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Daniel 7

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1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream; he told the sum of the matters.

2 Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heavens broke forth upon the great sea.

3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, different one from another.

4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till its wings were plucked; and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon two feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

5 And behold, another beast, a second, like unto a bear, and it raised up itself on one side; and [it had] three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and they said thus unto it: Arise, devour much flesh.

6 After this I saw, and behold, another, like a leopard, and it had four wings of a bird upon its back; and the beast had four heads; and dominion was given to it.

7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and exceeding strong; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the rest with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another, a little horn, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

9 I beheld till thrones were set, and the Ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was flames of fire, [and] its wheels burning fire.

10 A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

11 I beheld therefore, because of the voice of the great words that the horn spoke; I beheld till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given up to be burned with fire.

12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away; but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of heaven [one] like a son of man, and he came up even to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.

15 As for me Daniel, my spirit was grieved in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the certainty of all this. And he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things:

17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, [that] shall arise out of the earth.

18 But the saints of the most high [places] shall receive the kingdom, and they shall possess the kingdom for ever, even to the ages of ages.

19 Then I desired to know the certainty concerning the fourth beast, which was different from them all, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and its nails of brass; which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the rest with its feet;

20 and concerning the ten horns that were in its head, and the other that came up, and before which three fell: even that horn that had eyes, and a mouth speaking great things, and whose look was more imposing than its fellows.

21 I beheld, and that horn made war with the saints, and prevailed over them;

22 until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most high [places]; and the appointed time arrived, and the saints possessed the kingdom.

23 He said thus: The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon the earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

24 And as to the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall arise ten kings; and another shall arise after them; and he shall be different from the former, and he shall subdue three kings.

25 And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High [places], and think to change seasons and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and a half time.

26 And the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

27 But the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heavens, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most high [places]. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

28 So far is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my thoughts much troubled me, and my countenance was changed in me; but I kept the matter in my heart.

   

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True Christianity # 251

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251. To show from the Word that there are two-part expressions in it whose elements seem like repetitions of the same thing would take too long - it would fill pages and pages. To remove doubt, however, I wish to list passages that mention nations and peoples together, and others that mention joy and gladness together.

The following are passages that mention nations and peoples together:

Woe to a sinful nation, to a people heavy with wickedness. (Isaiah 1:4)

The peoples walking in darkness have seen a great light; you have increased the nation. (Isaiah 9:2-3)

Assyria is the rod of my anger. I will send it against a hypocritical nation; I will command it to go against a people of my wrath. (Isaiah 10:5-6)

It will happen in that day that the nations will seek the Root of Jesse, who stands as a banner for the peoples. (Isaiah 11:10)

Jehovah is striking the peoples with an incurable blow; he is ruling the nations with anger. (Isaiah 14:6)

In that day, a far-flung and shaven people will be brought out as a gift for Jehovah Sabaoth, a measured and trampled nation. (Isaiah 18:7)

A strong people, they will honor you; a city of powerful nations will fear you. (Isaiah 25:3)

Jehovah will swallow up the covering over all peoples, the veil over all nations. (Isaiah 25:7)

Approach, you nations, and hear, you peoples. (Isaiah 34:1)

I called you to be a covenant for the people, a light for the nations. (Isaiah 42:6)

All the nations should be gathered together and the peoples should convene. (Isaiah 43:9)

Behold, I will lift my hand toward the nations and my banner toward the peoples. (Isaiah 49:22)

I gave him as a witness for the peoples, a leader and a legislator for the nations. (Isaiah 55:4-5)

Behold, a people is coming from a northern land, and a great nation from the sides of the earth. (Jeremiah 6:22-23)

No longer will I let you hear the slander of the nations; you will not bear the insult of the peoples anymore. (Ezekiel 36:15)

All peoples and nations will worship him. (Daniel 7:14)

To prevent the nations from making cruel remarks about them and saying among the peoples, "Where is their God?" (Joel 2:7)

The remnants of my people will plunder them and the remainders of my nation will inherit them. (Zephaniah 2:9)

Many peoples will come, and numerous nations, to seek Jehovah in Jerusalem. (Zechariah 8:22)

My eyes have seen the salvation that you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light of revelation to the nations. (Luke 2:30-32)

You have redeemed us in your blood, [some] from every people and nation. (Revelation 5:9)

You need to prophesy again upon peoples and nations. (Revelation 10:11)

You will put me as the head of the nations; a people whom I had not known will serve me. (Psalms 18:43)

Jehovah makes the counsel of the nations useless; he turns the thoughts of the peoples upside down. (Psalms 33:10)

You will make us a proverb among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples. (Psalms 44:14)

Jehovah will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. Jehovah rules over the nations; the willing among the peoples have gathered. (Psalms 47:3, 8-9)

The peoples will confess you and the nations will rejoice, because you are going to judge the peoples in uprightness and lead the nations on earth. (Psalms 67:3-5)

Remember me, Jehovah, with the good pleasure of your people, so that I may rejoice in the joy of your nations. (Psalms 106:4-5)

There are more passages like this as well.

Both nations and peoples are mentioned because "nations" mean those who focus on goodness or, in an opposite sense, on evil; and "peoples" mean those who focus on truths or, in an opposite sense, on falsities. For this reason, those who belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom are called "peoples" and those who belong to the Lord's heavenly kingdom are called "nations," since all who are in the spiritual kingdom focus on truths and therefore intelligence; and all who are in the heavenly kingdom focus on good actions and therefore wisdom.

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

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Sit

  

If you think about sitting, it seems fair to say that where you're sitting is more important than that you're sitting. Sitting in a movie theater, sitting in a classroom, sitting in the driver's seat of a car, sitting in the defendant's seat at a trial, sitting at the family dinner table -- those are very, very different things. But even so, the fact that you're sitting in those places is important -- it means you are part of what's going on, you're staying in place. This is similar to "sitting" in the Bible. Sitting on a throne indicates judgment; sitting in a tent door indicates holiness. The context is crucial. But in all cases "sitting" indicates a sense of permanence, belonging, and full participation in the spiritual state illustrated through the context.