历代志下 36
3
埃及王在耶路撒冷廢了他，又罰猶大國銀子一百他連得，金子一他連得。
4
埃及王尼哥立約哈斯的哥哥以利雅敬作猶大和耶路撒冷的王，改名叫約雅敬，又將約哈斯帶到埃及去了。
5
約雅敬登基的時候年二十五歲，在耶路撒冷作王十一年，行耶和華─他神眼中看為惡的事。
6
巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒上來攻擊他，用銅鍊鎖著他，要將他帶到巴比倫去。
7
尼布甲尼撒又將耶和華殿裡的器皿帶到巴比倫，放在他神的廟裡(或作自己的宮裡)。
8
約雅敬其餘的事和他所行可憎的事，並他一切的行為，都寫在以色列和猶大列王記上。他兒子約雅斤接續他作王。
9
約雅斤登基的時候年八歲(王下二四章八節作十八歲)，在耶路撒冷作王三個月零十天，行耶和華眼中看為惡的事。
10
過了一年，尼布甲尼撒差遣人將約雅斤和耶和華殿裡各樣寶貴的器皿帶到巴比倫，就立約雅斤的叔叔（原文兄）西底家作猶大和耶路撒冷的王。
12
行耶和華─他神眼中看為惡的事。先知耶利米以耶和華的話勸他，他仍不在耶利米面前自卑。
13
尼布甲尼撒曾使他指著神起誓，他卻背叛，強項硬心，不歸服耶和華─以色列的神。
14
眾祭司長和百姓也大大犯罪，效法外邦人一切可憎的事，污穢耶和華在耶路撒冷分別為聖的殿。
15
耶和華─他們列祖的神因為愛惜自己的民和他的居所，從早起來差遣使者去警戒他們。
16
他們卻嘻笑神的使者，藐視他的言語，譏誚他的先知，以致耶和華的忿怒向他的百姓發作，無法可救。
17
所以，耶和華使迦勒底人的王來攻擊他們，在他們聖殿裡用刀殺了他們的壯丁，不憐恤他們的少男處女、老人白叟。耶和華將他們都交在迦勒底王手裡。
18
迦勒底王將神殿裡的大小器皿與耶和華殿裡的財寶，並王和眾首領的財寶，都帶到巴比倫去了。
19
迦勒底人焚燒神的殿，拆毀耶路撒冷的城牆，用火燒了城裡的宮殿，毀壞了城裡寶貴的器皿。
20
凡脫離刀劍的，迦勒底王都擄到巴比倫去，作他和他子孫的僕婢，直到波斯國興起來。
21
這就應驗耶和華藉耶利米口所說的話：地享受安息；因為地土荒涼便守安息，直滿了七十年。
22
波斯王古列元年，耶和華為要應驗藉耶利米口所說的話，就激動波斯王古列的心，使他下詔通告全國，說：
23
波斯王古列如此說：耶和華─天上的神已將天下萬國賜給我，又囑咐我在猶大的耶路撒冷為他建造殿宇。你們中間凡作他子民的，可以上去，願耶和華─他的神與他同在。
Apocalypse Revealed # 620
620. 14:4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. This symbolically means that they did not adulterate the church's truths or defile them with the falsities of their faith, but loved the truths because they are true.
A woman symbolizes the church from an affection for truth, and so in an opposite sense the church from an affection for falsity, as may be seen in nos. 434, 533 above - here the church from an affection for truth, because we are told that they were not defiled with women. Being defiled with women has the same symbolic meaning as committing adultery and behaving licentiously. To commit adultery and behave licentiously means, symbolically, to adulterate and falsify the Word, as may be seen in no. 134 above.
For they are virgins means, symbolically, because they have loved truths because they are true, thus loving them from a spiritual affection. These are meant by virgins because a virgin symbolizes the church as a bride who desires to be conjoined with the Lord and to become a wife; and a church that desires to be conjoined with the Lord loves truths because they are true. For truths bring about conjunction when people live in accordance with them.
That is why Israel, Zion and Jerusalem are called in the Word virgins and daughters; for Israel, Zion and Jerusalem symbolize the church.
[2] People in the Lord's church who are of such a character are all meant by virgins, whether they are maidens or youths, wives or husbands, boys or old men, girls or old ladies, and this can be seen from places in the Word where virgins are mentioned, such as the virgin of Israel (Jeremiah 18:13; 31:4, 21, Amos 5:2, Joel 1:8); the virgin daughter of Judah (Lamentations 1:15); the virgin daughter of Zion (2 Kings 19:21, Isaiah 37:22, Lamentations 1:4; 2:13); the virgins of Jerusalem (Lamentations 2:10); the virgin of My people (Jeremiah 14:17).
For that reason the Lord likened the church to ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), and we read in Jeremiah:
...I will build you, that you may be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again... go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. (Jeremiah 31:4, 13)
And in the book of Psalms:
They have seen Your goings, O God, the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary..., in the midst of maidens playing timbrels. (Psalms 68:24-25)
And elsewhere:
Kings' daughters are among Your precious ones; at Your right hand stands the queen in pure gold from Ophir.
Listen, O daughter, and see... The King will delight in your beauty... The daughter of Tyre also will bring a gift; the rich among the people will appease Your face.
The King's daughter is all precious within; her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the King in embroidered garments. The virgins after her, her companions, shall come... into the palace of the King. (Psalms 45:9-15)
The King there means the Lord; the queen the church as a wife; and the daughters and virgins affections for goodness and truth.
[3] Similar affections are symbolically meant by virgins elsewhere in the Word in places where young men are mentioned at the same time, because young men symbolize truths, and virgins affections for those truths. For instance, in the following places:
Behold, the days are coming... that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah... In that day the fair virgins and young men shall faint from thirst. (Amos 8:11, 13)
Be ashamed, O Sidon; ...the sea has said..., "I have not travailed or given birth; neither have I reared young men or brought up virgins." (Isaiah 33:4)
The Lord trampled a winepress for the virgin daughter of Zion... Behold my sorrow; the virgins and the young men have gone into captivity. (Lamentations 1:4, 15, 18)
...how great is His goodness, and how great His beauty! Grain shall make the young men grow up, and new wine the young women. (Zechariah 9:17)
The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in My streets. (Zechariah 8:5)
They sit on the ground..., the virgins of Jerusalem... To what shall I liken you..., O virgin daughter of Zion... ...They lay... in the streets..., My virgins and My young men... (Lamentations 2:10, 13, 21)
And so on elsewhere, as in Jeremiah 51:20-23, Lamentations 5:11, 13, 14, Ezekiel 9:4, 6, Psalms 78:62-64, Deuteronomy 32:25.
