Apocalypse Revealed #3

3. Which God gave Him to show His servants. This symbolically means, for people who have faith arising from charity, or truths of wisdom arising from the goodness of love.

To show means, symbolically, to make evident, and servants here symbolize people who have faith arising from charity. The following things are made evident to them because they understand and accept.

Servants mean, in the spiritual sense, people who are governed by truths; and because truths spring from goodness, servants mean people who are governed by truths arising from goodness, thus also people governed by wisdom arising from love, because wisdom has to do with truth, and love with goodness. They also are people who have faith arising from charity, because faith, too, has to do with truth, and charity with goodness. And because the spiritual sense in reality is abstracted from person, therefore servants in that sense symbolize truths.

Now because truths, by teaching goodness, serve it, therefore in general, and properly speaking, by a servant in the Word is meant something serving, or someone or something that serves. In this sense not only were prophets called servants of God, but so, too, was the Lord in respect to His humanity.

That prophets were called servants of God is evident from the following passages:

Jehovah has sent to you all His servants the prophets... (Jeremiah 25:4)

...He has revealed His secret to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)

...He has set before us by the hand of His servants the prophets. (Daniel 9:10)

Moses, too, is called a servant of Jehovah (Malachi 4:4). That is because a prophet, in the spiritual sense, means doctrinal truth, as discussed below.

[2] Moreover, because the Lord was the very embodiment of Divine truth, which also is the Word, and for that reason was called the prophet, and because He served in the world and serves all people to eternity by teaching, therefore He, too, is here and there called the servant of Jehovah, as in the following passages:

Of the labor of His soul He shall see; He shall be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many... (Isaiah 53:11)

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. (Isaiah 52:13)

Behold! My Servant on whom I rest, My Elect. My soul has good pleasure! I have put My Spirit upon Him... (Isaiah 42:1, 19)

These things are said of the Lord. David is spoken of similarly, where by him is meant the Lord, as in the following:

I, Jehovah, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them... (Ezekiel 34:24)

David My servant shall be king over them, so that they all have one shepherd... (Ezekiel 37:24)

I will protect this city to save it, for My sake and for My servant David's sake. (Isaiah 37:35)

So, too, Psalms 78:70-72; 89:3-4, 20. (That by David in these places is meant the Lord, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord, nos. 43, 44.)

The Lord Himself speaks similarly of Himself:

...whoever desires to become great among you must be your attendant, and whoever desires to be first among you must be your servant, even as the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister... (Matthew 20:25-28. Cf. Mark 10:42-45, Luke 22:27. So, too, Luke 12:37)

The Lord says this, because by a servant and attendant are meant one who serves and ministers by teaching, and abstractly from person, Divine truth, which He embodied.

[3] Since a servant therefore means someone who teaches Divine truth, it is apparent that servants in this place in the book of Revelation mean people who possess truths arising from goodness, or faith arising from charity, because they are able to teach from the Lord, that is to say, because the Lord is able to teach and minister through them.

It is in this sense that they are called servants in Matthew:

(At the end of the age,) who... is the faithful and prudent servant, whom his lord set over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he comes, will find so doing. (Matthew 24:45-46)

And in Luke:

Blessed are those servants whom the lord, when he comes, will find watching. Truly I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will (himself) come and attend to them. (Luke 12:37)

In heaven, all people in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are called His servants, while those in His celestial kingdom are called His ministers. That is because people in His spiritual kingdom are governed by wisdom derived from Divine truth, and those in the celestial kingdom by love derived from Divine good. And good ministers, while truth serves.

In an opposite sense, however, by servants are meant people who serve the devil. These are in a real state of servitude, whereas people who serve the Lord are in a state of freedom - as the Lord also teaches in John 8:31-36. ¹

Bilješke:

3. "Quam dedit illi Deus indicare servis Suis," significat pro illis qui in fide ex charitate sunt, seu in veris sapientiae ex bono amoris. - Per "indicare" significatur manifestare, et per "servos" significantur hic qui in fide ex charitate sunt; illis haec manifestantur, quia intelligunt et recipiunt: per servos in spirituali sensu intelliguntur qui in veris sunt, et quia vera Sunt ex bono, per servos intelliguntur qui in veris ex bono sunt, ita quoque qui in Sapientia ex amore, quia sapientia est veri et amor est boni; tum qui in fide ex charitate, quia fides etiam est veri et charitas est boni; et quia genuinus sensus spiritualis est abstractus a persona, ideo in illo per servos significantur vera; nunc quia vera inserviunt bono, docendo illud, ideo in genere et proprie per servum in Verbo intelligitur inserviens, seu qui aut quod inservit; in hoc Sensu non modo Prophetae vocabantur servi Dei, sed etiam Dominus quoad Humanum Suum: quod Prophetae vocati sint servi Dei, constat ex his locis:

"Misit Jehovah ad vos omnes Servos Suos Prophetas," (Jeremias 25:4). ¹

"Revelavit arcanum Suum Servis Suis Prophetis," (Amos 3:7).

"Dedit coram nobis ² per manum Servorum Suorum Prophetarum," (Daniel 9:10).

Et Moses vocatur "Servus Jehovae," (Malachias 3:22 (Bibl. Angl. 4:4));

causa est, quia per "Prophetam" in sensu spirituali intelligitur Verum doctrinae, de quo infra. Et quia Dominus erat ipsum Divinum Verum, quod etiam eSt Verbum, et ex eo dictus est Ipse Propheta, et in mundo inserviebat, ac in aeternum inservit omnibus docendo, ideo etiam Ipse passim vocatur "Servus Jehovae," ut in sequentibus locis:

"Ex labore animae Suae videbit, saturabitur; per scientiam Suam justificabit justus Servus Meus multos," (Esaias 53:11).

"Ecce prudenter aget Servus Meus; extolletur et exaltabitur et evehetur valde," (Esaias 52:13).

"Ecce Servus Meus, in Quem incumbo, Electus Meus, beneplacitum habet anima Mea, dedi Spiritum super Ipsum," (Esaias 42:1, 19);

haec de Domino. Similiter David, ubi per illum intelligitur Dominus, ut in his:

"Ego Jehovah ero illis in Deum, et Servus Meus David Princeps in medio illorum," (Ezechiel 34:24).

"Servus Meus David erit Rex super illos, ut Pastor unus sit omnibus illis," (Ezechiel 37:24).

"Protegam urbem hanc ad servandum eam, propter Me et Davidem Servum Meum," (Esaias 37:35);

pariter Psalm. 78:70, 71, 72; 89:4-5, 21 (B.A. 3-4, 20));

quod per "Davidem" in his locis intelligatur Dominus, videatur in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae de Domino 43, 44. Ipse Dominus de Se similiter dicit,

"Quisquis voluerit inter vos magnus fieri, esse debebit vester Minister; et quisquis voluerit esse primus, debebit esse vester Servus, sicut Filius Hominis non venit ut Ipsi ministretur, sed ut ministret," (Matthaeus 20:25-28; Marcus 10:42-44; Luca 22:27; pariter Luca 12:37);

hoc dicit Dominus, quia per servum et ministrum intelligitur qui inservit et ministrat docendo, et abstracte a persona Divinum Verum, quod fuit Ipse. Cum itaque per servum intelligitur qui docet Divinum Verum, patet quod per "servos" in hoc loco Apocalypseos intelligantur qui in veris ex bono sunt, seu in fide ex charitate, quia hi possunt docere ex Domino, hoc est, potest Dominus docere et ministrare per illos: in hoc sensu dicuntur servi apud Matthaeum:

In consummatione saeculi, "qui est fidelis Servus et prudens, quem constituet Dominus ejus super famulitium Suum, ut det illis cibum in tempore suo: beatus Servus hic quem invenerit Dominus facientem ita," (24:45-46); ³

et apud Lucam:

"Beati Servi hi, quos veniens Dominus invenerit vigilantes: amen dico vobis, quod cincturus sit Se, et accumbere facturus eos, Ipseque accedens ministraturus illis," (12:37).

In Caelo vocantur omnes servi Domini, qui in Regno spirituali Ipsius sunt, at Ministri, qui in Regno Caelesti Ipsius sunt; causa est, quia illi qui in Regno Ipsius spirituali sunt, in Sapientia ex Divino Vero sunt, et qui in Regno Caelesti in Amore ex Divino Bono; ac Bonum ministrat, et Verum inservit. In opposito autem sensu per servos intelliguntur qui serviunt Diabolo; hi in ipso statu servitutis sunt; illi autem qui serviunt Domino, in statu libertatis sunt; ut quoque docet Dominus, (Johannes 8:32-36).

Bilješke: