553. [verse 10] 'And I heard a great voice saying in heaven, Now have the salvation and power become effective, and the kingdom of our God and the sovereignty of His Christ' signifies the joy of the angels of heaven that now the Lord Only reigns in heaven and in the Church and that they are saved who believe in Him. By 'a great voice in heaven' is signified the joy of the angels of heaven. Therefore it follows, 'For this rejoice, O heavens, and you inhabitants therein' (verse 12). The 'voice' is also 'great' because it is lifted up by reason of joy of heart. 'The salvation and power have become effective' signifies that now they are saved as a result of the Lord's Divine Power. 'And the kingdom of our God and the sovereignty of His Christ' signifies because the Only Lord reigns in heaven and the Church. That by 'God' is understood the Divine Itself out of Which [are all things], which is called Jehovah the Father, and by 'His Christ' the Divine Human which is called 'the Son of God', may be seen above (n. 520). And because the Divine Itself out of Which [are all things] and the Lord's Divine Human are one, in the manner of soul and body, it follows that the Lord Only reigns. This is understood by the gospel of the kingdom and by the kingdom of God (Matt. iii 2; iv 17, 23; vii 21, 22; ix 35; xi 11; xii 28; Mark i 14, 15; ix 1; xv 43; Luke iv 43; viii 1; ix 60; x 8-11; xi 17, 18, 20; xvi 16; xxi 30, 31; xxii 18; xxiii 50, 51). [2] That the Lord has all authority in heaven and on earth is quite plain in Matt. xxviii 18; John iii 35; xvii 2, 10. That those are saved who are in the Lord and the Lord in them, and that it is the Divine Human in which they are (John xiv, xv, xvii). And that no others are saved but those who believe in Him is established from these passages:-
As many as have received Him, to them has He given authority to become the sons of God to those believing in His Name John i 12.
That everyone who believes in the Son should not perish, but have eternal life John iii 15.
God valued the world so much that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him may have eternal life John iii 16.
He who believes in the Son is not being judged, but he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the Name of the Only-begotten Son of God John iii 18.
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him John iii 36.
He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. Verily I say unto you, He who believes in Me has eternal life John vi 33, 35, 47.
Unless you believe that I am, you shall die in your sins John viii 24.
Jesus said, I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in Me, though he were dead, shall live; for whosoever lives and believes in Me shall not die to eternity John xi 25, 26;
besides elsewhere, as John vi 38-40; vii 37, 38; V111 12*; xli 36, 46. To believe in the Lord is to approach Him directly and to have confidence that He will save, and because no one can have confidence unless he lives well, therefore this also is understood by 'to believe in Him'. This may be seen above (n. 67). * Possibly this should be viii 31, 32.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church