以赛亚书 42
1
看哪,我的仆人─我所扶持所拣选、心里所喜悦的!我已将我的灵赐给他;他必将公理传给外邦。
3
压伤的芦苇,他不折断;将残的灯火,他不吹灭。他凭真实将公理传开。
4
他不灰心,也不丧胆,直到他在地上设立公理;海岛都等候他的训诲。
5
创造诸天,铺张穹苍,将地和地所出的一并铺开,赐气息给地上的众人,又赐灵性给行在其上之人的神耶和华,他如此说:
6
我─耶和华凭公义召你,必搀扶你的手,保守你,使你作众民的中保(中保:原文是约),作外邦人的光,
8
我是耶和华,这是我的名;我必不将我的荣耀归给假神,也不将我的称赞归给雕刻的偶像。
9
看哪,先前的事已经成就,现在我将新事说明,这事未发以先,我就说给你们听。
10
航海的和海中所有的,海岛和其上的居民,都当向耶和华唱新歌,从地极赞美他。
11
旷野和其中的城邑,并基达人居住的村庄都当扬声;西拉的居民当欢呼,在山顶上呐喊。
13
耶和华必像勇士出去,必像战士激动热心,要喊叫,大声呐喊,要用大力攻击仇敌。
14
我许久闭口不言,静默不语;现在我要喊叫,像产难的妇人;我要急气而喘哮。
15
我要使大山小冈变为荒场,使其上的花草都枯乾;我要使江河变为洲岛,使水池都乾涸。
16
我要引瞎子行不认识的道,领他们走不知道的路;在他们面前使黑暗变为光明,使弯曲变为平直。这些事我都要行,并不离弃他们。
17
倚靠雕刻的偶像,对铸造的偶像说:你是我们的神;这等人要退後,全然蒙羞。
18
你们这耳聋的,听罢!你们这眼瞎的,看罢!使你们能看见。
19
谁比我的仆人眼瞎呢?谁比我差遣的使者耳聋呢?谁瞎眼像那与我和好的?谁瞎眼像耶和华的仆人呢?
21
耶和华因自己公义的缘故,喜欢使律法(或译:训诲)为大,为尊。
22
但这百姓是被抢被夺的,都牢笼在坑中,隐藏在狱里;他们作掠物,无人拯救,作掳物,无人说交还。
24
谁将雅各交出当作掳物,将以色列交给抢夺的呢?岂不是耶和华麽?就是我们所得罪的那位。他们不肯遵行他的道,也不听从他的训诲。
Apocalypse Revealed # 723
723. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy. This symbolizes the Roman Catholic religion resting on the Word that the people profaned.
The woman symbolizes the Roman Catholic or Babel-like religion, for we are told in a following verse that "on her forehead a name was written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Whoredoms and Abominations of the Earth." That a woman symbolizes the church by virtue of its affection for truth may be seen in no. 434; here it is the Roman Catholic religion, which is impelled by the opposite affection. The scarlet beast symbolizes the Word, as will be seen presently; and its being full of names of blasphemy symbolizes the Word's being utterly profaned. For blasphemy symbolizes a denial of the Lord's Divinity in His humanity, and an adulteration of the Word (nos. 571, 582, 692, 715), thus its profanation. For someone who fails to acknowledge the Lord's Divinity in His humanity and falsifies the Word, but not intentionally, does indeed commit profanation, but lightly. But people who claim for themselves all the power of the Lord's Divine humanity, and for that reason deny His Divinity, and who apply everything in the Word to acquiring dominion for themselves over the sanctities of the church and heaven, and for that reason adulterate the Word - those people commit serious profanation.
It can be seen from this that the woman John saw sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy symbolizes the aforesaid religion resting on the Word that it profaned. The color scarlet symbolize the Word's truth from a celestial origin.
[2] The idea that the scarlet beast symbolizes the Word as to celestial Divine truth appears at first as far-fetched and foreign, indeed as absurd, because it is called a beast. But that a beast in the spiritual sense symbolizes a natural affection, and that it is used to symbolize the Word, the church and mankind, may be seen in nos. 239, 405, 567 above; that the four living creatures, one of which was a lion, the second a calf, and the fourth an eagle, symbolize the Word, and in Ezekiel are also called beasts, nos. 239, 275, 286, 672; and that a horse, which is also a beast, symbolizes an understanding of the Word (no. 298).
People know that the Lamb symbolizes the Lord, that sheep symbolize the people in a church, and that a flock symbolizes the church itself.
We cite these points lest anyone be surprised that the scarlet beast symbolizes the Word.
Moreover, because the Roman Catholic religion founds its might and its grandeur on the Word, therefore John saw the woman sitting on the scarlet beast, as before she sat on many waters (verse 1), the waters symbolizing the Word's truths adulterated and profaned (no. 719 above).
That the beast here symbolizes the Word is clearly apparent from what is said about it in the verses of this chapter that follow. As in verse 8:
The beast that you saw was, and is not... And those who dwell on the earth will marvel..., when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
In verse 11:
The beast that was, and is not, is itself the eighth (king), and is of the seven, and is going to destruction.
The ten horns... are ten kings..., (who) will give their power and authority to the beast.
In verse 17:
...God has put it into their hearts to... give their kingdom to the beast....
Statements like these could be made only in reference to the Word.