“All religion is of life; and the life of religion is to do good.” - Doctrine of Life §1
Kempton New Church


Day 13: March 8

Readings:

And the Sadducees come to Him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked Him, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if the brother of anyone die, and leave a wife, and leave no children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a woman, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed; and likewise the third. And the seven took her, and left no seed; last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall have risen again, whose wife shall she be of them? For the seven had her as a wife. And Jesus answering said to them, Do you not therefore go astray, not having known the Scriptures, nor the power of God? For when they shall have risen again from the dead, they neither wed, nor are given to be wed, but are as the angels who are in the heavens. (Mark 12:18-25)

[Jesus] taught that people are not given in marriage in heaven by saying that those who are held worthy to attain the second age neither marry nor are given in marriage. The only kind of marriage meant here is spiritual marriage, and this clearly appears from the words that immediately follow, that they cannot die any more because they are like the angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. By spiritual marriage, conjunction with the Lord is meant, and this is achieved on earth. And when it has been achieved on earth, it has also been achieved in heaven. (Conjugial Love 41:2)

Male and female were created to be the very image of the marriage between good and truth. This is because the male was created to be an expression of the understanding of truth, thus a picture of truth, and the female was created to be an expression of the will of good, thus a picture of good, and implanted in both from their inmost beings is an inclination to conjunction into one. (Conjugial Love 100)

Reflection:

In the ancient world, among the Children of Israel, marriages were seen as legal contracts for the sake of producing heirs, not loving, and certainly not spiritual relationships. In contrast, there is an idea of marriage from the beginning of Genesis that shows us male and female in the image of God and one flesh. Angels in heaven are a more perfect image and likeness of God, so male and female together in one flesh, are one angel.

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