Bible

 

Daniel 8

Studie

   

1 I Kong Belsazzars tredje regeringsår viste der sig et syn for mig, Daniel; det kom efter det, som tidligere havde vist sig for mig.

2 Jeg skuede i Synet, og det var mig, som om jeg var i Borgen Susan i Landskabet Elam; og jeg så mig i Synet stående ved Floden Ulaj.

3 Da løftede jeg mine Øjne og skuede, og se, en Væder stod ved Floden; den havde to store Horn, det ene større end det andet, og det største skød op sidst.

4 Jeg så Væderen stange mod Vest, Nord og Syd; intet Dyr kunde modstå den, ingen kunde redde af dens Vold, og den gjorde, hvad den vilde, og blev mægtig.

5 Videre så jeg nøje til, og se, en Gedebuk kom fra Vest farende hen over hele Jorden, men uden at røre den; og Bukken havde et anseligt Horn i Panden.

6 Den kom hen til den tvehornede Væder, som jeg havde set stå ved Floden, og løb imod den med ubændig Kraft;

7 og jeg så, hvorledes den, da den nåede Væderen, rasende stormede imod den, stødte til den og sønderbrød begge dens Horn; og Væderen havde ikke kraft til at modstå den, men Bukken kastede den til Jorden og trampede på den, og ingen reddede Væderen af dens Vold.

8 Derpå blev Gedebukken såre mægtig; men som den var allermægtigst, brødes det store Horn af, og i Stedet voksede fire andre frem mod alle fire Verdenshjørner.

9 Men fra det ene af dem skød et andet og lille Horn op, og det voksede umådeligt mod Syd og Øst og mod det herlige Land;

10 og det voksede helt op til Himmelens Hær, styrtede nogle af Hæren og af Stjernerne til Jorden og trampede på dem.

11 Og det hovmodede sig mod Hærens Øverste; hans daglige Offer blev ophævet, og hans Helligdoms Sted kastedes til Jorden.

12 Og på Alteret for det daglige Offer lagdes en Misgerning; Sandheden kastedes til Jorden, og Hornet havde Lykke med, hvad det gjorde.

13 Da hørte jeg en hellig tale, og en anden hellig spurgte den talende: "Hvor lang Tid gælder Synet om, at det daglige Offer ophæves, Ødelæggelsens Misgerning opstilles, og Helligdommen og Hæren nedtrampes?"

14 Han svarede: "2300 Aftener og Morgener; så skal Helligdommen komme til sin et igen!"

15 Medens jeg, Daniel, nu så Synet og søgte at forstå det, se, da stod der for mig en som en Mand at se til,

16 og jeg hørte en menneskelig øst råbe over Ulaj: "Gabriel, udlæg ham Synet!"

17 kom han hen, hvor jeg stod, og ved hans Komme blev jeg overvældet af ædsel og faldt på mit Ansigt. Og han sagde til mig: "Se nøje til, Menneskesøn, thi Synet gælder Endens Tid!"

18 Medens han taledemed mig, lå jeg bedøvet med Ansigtet mod Jorden; men han rørte ved mig og fik mig på Benene

19 og sagde: "Se, jeg vil kundgøre dig, hvad der skal ske i Vredens sidste Tid; thi Synet gælder Endens bestemte Tid.

20 Den tvehornede Væder, du så, er Kongerne af Medien og Persien,

21 den lådne Buk er Kongen af Grækenland, og det store Horn i dens Pande er den første Konge.

22 At det brødes af, og at fire andre voksede frem i Stedet, betyder, at fire iger skal fremstå af hans Folk, dog uden hans Kraft.

23 Men i deres Herredømmes sidste Tid, når Overtrædelserne har gjort Målet fuldt, skal en fræk og rænkefuld konge fremstå.

24 Hans Magt skal blive stor, dog ikke som hins; han skal tale utrolige Ting og have Lykke med, hvad han gør, og gennemføre sine åd og ødelægge mægtige Mænd.

25 Mod de hellige skal hans Tanke rettes; hans svigefulde åd skal lykkes ham, og han skal sætte sig store Ting for og styrte mange i Ulykke i deres Tryghed. Mod Fyrsternes Fyrste skal han rejse sig, men så skal han knuses, dog ikke ved Menneskehånd.

26 Synet om Affenerne og Morgenerne, hvorom der var Tale, er Sandhed. Men du skal lukke for Synet; thi det gælder en fjern Fremtid."

27 Men jeg, Daniel, lå syg en Tid lang; så stod jeg op og udførte min Gerning i kongens Tjeneste. Jeg var rædselslagen over Synet og forstod det ikke.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Apocalypse Revealed # 586

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 962  
  

586. 13:7 It was granted it to make war with the saints and overcome them. This symbolically means that they attacked the Word's Divine truths and overturned them.

War symbolizes spiritual war, which is a war of falsity against truth, and of truth against falsity (no. 500). To make war, therefore, symbolically means to attack. Saints mean people who are governed by Divine truths from the Lord through the Word, and thus, abstractly from persons, Divine truths themselves (no. 173). Consequently, to overcome the saints means, symbolically, to cause truths not to prevail, thus to overturn them.

The following declaration in Daniel has a similar symbolic meaning, that the fourth beast to come up from the sea, which had a mouth speaking great words, "made war with the saints and prevailed" (Daniel 7:7-8, 21). To be shown that the male goat means faith divorced from charity, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding Faith, nos. 61-68.

The following has a similar meaning:

...a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands intrigues... He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people... He shall even rise against the Prince of princes... He shall cause deceit to prosper under his hand. (Daniel 8:23-25)

The king is the male goat, as said in verse 21.

Very similar is symbolism found in the statement that "the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against (the two witnesses), overcome them, and kill them" (Revelation 11:7, and no. 500). They will overcome them because the laity do not see through the clergy's sophistries, which they call mysteries, for the clergy wrap them up in appearances and fallacious reasonings. That is why the people said, "Who is like the beast? Who can fight against it?" (verse 4, and nos. 579-581).

[2] That saints (or holy ones) mean people governed by truths from the Lord through the Word can be seen from the passages cited in no. 173 above, and also from the following:

(Jesus said, "Father,) sanctify them in Your truth. Your Word is truth... ...I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified in the truth... I in them, and You in Me. (John 17:17, 19, 23)

Jehovah came from Sinai..., He came from the ten thousands of the holy; from His right hand came a fiery law for them... All His saints are in Your hand...; each shall receive Your words. (Deuteronomy 33:2-3)

It is apparent from this that those people are called saints who are governed by Divine truths from the Lord through the Word. Moreover, those who live according to the commandments, that is, to the Word's truths, are called the saints or holy people of Jehovah (Leviticus 19:2, Deuteronomy 26:18-19). The Decalogue is the covenant they were to keep (see no. 529 above, and The Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem60).

It was for this reason that the place in the Tabernacle where the Ark was, containing the Decalogue, was called the holy of holies or the most holy place (Exodus 26:33-34).

[3] Those people who live according to the Word's truths are called saints, not because they are holy, but because the truths in them are holy; and truths are holy when they come from the Lord in them, and they have the Lord in them when they have His truths in them (John 15:7).

Because of their truths from the Lord, angels are called holy (Matthew 25:31, Luke 9:26). So, too, are prophets, (Luke 1:70, Revelation 18:20; 22:6). And also apostles (Revelation 18:20).

It is because of this that the Temple is called a holy temple (Psalms 5:7; 65:4). That Zion is called a holy mountain (Isaiah 65:11, Jeremiah 31:23, Ezekiel 20:40, Psalms 2:6; 3:4; 15:1). That Jerusalem is called a holy city (Isaiah 48:2; 64:10, Revelation 21:2, 10, Matthew 27:53). That the church is called a holy people (Isaiah 62:12; 63:18, Psalms 149:1), and also a kingdom of saints (Daniel 7:18, 22, 27).

They are called saints because in an abstract sense angels symbolize Divine truths from the Lord; prophets symbolizes doctrinal truths; apostles symbolize the church's truths; and the Temple symbolizes heaven and the church in respect to Divine truth, as do also Zion, Jerusalem, the people, and the kingdom of God.

That no one is holy in himself, not even angels, may be seen in Job 15:14-16. But they are holy from the Lord, because the Lord alone is holy (Revelation 15:4, no.173).

  
/ 962  
  

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