Lesson 1 – Allegory: Introduction (What does the Bible Say?)
This is the first lesson in which you will be introduced to the concept of allegory (or symbolism) in sacred scripture. Within this introduction video you will discover what the Bible itself reveals and it will become clear that there is more than meets the eye on the literal text you may be familiar with.
“But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
– The Bible, 2 Corinthians 3:15-17 (NKJV)
Transcript + Assumptions and a Post Script
“If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” – The Bible, John 8:31-32
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
– The Bible, John 7:37-38
Hi there and welcome to our bible study series were we investigate the language of ancient symbolism, also referred to as allegory.
Believe it or not, there are many differing opinions about whether the bible is to be taken fundamentally as a literal text book or if there is need for interpretation. Many modern day theologians take a position along the middle ground, where biblical text only requires interpretation if it is obviously meant to be symbolic, but to be accepted in its literal translation elsewhere and by default.
“From indications it is clear that the use of these numbers is not accidental. Though the symbolism is not always obvious, the general rule should be followed to interpret numbers literally unless there is clear evidence to the contrary. The numbers nevertheless convey more than their bare numerical significance.”
– J. Walfoord, ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ’
This has caused a lot of confusion and angst.
My position is that:
“Without discarding the significance of congruent literal text, the Divine teachings within sacred scriptures apply primarily and directly to the realm of our mind – individually and personally.” – Cor
What does scripture say about a hidden deeper meaning?
Let us have a look at what the bible itself tells us:
“Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. I am a stranger in the earth, do not hide Your commandments from me.” – The Bible, Psalms 119:18,19
“..the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. …none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” – The Bible, Daniel 12:9,10
“They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it.” – The Bible, Amos 8:12
“He who has ears, let him hear! ….it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them is has not been given… Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.“ – The Bible, Matthew 13:9,11,13
“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. .. And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” – The Bible, Luke 24:27,32
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.” – The Bible, John 16:12-13
“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language..” – The Bible, John 16:25
“..the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” – The Bible, 2 Corinthians 3:6
Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? ..which things are symbolic..” – The Bible, Galatians 4:21,24 (NKJV)
“..praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ..” – The Bible, Colossians 4:3 (NKJV)
“..the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic..” – The Bible, Hebrews 9:8 (NKJV)
“Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old.” – The Bible, Psalms 78:1,2
This hidden treasure map to personal spiritual application can be found through the understanding of ancient symbolism if coupled with a sincere willingness to be led by truth from the Word on a quest to develop our true inner character.
“Read the Word, and believe in the Lord, and you will see the truths which should constitute your faith and life; for all in the Christian world draw their doctrine from the Word as from the only fountain. … every man whose soul desires it is capable of seeing the truths of the Word in the light…, provided indeed he hungers after it, and seeks it from the Lord” – Emanuel Swedenborg, Apocalypse Revealed 224
Three baseline assumptions
There are three fundamental assumptions to be understood that are taken for granted and that underpin this series:
1: The Divine is the source of all wisdom, all love and therefore all truth and life.
This is not limited to the physical and literal text of the books in the bible. We can access and connect with the great I Am through opening our inner self, yearning to learn the truth and by seeking to serve others meaningfully. There are even many other great sacred texts that channel The Word and through which the Divine, Jehovah God, can teach and transform us.
“From His omnipotence God created the universe, and introduced order into each thing and all things in it … God also preserves the universe, and unceasingly watches over the order of it with its laws; and when anything falls from order He brings it back and makes it whole again.” – Emanuel Swedenborg, True Christian Religion 74
2: Our mind is not physical and already operates in the spiritual realm.
Some call it dream world, world of spirits or the metaphysical realm. It doesn’t matter what you call it, the truth is our thoughts and feelings originate from it and remain non-physical. We already connect with heaven right now, by curing a heavenly state of being within ourselves. Our ability to be transformed comes courtesy of the all-knowing source of all, through divine principles operating since the beginning of time.
“Everything that is done according to Divine order is inwardly open to the Lord, and thus has heaven in it. Divine order is for the Lord to flow in through the interiors of man into his exteriors, thus through the will of man into his action. .. How a man must live for it to be according to order, the Word teaches…” – Emanuel Swedenborg, Arcana Coelestia 8513
3: The natural world and our experience within it, does not operate independently from our mind and the Divine, but in essence reflects the Divine through us.
Because of this, our outer experience depends on our connection with God and can be traced back to those divine principles operative within the human mind.
“Whatever in universal nature has not correspondence with the spiritual world cannot exist, having no cause from which to exist, consequently from which to subsist. The things that are in nature are nothing but effects; their causes are in the spiritual world… Nor can the effect subsist unless the cause is constantly in it, because the effect ceases when the cause ceases. Regarded in itself the effect is nothing else than the cause, but so clothed outwardly as to enable the cause to act as a cause in a lower sphere. … Hence it is also plain that as each and all things in the world have come forth from the Divine, they continue to come forth from the Divine.” – Emanuel Swedenborg, Arcana Coelestia 5711
The closer you look, the more everything is in harmony and a perfect representation of us. The symbolism within the Bible (and other sacred texts), ties perfectly back to the operation of the human mind and its associated states and qualities. This is where we find the understanding of the symbolism.
“All things in the Word both in general and in particular, … down to the most minute iota, signify and enfold within them spiritual and heavenly things.. that the Word is really of this character might be known from the single consideration that being the Lord’s and from the Lord it must of necessity contain within it such things as belong to heaven … and that unless it did so it could not be called the Lord’s Word, nor could it be said to have any life in it. …..the Lord, who is the very Life itself.” – Emanuel Swedenborg, Arcana Coelestia 2
I believe the symbolism we will unpack in this series was well understood in ancient times, but has since long been forgotten. We can trace remnants of it back within the oldest known languages, within myths, stories and even those sayings that have survived in the modern world. You only need to bring a humble state of mind: a willingness to be led by the Lord.
“Speak what is high! high! Let what is ancient come out of your mouth.” – The Bible, 1 Samuel 2:3
“I will utter dark sayings of old” – The Bible, Psalms 78:2
I promise, that once you start studying The Word with these secret keys we will be unlocking, your scriptural understanding will open your inner world and your spiritual life will be transformed and never be the same again.
Good luck, enjoy this series and thank you for sharing your spiritual journey with us.
Blessings and peace,
Cor
“And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” – The Bible, Luke 24:45
Emanuel Swedenborg
For further information you may wish to read up on some of the books written by a European scientist, devout Christian and, on all accounts, a modern day prophet: Emanuel Swedenborg (1688 – 1772) who uncovered this ‘science of correspondences’ a few centuries ago and made it available to the western world.
In this series we will draw on the spiritual philosophy that is given to us in the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, a remarkable mystic, Christian theologian and author who was born in 1688. Swedenborg himself did not set out to start a church, believing rather that the philosophy contained within his writings would affect the religious ideas of his day for the better.
He died in London in 1772 at the age of eighty four. Many people in the last two centuries, including some very well-known figures, have paid tribute to Swedenborg, to his writings, and to the insights found within his work, such as:
- Helen Keller
- Arthur Conan-Doyle
- Carl Jung
- Thomas Carlyle
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Truths which come from the Lord never cease to be truths from the Lord in their inward form…To be the truth, truth must have life within it…life comes from no other source than good, that is, from the Lord by way of good. If therefore the Lord is not within truth it is truth devoid of life, and so is not truth.” – Emanuel Swedenborg, Arcana Coelestia 8868
Post Scriptum
The Spirit, not the Letter:
“And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
– The Bible, 2 Corinthians 3:4-6
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” –
John 6:63 (NKJV)