Apocalypse Explained # 97
97. He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, signifies from whom is life to all in the new heaven and in the new church. This is evident from the signification of "walking" as being to live, and in reference to the Lord, Life itself (of which more will be said in what follows); and from the signification of "seven golden lampstands," as being all in the new heaven and in the new church (See above, n. 62). From this it is clear that the Lord was seen "in the midst of the lampstands," because "midst" signifies inmost; "lampstands" signify heaven and the church, and "walking" signifies life; and to be "in the midst" signifies, in reference to the Lord, to be in all that are round about Him. By this, therefore, it was represented that all the life of faith and of love in heaven and in the church is from Him (See above, n. 84). (That "midst" denotes the inmost and the center from which, see Arcana Coelestia 1074, 2940, 2973, 7777. That the Lord is the common center from whom is all direction and determination in heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 123-124. That the extension of the light of heaven, which is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, from which angels have intelligence and wisdom, is effected also from the midst into those who are round about, see the same, n. 43, 50, 189.) That "walking" signifies living, and in reference to the Lord, Life itself, is from appearances in the spiritual world, where all walk according to their life, the evil in no other ways than those that lead to hell, but the good in no other ways than those that lead to heaven; consequently all spirits are known there from the ways wherein they are walking. Moreover, ways actually appear there; but to the evil, the ways towards hell only, and to the good, the ways towards heaven only; and thus everyone is brought to his own society. From this it is that "walking" signifies living. (Of these ways, and walking therein, in the spiritual world, see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell 195, 479, 534, 590; and in the small work on The Last Judgment 48.) That in the Word "ways" signify truths or falsities, and "walking" signifies living, may be seen from many passages therein; I will cite only a few here by way of confirmation.
In Isaiah:
We have sinned against Jehovah; they would not walk in His ways, neither have they heard His law (Isaiah 42:24).
In Moses:
If ye shall keep the commandments, by loving Jehovah your God, by walking in all His ways (Deuteronomy 11:22).
In the same:
Thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, by loving Jehovah thy God, and walking in His ways all the days (Deuteronomy 19:9; 26:17).
In the same:
I will set My tabernacle in the midst of them, 1 and I will walk in the midst of you, and I will be to you for a God (Leviticus 26:11, 12).
In the same:
Jehovah thy God walketh in the midst of your 2 camp, and therefore shall your 2 camp be holy (Deuteronomy 23:14).
In Isaiah:
Remember, O Jehovah, how I have walked before Thee in truth (Isaiah 38:3).
In the same:
He entereth into peace, walking in uprightness (Isaiah 57:2).
In Malachi:
He walked with Me in peace and in uprightness (Malachi 2:6).
In David:
Thou hast delivered my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living (Psalms 56:13).
In John:
Jesus said, I am the light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).
In the same:
Yet a little while is the light with you; walk while ye have the light, that darkness overtake you not; and he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light believe on the light (John 12:35, 36).
In Mark:
The Pharisees and Scribes ask Him, Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders? (Mark 7:5).
In Moses:
If ye walk contrary to Me, and will not hearken to My voices, I will also walk contrary to you (Leviticus 26:21, 26:23-24, 26:27).
In Isaiah:
This people that walk in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow, upon them hath the light shined (Isaiah 9:2).
In Micah:
All the peoples walk in the name of their god, and we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God (Micah 4:5).
In Isaiah:
Who among you feareth Jehovah? He that walketh in darkness, who hath no brightness (Isaiah 50:10);
besides many other passages (as in Jeremiah 26:4; Ezekiel 5:6; 20:13, 20:16; Zechariah 10:12; Micah 4:5; Luke 1:6). From these passages it can be seen that "walking," in the spiritual sense, signifies living; and as it signifies living, so in reference to the Lord, as in this passage, it signifies Life itself, for the Lord is Life itself, and the rest are recipients of life from Him (See above, n. 82, 84).
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. The Hebrew has "you."
2. In both instances of "your," the Hebrew has "thy," as also found in Arcana Coelestia 10039.
Leviticus 25
1
Yahweh said to Moses in Mount Sinai,
2
"Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to Yahweh.
3
Six years you shall sow your field, and Six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in its fruits;
4
but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to Yahweh. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.
5
What grows of itself in your harvest you shall not reap, and the grapes of your undressed vine you shall not gather. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.
6
The Sabbath of the land shall be for food for you; for yourself, for your servant, for your maid, for your hired servant, and for your stranger, who lives as a foreigner with you.
7
For your livestock also, and for the animals that are in your land, shall all its increase be for food.
8
"'You shall count off seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years; and there shall be to you the days of seven Sabbaths of years, even forty-nine years.
9
Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land.
10
You shall make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee to you; and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.
11
That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee to you. In it you shall not sow, neither reap that which grows of itself, nor gather from the undressed vines.
12
For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat of its increase out of the field.
13
"'In this Year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his property.
14
"'If you sell anything to your neighbor, or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.
15
According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor. According to the number of years of the crops he shall sell to you.
16
According to the length of the years you shall increase its price, and according to the shortness of the years you shall diminish its price; for he is selling the number of the crops to you.
17
You shall not wrong one another; but you shall fear your God: for I am Yahweh your God.
18
"'Therefore you shall do my statutes, and keep my ordinances and do them; and you shall dwell in the land in safety.
19
The land shall yield its fruit, and you shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.
20
If you said, "What shall we eat the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase;"
21
then I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for the three years.
22
You shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the fruits, the old store; until the ninth year, until its fruits come in, you shall eat the old store.
23
"'The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and live as foreigners with me.
24
In all the land of your possession you shall grant a redemption for the land.
25
"'If your brother becomes poor, and sells some of his possessions, then his kinsman who is next to him shall come, and redeem that which his brother has sold.
26
If a man has no one to redeem it, and he becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it;
27
then let him reckon the years since its sale, and restore the surplus to the man to whom he sold it; and he shall return to his property.
28
But if he isn't able to get it back for himself, then what he has sold shall remain in the hand of him who has bought it until the Year of Jubilee: and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.
29
"'If a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it has been sold. For a full year he shall have the right of redemption.
30
If it isn't redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in perpetuity to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the Jubilee.
31
But the houses of the villages which have no wall around them shall be reckoned with the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee.
32
"'Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time.
33
The Levites may redeem the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, and it shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel.
34
But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.
35
"'If your brother has become poor, and his hand can't support him among you; then you shall uphold him. He shall live with you like an alien and a temporary resident.
36
Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God; that your brother may live among you.
37
You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit.
38
I am Yahweh your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
39
"'If your brother has grown poor among you, and sells himself to you; you shall not make him to serve as a slave.
40
As a hired servant, and as a temporary resident, he shall be with you; he shall serve with you until the Year of Jubilee:
41
then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers.
42
For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as slaves.
43
You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.
44
"'As for your male and your female slaves, whom you may have; of the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves.
45
Moreover of the children of the aliens who live among you, of them you may buy, and of their families who are with you, which they have conceived in your land; and they will be your property.
46
You may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them may you take your slaves forever: but over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness.
47
"'If an alien or temporary resident with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him has grown poor, and sells himself to the stranger or foreigner living among you, or to a member of the stranger's family;
48
after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him;
49
or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any who is a close relative to him of his family may redeem him; or if he has grown rich, he may redeem himself.
50
He shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he sold himself to him to the Year of Jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years; according to the time of a hired servant shall he be with him.
51
If there are yet many years, according to them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.
52
If there remain but a few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according to his years of service he shall give back the price of his redemption.
53
As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him: he shall not rule with harshness over him in your sight.
54
If he isn't redeemed by these means, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee, he, and his children with him.
55
For to me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.
