n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 7
What about the fact that the Lord
had spoken to the children of Israel
through prophets from the time of
Abraham, but there was no more
prophecy for 400 years before the Lord
was born, a period known in church
history as the “Great Silence”? Was
God angry? Did God turn his back
on His own church for 400 years? Can
God really be angry? What about the
silence in our own time? Why does the
Lord not speak to us through prophets
today?
The answer is that God was not
silent then, nor is He silent today. He
is constantly reaching out to every
one, but He is and was doing so by
means of the written Word. Although
the Bible, as we know it, did not exist
until the 17th Century, still the words
of the prophets were written down and
studied in ancient times. Those who
wanted to know what the Lord taught
could seek it out.
For example, the Wise Men in the
East knew when to expect the star,
because they listened to what the Lord
said to them in the words written by
the prophets and carefully preserved
by them. Actually, the reason the Lord
spoke to the ancient prophets was
specifically so that the Word could be
written down and fixed in one particular form that could one day be known
to all mankind.
The Lord speaks to us every day in the Word. In times of trouble, all we
have to do is pick up the book and open it, and there is the Word of the Lord
bringing us comfort and guidance. But what about those people who don’t
receive comfort, for whom there seems to be a great silence? The Heavenly
Doctrines of the New Church indicate where the problem lies:
When we approach the
Word with the heartfelt
conviction that it is
the Word of God, and
that we are seeking
to learn how to shun
evils and to do good to
others, then the Lord
will speak volumes to
us through the Word. If,
on the other hand, we
never turn to the Word
because we believe
that all it contains is
some outmoded moral
structure that does
not apply to us, then it
will indeed be silent in
our hearts, for it will
find no room there.
For the Divine truth which is from the Lord is continually flowing in with man, and
forms his understanding; and if you will believe it, without this continual influx of
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