Apocalypse Revealed (Coulsons) n. 151

Previous Number Next Number Next Translation See Latin 

151. [verse 28] 'And I will give him the morning star' signifies intelligence and wisdom then. That cognitions of good and truth are signified by 'stars' may be seen above (n. 51); and because by means of them there is intelligence and wisdom, therefore these cognitions are signified by 'the morning star'. 'Morning star'* is said because intelligence and wisdom will be given by the Lord when He comes for the setting up of the New Church that is the New Jerusalem, for He says, 'What you have, hold fast till I come' (verse 25), by which is signified so that they may retain the few truths that they know about charity and the faith therefrom out of the Word, and live in accordance with them, even till the New Heaven and the New Church, which are the Lord's coming, are brought into being (n. 145) [2] 'Morning star' is said, because by 'morning' or 'dawn' is signified the Lord's coming, when there is a New Church. That this is understood by 'morning' in the Word is plain from the following passages:-

Until the evening and the morning two thousand three hundred; then shall the sanctuary be justified; the vision of the evening and the morning, is truth Dan. viii 14, 26.

Calling to me out of Seir, Watchman, watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning comes, and also the night Isa. xxi 11, 12.

By 'evening' and 'night' is signified the last time of an old Church, and by 'morning' the first time of a new Church.

The end is come, the morning is come upon thee, O inhabitant of the land; behold the day is come, the morning is gone forth Ezek. vii 6, 7, 10.

Jehovah in the morning, in the morning He will give His judgment into the light, and will not be absent Zeph. iii 5.

God is in the midst of her, God shall help her when morning appears Ps. xlvi 5 [H.B. 6].

I have waited for Jehovah, my soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning, they that watch for the morning, for with Him is plenteous redemption, and He shall redeem Israel Ps. cxxx 5-8;

and elsewhere. [3] By 'morning' in these passages is understood the Lord's coming, when He came into the world and set up a new Church. In like manner now. And because the Only Lord gives those who will be of His New Church (e Nova Ipsius Ecclesia) intelligence and wisdom, and all things that the Lord gives are Himself because they are His, therefore the Lord says that He is 'the morning Star':-

I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and the morning Star Rev. xxii 16.

He is also called 'the morning' in 2 Samuel:-

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, He is as the light of the morning, a morning without clouds 2 Sam. xxiii 3, 4.

* In view of the repetition of this phrase later in the paragraph, it seems probable that the exposition here applies to the phrase 'And I will give'.


This page is part of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church