“These things I have spoken to you in parables, but the hour is coming when I will no more speak to you in proverbs, but will announce to you plainly concerning the Father.” - John 16:25
Kempton New Church

Week 7
Day 4

    Listen:

Resurrection

Jesus says to her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, thinking it was the gardener, says to Him, Lord, if thou hast carried Him away from here, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away. Jesus says to her, Mary. She, turning, says to Him, Rabboni, which is to say, Teacher. (John 20:15-16)

Divine Providence in the Time of Death

Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:10

Concerning the durations of the life of men: why some live long, and some not long. The life of every man is foreseen by the Lord, as to how long he will live, and in what manner; wherefore he is directed from earliest infancy with a regard to a life to eternity. The Lord’s Providence, therefore, commences from earliest infancy. SD 5002

The reasons why some die boys, some youths, some adults, some old men, are:

1st, on account of use in the world to men;

2nd, on account of use, while he is in the world, to spirits and angels; for man, as to his interiors, is with spirits; and he is there as long as he is in the world, in which all things in the spiritual world terminate;

3rd, on account of use to himself in the world, either that he may be regenerated, or that he may be let into his evils lest they lie dormant and afterwards break out, which would result in his eternal ruin;

4th, therefore, on account of use afterwards in the other life, after death, to eternity; for everyone who will be in heaven has his place in the Grand Man, or, on the other hand, he has his place in hell. Wherever forces fail they are balanced, and, of the Providence of the Lord, men are brought there. Thus also, the kingdom of the Lord is cared for, the welfare of which is universal Providence. SD 5003

The Raising of Little Children [in heaven]. (1) They are with nurses whom they call their mothers. (2) They read [or say] the Lord’s Prayer, and learn prayers from the nurses, by means of influx out of heaven. (3) There are preachers for them. (4) Intelligence, and wisdom too, inflows, which excels the intelligence of the learned in the world, although they have only a childish idea about those things. (5) There are with them representations out of heaven. (6) They are dressed according to their industriousness, especially with flowers and garlands. (7) They are led into paradises. (8) They are tempted. (9) They grow in accordance with the state of reception. (10) They are of diverse dispositions. (11) Nurses are appointed for them who have loved infants in the world, who also are like mothers; and there is granted them a perception as though they were their own babies; but this is not granted to others than those who are in good, and are able to receive influx out of heaven. (12) Those infants who have been brought up there do not know otherwise than that they were born in the other life. (13) They do not know what time is, what space is, and such terrestrial matters. (14) Within a month, they speak the angelic tongue. SE 5668

And it came to pass that Isaac was old. ...In the Word “old age” means both the putting off of a former state, and the putting on of a new one. And this is for the reason that old age is the last of age, when bodily things begin to be put off, and with them the loves of the preceding age, and thus when the interiors begin to be enlightened, for these are enlightened when bodily things are removed; and also because the angels, who perceive in a spiritual manner the things that are in the Word, no longer have an idea of any old age, but instead of it an idea of new life.... AC 3492

“Old age” in the internal sense does not signify old age, because the internal man, or the man’s spirit, does not know what old age is; but as the body or external person grows old, the internal passes into newness of life, the man’s spirit being perfected by age as his bodily powers diminish. This is still more so in the other life, where those who are in heaven are continually brought by the Lord into more perfect life, and at last into the bloom of youth, even those who have died in a good old age. AC 4676

A person is so created that when he grows old and becomes like a little child, the innocence of wisdom conjoins itself with the innocence of ignorance which he had in infancy, and so he passes into the other life as a true infant. AC 5608e

Comments and Questions
  1. The time of our death is governed by the Lord according to uses, to others and to ourselves. The first three are uses of our life in this world, and the last is our use in the spiritual world. A question could be, if each of these uses was put on a scale of 1-10, would all four be 10’s at the time of our death, or would some uses be very urgent, necessitating that other uses not be at best possible time? (This is probably an earth- bound question!)
  2. In the description of how little children are raised, what jumps out at you?
  3. Can you imagine your interiors becoming more enlightened as body loves begin to be put off? Could this feel like a good thing?
  4. Our spirit does not know what old age is. Have you ever been surprised to notice your body aging, because in spirit you don’t feel old?
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