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以西結書 14

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1 有幾個以色列長老到我這裡在我面前。

2 耶和華的就臨到我說:

3 人子啊,這些人已將他們的假接到裡,把陷於罪的絆腳石放在面前,我豈能絲毫被他們求問麼?

4 所以你要告訴他們:耶和華如此以色列家的中,凡將他的假接到裡,把陷於罪的絆腳石放在面前,又就了先知的,我─耶和華在他所求的事上,必按他眾多的假回答他(或譯:必按他拜許多假的罪報應他),

5 好在以色列家的事上捉住他們,因為他們都藉著假與我生疏。

6 所以你要告訴以色列耶和華如此:回頭罷!離開你們的偶像臉莫從你們一切可憎的事。

7 因為以色列家的,或在以色列中寄居的外,凡與我隔絕,將他的假接到裡,把陷於罪的絆腳石放在面前,又就了先知要為自己的事求問我的,我─耶和華必親自回答他。

8 我必向那變臉,使他作了警戒,笑談,令驚駭,並且我要將他從我民中剪除;你們就知道我是耶和華

9 先知若被迷惑一句預言,是我─耶和華任那先知受迷惑,我也必向他伸,將他從我民以色列中除滅。

10 他們必擔當自己的罪孽。先知的罪孽和求問之人的罪孽都是一樣,

11 好使以色列家不再走迷離開我,不再因各樣的罪過玷污自己,只要作我的子民,我作他們的。這是耶和華的。

12 耶和華的臨到我說:

13 人子啊,若有一國犯罪干犯我,我也向他伸折斷他們的杖,就是斷絕他們的糧,使饑荒臨到那,將人與牲畜從其中剪除;

14 其中雖有挪亞、但以理、約伯這人,他們只能因他們的救自己的性命。這是耶和華的。

15 我若使惡獸經過糟踐那,使荒涼,以致因這些獸,人都不得經過;

16 雖有這人在其中,耶和華:我指著我的永生起誓,他們連兒帶女都不能得救,只能自己得救,那仍然荒涼。

17 或者我使刀臨到那:刀哪,要經過那,以致我將人與牲畜從其中剪除;

18 雖有這人在其中,耶和華:我指著我的永生起誓,他們連兒帶女都不能得救,只能自己得救。

19 或者我叫瘟疫流行那,使我滅命(原文是帶血)的忿怒傾在其上,好將人與牲畜從其中剪除;

20 雖有挪亞、但以理、約伯在其中,耶和華:我指著我的永生起誓,他們連兒帶女都不能救,只能因他們的救自己的性命。

21 耶和華如此:我將這樣大災─就是刀、饑荒、惡瘟疫降在耶路撒冷,將人與牲畜從其中剪除,豈不更重麼?

22 然而其中必有下的人,他們連兒女必到你們這裡,你們見他們所行所為的,要因我降給耶路撒冷的一切災禍,便得了安慰

23 你們見他們所行所為的,得了安慰,就知道我在耶撒冷中所行的並非無故。這是耶和華的。

   

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Apocalypse Revealed # 323

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323. With sword, with famine, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. This symbolically means, by doctrinal falsities, by evil practices, by self-love, and by lusts.

To be shown that a sword symbolizes truths fighting against evils and falsities and destroying them, and in an opposite sense, falsity fighting against goods and truths and destroying them, see nos. 52, 108, 117 above. Accordingly, because the subject is the destruction of all good in the church, a sword here symbolizes doctrinal falsities.

That a famine symbolizes evil practices - this we will confirm below.

Death symbolizes a person's self-love because death symbolizes the extinction of spiritual life, and thus natural life divorced from any spiritual life, as shown in no. 321 above, and this life is the life of a person's self-love; for this life causes a person to love nothing but himself and the world, and so to love also evils of every kind, evils which, because of that life's love, are delightful to him.

That beasts of the earth symbolize lusts arising from the love will be seen in no. 567 below.

Here we will say something about the symbolic meaning of famine. A famine symbolizes the privation and rejection of concepts of truth and goodness, springing from evil practices. It symbolizes as well an ignorance of concepts of truth and goodness, owing to an absence of these in the church. And it symbolizes also a desire to know and understand them.

[2] I. That a famine symbolizes the privation and rejection of concepts of truth and goodness, springing from evil practices, and thus symbolizes evil practices, can be seen from the following passages:

They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, so that their corpses become food for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth. (Jeremiah 16:4)

These two things shall befall you...: devastation and ruin, and famine and sword... (Isaiah 51:19)

Behold, I am visiting punishment upon them. The young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine. (Jeremiah 11:22)

...deliver up her children to famine, and cause them to flow down upon the hands of the sword..., that their men may be put to death... (Jeremiah 18:21)

...I will send on them the sword, famine, and pestilence, and will make them like rough figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence. (Jeremiah 29:17-18)

I will send upon them the sword, famine, and pestilence, till they are consumed from the land... (Jeremiah 24:10)

...I proclaim liberty to you..., to the sword, to pestilence, and famine! And I will deliver you for turmoil to all nations. (Jeremiah 34:17)

...because you have defiled My sanctuary..., a third of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed with famine...; and a third shall fall by the sword... When I send against them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for destruction... (Ezekiel 5:11-12, 16-17)

The sword is outside, and the pestilence and famine within. (Ezekiel 7:15)

...for all the evil abominations... they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. (Ezekiel 6:11-12)

...I will send My four evil judgments on Jerusalem - the sword, famine and wild beast, and pestilence - to cut off man and beast from it. (Ezekiel 14:13, 15, 21)

And so, too, elsewhere, as in Jeremiah 14:12-13, 15-16; 42:13-14, 16-18, 22; 44:12-13, 27, Mark 13:8, Luke 21:11. Sword, famine, pestilence and beasts in these places have similar symbolic meanings to those of the sword, famine, death, and beasts of the earth in the present verse. For the Word has a spiritual meaning in it in every single constituent, in which a sword means the destruction of spiritual life by falsities, in which famine means the destruction of spiritual life by evils, in which a beast of the earth means the destruction of spiritual life by the lusts accompanying falsity and evil, and in which pestilence and death means a complete destruction and thus damnation.

[3] II. That famine, or hunger, symbolizes an ignorance of concepts of truth and goodness, owing to an absence of these in the church, is clear as well from various passages in the Word, as in Isaiah 5:13; 8:19-22, Lamentations 2:19; 5:8-10, Amos 8:11-14, Job 5:17, 20, and elsewhere.

III. That famine or hunger symbolizes a desire to know and understand the church's truths and goods is apparent from the following: Isaiah 8:21; 32:6; 49:10; 58:6-7; Matthew 5:6; 25:35, 37, 44; Luke 1:53; John 6:35; and elsewhere.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.