December
14

Isaiah 60:12. “For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve thee shall perish; nations, being wasted, shall be a waste.”

For the children from Luke 1

46. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,

47. and my spirit has leapt for joy in God my Savior;

48. for He has looked upon the lowliness of His maidservant; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

49. For He who is powerful has done for me great things, and Holy [is] His name.

50. And His mercy [is] to generations of generations, to them who fear Him.

51. He has made might by His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.

52. He has taken down the powerful from thrones, and has exalted the lowly.

53. He has filled the hungry with good [things], and the rich He has sent away empty.

54. He has accepted His servant Israel, to remember mercy,

55. as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.

56. And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

From the Heavenly Doctrine

AC 7474:4. From all this it is evident what is the nature of the vastations [or “wastings”] in the other life, in which are those who are in the good of faith. These vastations are vastations [to get rid] of falsity. But vastations with those who have not been in the good of faith, but in some truth of faith in the memory while in a life of evil, are vastations [or the wasting away] of truth. Those who are vastated of falsities become successively imbued with the truths and goods of faith and charity. But those who are vastated in respect to truths successively put off truths and put on the evils which have been of their life. From all this it can be seen what is meant in the Word by "vastations" and "desolations."

AC 7796. It is said that vastations are effected by means of truth from the Divine, but it is to be understood that Divine truth is not the cause, for the Divine vastates no one; but the evil person vastates himself by rendering himself determined [to be] against truth Divine, extinguishing, rejecting, or perverting it; and by turning the good Divine that continually flows in into evil. This evil then is what vastates, and from this it is evident where the cause is from, namely, that the influx of good and of truth from the Divine is not the cause, for without the influx of these there is no life; but the cause is their conversion [of inflowing good and truth] into evil and falsity, which is done by him who is in evil.

AC 7984:2. As regards the vastation which is signified by "four hundred years," it is twofold, namely, the vastation of evil and falsity, and the vastation of good and truth. With those who are being damned it is the vastation of good and truth; but with those who are saved, it is the vastation of evil and falsity. Vastation is deprivation.

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