Restoration Department

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Introduction	1st Commandment	2nd Commandment	3rd Commandment
4th Commandment	5th Commandment	6th Commandment	7th Commandment
8th Commandment	9th Commandment	10th Commandment	Appendix

The worship of God is nothing else but the conduct of our lives. As long as our lives are conducted according to His instructions, given to us in His Word and The Holy Book, then we are in the worship of God, that is, in Faith and Charity, together and at once. This is called Spiritual life, and it makes one, who lives as such, a Citizen of Heaven.

We're not born into Spiritual life from our parents, but simply into the Natural one. Spiritual life consists of loving God above all things, and of loving neighbor as oneself. These are accomplished according to the Commandments taught in The Holy Book. The Natural life, in contrast, is the life in love of self and things of the world above the neighbor and above God Himself. If a person remains in the Natural Life, does not receive Spiritual life, and is not born anew by God, then this person cannot enter into Heaven.

The things of a new life, Spiritual Life, are Truths, in which we must believe, and Goodness, which we must exhibit in deeds. We call them Faith and Charity, correspondingly. No one knows of these things from himself, but by the revelation from God. These are presented to us for understanding only when we are in a state of readiness and are able to acknowledge them, to will them and to do them, thus to live them - to be born anew.

All of you have something of your own, which you love above all things, and this is called your ruling love. This love is always present in your thoughts and deeds. Even if it is not apparent to you immediately, please ponder on it for a while, observe your daily life, and you'll see that it is there. This love is your foundation, that is to say, it makes you what you are, individually. It is from this ruling love that you make plans, set and pursue goals, which in turn, you love above all things. You are totally such as are the ruling loves of your life; by these we are acknowledged and distinguished from each other.

When you are born anew by God, Charity is implanted in you by means of Faith, until it becomes the ruling love. Then, with Charity as the new ruling love, you have a New Life. When this ruling love is present in every single thing of your life, then you begin to see the meaning of having God before our eyes at all times, loving Him above all things, with all and everything you've got, and from that, loving the neighbor as yourself. However, no one really loves the neighbor unless one lives according to the Spiritual Law, which is in the Spiritual meaning of the Ten Commandments. And, if one does not love the neighbor and God, there is no conjunction of God with man. This conjunction is possible only when man is in the same love as God is.

As instructed in the Ten Commandments, to love the neighbor is not to do him/her evil. What society in the world does not know that to kill, to steal, to commit adultery, and to testify falsely are evils? If that country does not have laws to guard against these evils, then it would perish, as we know from human history.

These Commandments were put in effect by a great miracle from God, by God Himself. He wrote them down with His own finger, to let us know that these Commandments are not only civil and moral laws, but also the Spiritual laws as well. Therefore, to act against them is to act not only against society, but also against God. We're to adhere to them for the sake of God and for our own sake, so that we may be saved. In their summary, the Ten Commandments are the foundation of religion; they are the "Holy of Holy" in religious institutions and in our hearts. When God speaks the Word, or puts it down on the stone tablets, He Himself is in it, inflowing the Spiritual sense into the Commandments and thus effects His communication with us.

All truths of man's Faith must come from no other source, but God Himself. Throughout the Holy Book, the word "gods" has the spiritual meaning as truths, and/or falsities, when presented in the negative sense. By the word "faces", spiritual correspondences are given to mean Love, Peace, Mercy, Goodness, all in all, - God Himself.

This is the fist instruction, and must be universally predominant in all truths. It is God's first warning, given out of love, which He is, that the truths sought out of any other source are falsities, and falsities will destroy a man's Faith. The "truths" from other sources are the "truths" in which He is not. Thus, these "truths" deny Him and His Divinity. There are many other "truths" with man, and in them God is acknowledged, but it is believed that goodness and truth are not from Him, as the source, but simply claimed as virtues for oneself. There are also truths, which are taken strictly in the sense of the letter from the Holy Book, and then interpreted to justify self-rule and self-gain.

In order to discern the truth from falsity, one needs to look for the Spiritual sense, that is to say that the truths are from God, when there is Life in them. And Life is from no other source than Goodness, and all Good is from God and God alone. So, when we do good, it is God who does this good through us, and the affection of this good is then within us, and all that is within is called spiritual (internal), and this spiritual, in turn affects natural (external), thus allowing attributes of goodness from within us, to shine out in our faces. From this we have a saying: "Show me your true face". And through this we see again that the word "faces" signifies spiritually, the quality of love and goodness, when mentioned in conjunction to God Himself in the Holy Book.

Alive truths are the truths of Faith from Love to God and neighbor*. The truths which are not alive, contain within them love of self for the sake of self. So, please remember that everyone selects the truths according to one's life, which corresponds to one's internal affections, exactly and accordingly to the ruling love within.

* Not everyone is your neighbor to the same degree. The general spiritual meaning of the "neighbor" is his/her quality and/or degree of goodness. And since goodness is Godliness, look into the degree to which God is present in the neighbor.

The Spiritual meaning of "graven image" is of the most importance here. Man's own intellect is the spiritual correspondence to the "graven image". So, to make a "graven image" is to love self-intelligence above God's, or it's the same as to be in one's own intelligence.

Incidentally, a "molten image" has a spiritual meaning of one's own will. Thus, to make a "molten image" is to do one's own will, not God's, and to love it above God's. Remember whose will is to be done? To make a "graven image" is the same as to disbelieve that any intelligence, and therefore wisdom, flows in from God, and at the same time to attribute it to oneself. In other words, this is a second warning to us not to venture onto the road of man's denial of God, and as the one before this warning, this one is also given out of love that God is.

The one who disregards this warning and makes, so to speak, such an "image", is the one who is in the self-love; adores what belongs to him/her and desires to be glorified by others, even as god. In stepping onto this slippery road, one becomes a fool from self-knowledge, losing all of the perception of the spiritual life, flowing in from God alone. Thus, to make a "graven image' is to formulate the philosophy of life that is not grounded in the truths from God, and this happens when the simple fact that nothing of wisdom is from self, but from Him and Him alone, is no longer recognized by man.

What we need to know in general is that in the spirit of this Commandment is the reason why it is prohibited to make images in the likeness of anything Natural. It is due to the human tendency to worship the external (natural) things, and at the same time, not willing to learn of the things internal, that is Spiritual.

This commandment is about profanity and blasphemy, because "the name of your God" has an ultimate Spiritual correspondence to the worship of God and "to take in vain" has a spiritual meaning of (1) profanity and (2) blasphemy.

Thus, to "take the name of your God in vain" in the overall spiritual sense would mean two things: one is to turn the truth into evil, which is to believe in truth, but to live an evil life. And two, is to turn goodness into falsity, which is to live a holy life, but not to believe.

As you know, living is from the will and believing is from the understanding, therefore, with whose, who believe differently than they live, the thoughts they received and the understanding derived from these thoughts are divided. Such a condition creates unhealthy conjunctions of truth with evil and good with falsities, causing the one, in this state of being, to be conjoined with Hell, rather than Heaven. Such a person cannot be healed, because this conjunction cannot be dissolved within him/her. Thus, this third warning from God is especially noticeable, since this conjunction cannot prevail in the person after the death of the embodiment, and thereafter, all the spiritual good and truth are removed from this person, leaving him/her to be conjoined with Hell only.

Goodness and Truth of Faith is the spiritual meaning of "the name of your God" and the non-acknowledgement of these qualities is the meaning of "taking the name of your God in vain". We are clearly forewarned in this commandment that such a state of one's being, and the life in accordance with it, is Unforgivable.

4^TH COMMANDMENT - REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY, SIX DAYS YOU SHALL LABOR, AND DO ALL YOUR WORK. AND THE SEVENTH DAY IS THE SABBATH...

To "Remember", in spiritual sense, is to keep specific instructions from God constantly in mind. The instructions here pertain to the "Sabbath Day", to which we'll return momentarily. In our every thought, in the inmost of our thinking, we have things that are constantly present. No matter how subtle their presence seems to us, they are there. These things are the Ruling (Dominating) "filters or lenses", through which we view all the new information presented to us. It is by these "filters" that we accept or reject new ideas, according to how they fit our current perception of life. The union of Goodness with Truth, when received from God, is the spiritual meaning of "the Sabbath Day". The "day" is not one day, but rather a state of being in. Spiritually speaking, this state is the union of good and truth in man. So, to "Remember the Sabbath Day" is to view or process all things and thoughts in our lives through the "filters" of Good married to Truth. We are commanded here by God to apply His "lenses" of quality (good and truth) to all that happens in our lives at all times (remember), and to "filter" through them- to allow in His truths; and not allow in falsities. What comes in stays in, and becomes a key part of our lives.

In regards to "keeping it Holy", we are commended by God not to violate this union of Good and Truth, because through this union is our conjunction with Heaven. Thus, if the Union is violated, the spiritual life perishes in that person, and this person lives on in the body as a natural animal.

In "six days you shall labor", days, as said before, corresponds to one's state of being, while "six" represents the quality of this state. More specifically, the number "six" correlates with preparation to this state of unity of Good and Truth. To "labor" and to "do all your work", in the spiritual sense, means to prepare within yourself all those spiritual things necessary to the life of Heaven. This preparation requires the combat and consequent removal of all falsities and evil within one, prior to one's entrance into this union of good and truth. This combat is done by the implementation of Truth of Faith, which not only teaches one of what is good, but also leads the one to living this good. Thus, the preparatory state of being is the state of "six days of labor".

In "the seventh day is the Sabbath..." we find once again the state of being, as far as the "day" is concerned. The word "seventh" (or seven) has the spiritual meaning of Holy, therefore, the "seventh day" is the Holy state, and this Holy state of being is called Sabbath. The Sabbath Day is the forever-lasting state of peace and rest; thus, no more work to be done.

It must be also said here of the general spiritual meanings of "your son", "your daughter", "your man/maidservants", "your beast", etc… All these have correspondences to all of man's internals, as well as externals. Spiritually, "son" means truth, "daughter" means good, "man/ maidservants" are man's natural union to truth and goodness, and the "beast" refers to the affections of a person in general. "Your" has reference to the individual internal and external states of being, such as affections, understandings, actions, etc… In general, all of these have reference to the quality of one's state of being, and here, specifically, to the state of eternal peace and rest, due to the fact that the union of Good and Truth, or the union of man with Heaven has been completed by God; thus, God rests.

5^THCOMMANDMENT - HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER, THAT YOUR DAYS MAY BE PROLONGED UPON THE LAND, WHICH GOD GIVES YOU

"Honor your father and your mother" in the ultimate spiritual sense corresponds to the love to God and His kingdom, and here, to love of good and truth, because "honor" means love. In the heavenly communities one loves the other, and from this love honors the other. The honor without love is rejected there. God Himself, in absolute spiritual sense is "father", because he gives life to man, who in turn becomes the "son or daughter" and therefore the heir to God's kingdom. On the other hand, "Mother", in the spiritual meaning, stands for the Divine Truthproceeding from God. The Divine Truth shapes not only the individual values, but also values of religion, state and country where these individuals reside, thus, making the homeland, when built on the principals of the Divine Truth from God, a "mother" land. You can clearly see from all of the above the spiritual meaning of "honoring your father"- honoring God, and "your mother"- His kingdom.

"That your days may be prolonged upon the land" refers to the resulting state of being in Heaven, from the honoring of "your father and your mother", as described in the previous paragraph. "Days", as you recall, have the spiritual meaning of one's state of being in life. "Prolong" corresponds to the increase in the general sense, and here specifically to the increase of the goodness. The "land", here in the spiritual sense, is the kingdom of God. So, "the land, which God gives you" is this kingdom of God, which is accomplished by the continuous inflow of His Divine into a person, resulting in the blessed, heavenly state of being, because Heaven with all of us is, first and foremost, a perception of His Divine inflow.

Biblical Commandments are the rules of living for all of us here, in this world, as well as for those who are in Heaven. Therefore, the external sense, or the sense of the letter of these Commandments, is interwoven with their internal or spiritual sense. The one who comprehends not only the sense of the letter, but also the spiritual sense of the Commandments and lives according to these understandings, is a citizen of both realms of existence, - Earth and Heaven; or while being in this world, one is also, and at the same time, in the heavenly community.

HONOR GOD BY LOVE, FOR HE IS YOUR FATHER, AND HIS HEAVENLY KINGDOM IS YOUR MOTHER.

Murder or killing, in reference to an act committed by one person to another, and spiritually speaking, is the act of depravation of one person by another of the spiritual life.

The source of anyone's life is first and foremost, Spiritual. To "kill" this source in anyone, or what is the same, to disconnect anyone from this source, is to cause him/her spiritual death, and therefore, physical; because the spiritual flows into physical and gives it life, - not visa versa.

This Commandment is the least understood in the present days, due to the fact that the religious institutions are lacking the spiritual knowledge of the Holy Book, in general, and the Commandments, in particular.

Once again we need to be reminded that spiritual flows into the natural, or what is the same, that Spiritual is the man's soul and Natural is the man's body, thus together they make one. While the understanding of this Commandment in the natural, physical sense only, and its application to life, is proper; it is, however, incomplete. It is like caring for the flower's petals, while ignoring its roots.

So, let us look at the spiritual meaning of word "adultery" - it is a perversion of Goodness and falsification of Truths. Now, when it is said "Good and Truth", it refers to the things of Doctrine, as God gives it to us in the Holy Book. In other words, God's essence and teachings laid out in the Holy book are not to be used to confirm evils and falsities, thus, not to "adulterate". Of course, the Good and Truth here are the correspondences of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, which flow continuously from God into the soul of man, thus providing him/her with Spiritual life.

The literal meaning of this Commandment is very apparent and applicable to our lives; however, it is the spiritual meaning of this Commandment that we are after.

To "steal", spiritually speaking, is to take away Spiritual Good from anyone. When we come across the passages describing "riches and wealth" in the Holy Book, we need to understand that in the spiritual sense they refer to the knowledge of good and truth, correspondingly. Thus, to steal these "riches and wealth" is to take away the knowledge of spiritual goodness from a person, which in turn separates this person from God and deprives him/her of the spiritual life.

Now, we need to be reminded of the fact that man receives all attributes of Faith and Charity from God alone, and none is from man. Thus, "stealing" is also attributed, in the spiritual sense, to the man's assignment to oneself of what belongs to God. Let it be known then that those who do so are called "thieves and robbers" in the Holy Book.

To summarize this God's Commandment is to state that "not to steal" signifies not taking away a person's spiritual goodness given to them by God, and not ascribing to self the things which belong to God.

DO NOT TAKE AWAY SPIRITUAL GOOD FROM ANYONE, NOR ASCRIBE TO SELF WHAT IS GOD'S.

9^TH COMMANDMENT - YOU SHALL NOT ANSWER AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR THE WITNESS OF LIE

Let's begin by looking at the spiritual meaning of the key words in this Commandment. The word "witness" has a spiritual meaning ofconfirmation. The word "lie" corresponds to the falsity of Faith. Therefore, "the witness of a lie", in the spiritual sense, is the confirmation of falsity in regard to Faith.

The word "neighbor" here has a spiritual meaning of every man, in general, and specifically everyone who is in goodness from God, thus, theGoodness itself. So, to "answer against a neighbor" would stand, spiritually speaking, for testifying in such manner against anyone.

From all of the above, and in summary, we can clearly see that "You shall not answer against your neighbor the witness of lie" means spiritually that Good is not to be called evil, nor Truth is to be called falsity. The same applies to the reverse: evil is not to be called Good, and falsity is not to be called Truth.

In general, please be reminded that man is as such as his or her Ruling Love. Also, the will of man is subject to man's Ruling Love. Thus, if a person's ruling love is Self-love, than their will is fully occupied by this Love. Further, the will of man prevails over man's understanding and is capable of persuading and binding the understanding to this ruling love, thus, making a man capable of calling evil good and falsity truth; or as we would term this nowadays, "justifying".

10^TH COMMANDMENT - YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE, WIFE, MAN/MAIDSERVANTS, OX, AND ASS, AND ANYTHING THAT IS YOUR NEIGHBOR'S...

This is final, and also summarizing, Commandment. With this Commandment we receive a warning from God to beware of the Love of Self and the love of worldly things. This Commandment, in the spiritual sense, contains the summary of the previous Commandments in regard to the contamination of man's will with evils.

The word "coveting" caries in itself the negative sense, because it signifies being from the person's will, which is an evil love. A person's life is from their predominant love. While this love might be positive, the love of "coveting" is definitely negative. Please keep in mind thatnothing is "coveted" unless it is loved.

The spiritual meaning of other key words in this Commandment has been shown through previous Commandments. Thus, it is sufficient to state in general that "house, wife, man/maidservants, ox and ass", in the spiritual sense, are signified all of the goodness and truths of Faith combined and viewed in one complex.

"You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor's", in spiritual sense, is the same as to beware that the negative loves do not enter the will, because the love received by the man's will is appropriated to him/her, due to the fact that the will is the man him/herself.

It has been said that you are what you eat. Not true. It has also been said that that you are what you think. Much better, but still incomplete, because there are two parts to a person's constitution: understanding and will. All things of understanding relate to Thought, while all of will's affections are from Love. The thought itself does not constitute anything of a person's life. On the one hand, the thoughts, which enter a person's mind and remain there for the purpose of contemplation, do not defile a person. On the other hand, the thoughts which are taken into the will thereafter could defile a person. Based on the quality of the thought taken into the will, good or evil is appropriated to a person, for as was stated before, the will is the person. Thus, that which enters a person's will becomes the person's affection, or in other words enters the person's heart. All evils of a person's heart that come out through their mouth defile the person, while "not that which enters into the mouth defiles the man", because the latter are of thought and not of the will. The things of the will defile a person because what the person wills goes forward in the person's speech (mouth) and also in the person's actions. Thus, we are forewarned to beware of Self Love and the love of worldly things, because "coveting" is born from these.

For those of you who experience the internal urge to seek Spiritual understanding of life in greater depth, we strongly recommend the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg in the following order:

There are many more books available from Emanuel Swedenborg's collection of writings, or more appropriately, Revelations. The above list is arranged in the order of introduction for the novice to the spiritual meanings study. Take one book at a time to see how it feels within you.

The simple, one stop place for all of the above listed titles is The Swedenborg Foundation at: www.swedenborg.com

Please be advised that there are many titles available based on Swedenborg's writings. However, regardless of how great the writings may be, in our humble opinion, one should read the original translations of Swedenborg's Revelations, as it was given by God to be revealed to all. Incidentally, we hold no business association with The Swedenborg Foundation - only the recognition of the great works that are done by this foundation to bring the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, translated in many languages, to all who are called by God to the Spiritual Knowledge.