December
5

“How Shall I Know This?”

And Zacharias said to the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife is far advanced in her days. And the angel answering said to him, I am Gabriel, who stands in the sight of God, and am sent to speak to thee, and to announce to thee these good tidings. And behold, thou shalt be silent, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou believe not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time. And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled that he delayed so long in the temple. But when he came out he could not speak to them, and they knew that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he beckoned to them, and remained dumb. (Luke 1:18‒22)

A man may know that in which he is, but cannot know that in which he is not. If from description or from thinking about it a man knows something in which he is not, he nevertheless knows of it merely as of something in the dark, and there remains some doubt about it, so that no one sees anything in the light and free from doubt until he is actually in it. (Doctrine of Life 76)

Temptations are attended with doubt in regard to the Lord’s presence and mercy, and also in regard to salvation. The evil spirits who are then with the man and induce the temptation strongly inspire negation, but the good spirits and angels from the Lord in every possible way dispel this state of doubt, and keep the man in a state of hope, and at last confirm him in what is affirmative. After the temptation there remain from it many states of truth and good to which their thoughts may afterwards be bent by the Lord. (Arcana Coelestia 2338, 2334.1)

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