:

Lift up your heads, ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye doors of the world, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? Jehovah mighty and a Hero, Jehovah a Hero of war (Ps. 24:7, 8). These words also treat of the Lord.


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