December14

Keep Watch and Discover What is Good

And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold◦, the angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they feared with great fear. And the angel said◦ to them, Fear not◦; for◦ behold◦, I bring· you ·good··tidings of great joy which◦ shall be to all the people. For to you is born this··day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be the sign to you: you shall find the Babe wrapped··in··swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger. (Luke 2:8-12)

A “shepherd,” or one who feeds the flock, denotes one who teaches the good of charity and leads to it. (Arcana Coelestia 4713)

“Night” signifies what is obscure ... and obscurity in the spiritual sense is that truth does not appear. “night” denotes the last time of an old church and the first of a new one...speaking of the coming of the Lord, which is the “morning,” which coming was when there was no longer any spiritual truth in the earth, and which is “night.” (Arcana Coelestia 6000.1, 4, 6)

In the Word “night” signifies the time and state when there is no longer any light of truth, but merely falsity and evil. AC 2353; “A watchman with God” signifies the understanding of the Word. (Apocalypse Explained 624.12)

“One crieth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night” (Isa. 21:11, 12); by the “watchman” in the internal sense is meant one who observes the states of the church and its changes, thus every prophet; by “night” is meant the last state of the church; by “morning” its first state. (Arcana Coelestia 10134.11)

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