101. "'And you will have tribulation ten days.'" This symbolically means that this will continue the whole time, that is, as long as they wish to remain caught up in falsities.

Tribulation, which we discussed in nos. 33 and 95 above, here symbolizes infestation, thus temptation or trial; and ten days symbolize the duration of that state to its completion. Therefore the people of this church are told next, "Be faithful until death," which symbolizes their reception and acknowledgment of truths until their falsities have been set aside and seemingly abolished.

Ten days symbolize the duration of their state to its completion because a day symbolizes a state, and ten completeness. For intervals of time in the Word symbolize states (no. 947), and numbers add their character (no. 10).

[2] Since ten symbolizes completeness, it also symbolizes much or many, and every or all, as can be seen from the following passages:

...the men who have seen My glory... have put Me to the test... ten times... (Numbers 14:22)

...ten times you have reproached me. (Job 19:3)

(Daniel was found) ten times better than... the astrologers. (Daniel 1:20)

...ten women shall bake your bread in one oven... (Leviticus 26:26)

...ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man... (Zechariah 8:23)

Because ten symbolizes much and also all, therefore the precepts that Jehovah wrote upon the tablets of the Decalogue are called the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 4:13; 10:4). The Ten Commandments embody all truths, for they encompass them.

Moreover, because ten symbolizes all, therefore the Lord likened the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins (Matthew 25:1). And in a parable He said of a certain nobleman that the nobleman gave his servants ten minas with which to do business (Luke 19:12-27).

Much is also symbolically meant by the ten horns of the beast that came up from the sea in Daniel 7:7; by the ten horns and the ten jewels ¹ upon the horns of the beast rising up from the sea in Revelation 13:1; by the ten horns of the dragon in Revelation 12:3; and by the ten horns of the scarlet beast with the woman sitting upon it in Revelation 17:3, 7, 12. The ten horns symbolize much power.

[3] From the symbolic meaning of ten as being complete, much, and all, it can be seen why it was instituted that a tenth part of all the produce of the earth be given to Jehovah, and by Jehovah in turn to Aaron and the Levites (Numbers 18:24, 28, Deuteronomy 14:22), and why Abram gave to Melchizedek a tithe of all (Genesis 14:18, 20). For this symbolically meant that everything they had therefore was from Jehovah and sanctified by Him (see Malachi 3:10).

It can be seen from this now that having tribulation ten days means, symbolically, that their temptation or trial will continue the whole time, that is, as long as they wish to remain caught up in falsities. For falsities are never taken from a person against his will, but in accord with it.

Poznámky pod čarou:

136. "'And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.'" (2:21) This symbolically means that those who confirm themselves in that doctrine do not turn back from it, even if they see things contrary to it in the Word.

To turn back from sexual immorality here means, symbolically, to turn back from falsifying the Word. The fact that those people see things contrary to their doctrine is apparent from a thousand places in the Word where we are told that evils are to be abstained from and good deeds done, that people who do good deeds go to heaven and people who do evil deeds go to hell, and that faith without works is lifeless and diabolic.

But the question is, what part of the Word did they falsify? Or in what way did they commit sexual immorality spiritually with the Word? The answer is that they falsified the entire Word, inasmuch as the entire Word teaches nothing else than love toward the Lord and love for the neighbor. For the Lord says that "on these two commandments hang... the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:40). One also finds faith taught in the Word, yet not their kind of faith, but a faith connected with love.