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但以理書 10

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1 波斯王古列第年,有事顯給稱為伯提沙撒的但以理。這事是真的,是指著爭戰;但以理通達這事,明白這異象。

2 當那時,我─但以理悲傷了個七日。

3 美味我沒有,酒沒有入我的,也沒有用油抹我的身,直到滿了個七日。

4 二十日,我在底格里斯邊,

5 舉目觀,見有身穿細麻衣,腰束烏法精金帶。

6 他身體如水蒼玉,面貌如閃電,眼目如把,手和腳如光明的銅,說的聲音如大眾的聲音。

7 這異象惟有我─但以理一人見,同著我的人沒有見。他們卻戰兢,逃跑隱藏,

8 只剩下我一人。我見了這異象便渾身無力,面貌失色,毫無氣力。

9 我卻見他說的聲音,一見就面伏在沉睡了。

10 忽然,有一按在我身上,使我用膝和掌支持微起。

11 他對我:大蒙眷愛的但以理啊,要明白我與你所,只管站起來,因為我現在奉差遣來到你這裡。他對我,我便戰戰兢兢地立起來。

12 他就:但以理啊,不要懼!因為從你第一日專求明白將的事,又在你面前刻苦己,你的言語已蒙應允;我是因你的言語而

13 但波斯國的魔君攔阻我二十日。忽然有大君(就是使長;二十節同)中的位米迦勒幫助我,我就停留在波斯諸那裡。

14 現在我,要使你明白本國之民日後必遭遇的事,因為這異象關乎後許多的日子。

15 他向我這樣,我就臉面朝,啞口無聲。

16 不料,有一位像人的,摸我的嘴唇,我便開向那站在我面前的:我啊,因見這異象,我大大愁苦,毫無氣力。

17 僕人怎能與我說話呢?我一見異象就渾身無力,毫無氣息。

18 有一位形狀像人的又摸我,使我有力量。

19 :大蒙眷愛的哪,不要懼,願你平安!你總要堅強。他一向我說話,我便覺得有力量,:我,因你使我有力量。

20 他就:你知道我為何見你麼?現在我要回去與波斯的魔君爭戰,我去後,希利尼(原文是雅完)的魔君必

21 但我要將那錄在真確書上的事告訴你。除了你們的大君米迦勒之外,沒有幫助我抵擋這兩魔君的。

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 735

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735. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels, signifies the combat between those who are for the life of love and charity and for the Divine of the Lord in His Human, against those who are for faith alone and faith separate and are against the Divine of the Lord in His Human. This is evident from the signification of "Michael and his angels," as being those who are for the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and for the life of love and charity (of which presently); also from the signification of "the dragon," as being those who are for faith alone and separated from the life of love and charity, and also against the Divine of the Lord in His Human. That those who are in faith separated from charity, which faith is called faith alone, are meant by "the dragon," has been shown above (n. 714-715, 716).

The same are also against the Divine of the Lord in His Human, that is, against the Divine Human, because most of those who have confirmed themselves in faith alone are merely natural and sensual, and the natural and sensual man separated from the spiritual can have no idea of the Divine in the Human, for they think of the Human of the Lord naturally and sensually, and not at the same time from any spiritual idea; therefore they think of the Lord in the same way as they think of an ordinary man altogether like themselves, and this they also teach; consequently in the idea of their thought they set the Divine of the Lord above His Human, and thus they altogether separate those two, namely the Divine and the Human of the Lord; and this they do although their doctrine, which is the doctrine of Athanasius respecting the Trinity, teaches otherwise, for this teaches that the Divine and Human are a united person, and that the two are one like soul and body. Let any one of them examine himself, and he will perceive that such is their idea respecting the Lord. From this it is clear what is meant by "Michael and his angels" who fought with the dragon, namely, those who acknowledge the Lord's Divine Human and are for the life of love and charity, for they who are such cannot do otherwise than acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord, and for the reason that otherwise they could not be in any love to the Lord nor in any charity towards the neighbor thence, since this charity and love are solely from the Lord's Divine Human, and not from a Divine separated from His Human, nor from the Human separated from His Divine; consequently also after the dragon was cast down into the earth with his angels a voice said out of heaven:

Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ (verse 10).

From this it is clear what is meant by "Michael and his angels."

[2] As to Michael in particular, it is believed from the sense of the letter that he is one of the archangels; but there is no archangel in the heavens. There are, indeed, higher and lower angels, also wiser and less wise; and in the societies of angels there are governors who are set over the rest; but yet there are no archangels in obedience to whom others are held by any authority. There is no such government in the heavens, for no one there acknowledges in heart anyone above himself except the Lord only; this is what is meant by the Lord's words in Matthew:

Be not ye called teacher, for one is your Teacher, Christ, but all ye are brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for one is your Father, who is in the heavens. Neither be ye called masters, for one is your Master, Christ. He that is greatest among you shall be your minister (Matthew 23:8-11).

But by those angels that are mentioned in the Word, as "Michael" and "Raphael," administrations and functions are meant, and in general, limited and certain departments of the administration and function of all the angels; so here "Michael" means that department of angelic function that has been referred to above, namely, the defense of that part of the doctrine from the Word that teaches that the Lord's Human is Divine, and that man must live a life of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor that he may receive salvation from the Lord, consequently that department of function is meant that is for fighting against those who separate the Divine from the Human of the Lord, and who separate faith from the life of love and charity, and who even profess charity with the lips but not in the life.

[3] Moreover, in the Word "angels" do not mean angels in the spiritual sense, but Divine truths from the Lord (See above, n. 130, 302), for the reason that angels are not angels from what is their own [proprium], but from the reception of Divine truth from the Lord. It is the same in respect to archangels, who signify that Divine truth, as has been said above. Angels, moreover, in the heavens do not have such names as men on earth have, but they have names expressive of their functions, and in general, to every angel a name is given according to his quality; this is why "name" signifies in the Word the quality of a thing and state. The name Michael means, from its derivation in the Hebrew, "who is like God;" therefore Michael signifies the Lord in relation to that Divine truth that the Lord is God even as to the Human, and that man must live from Him, that is, in love to Him from Him, and in love towards the neighbor. Michael is mentioned also in Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1, and signifies there like as here the genuine truth from the Word, which will be for those who are of the church to be established by the Lord; for "Michael" means those who will favor the doctrine of the New Jerusalem, the two essentials of which doctrine are, that the Human of the Lord is Divine, and that there must be a life of love and charity.

[4] Michael is also mentioned in the Epistle of Jude in these words:

Michael the archangel, when contending with 1 the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not pronounce a sentence of blasphemy, but said, The Lord rebuke thee (Jude 1:9).

This the apostle Jude quoted from ancient books that were written by correspondences, and by "Moses" in those books the Word was meant, and by his "body" the sense of the letter of the Word; and as the same persons are meant here by "the devil" as are meant in Revelation by "the dragon," which is also called "Satan" and "the devil," it is evident what is signified by "Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses," namely, that such falsified the sense of the letter of the Word; and because the Word in the letter is such that it can be distorted by the evil from its genuine sense, and yet can be received by the good according to its meaning, it was said by the ancients, from whom these words of Jude were quoted, that "Michael durst not pronounce a sentence of blasphemy." (That in the spiritual sense "Moses" signifies the law, thus the Word, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 4859 at the end, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8787, 8805, 9372, 9414, 9419, 9429, 10234, 10563, 10571, 10607, 10614.)

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The Latin has "de," which means "about."

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.