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Ezekiel 31

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1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third [month], on the first of the month, [that] the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, say unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude: Whom art thou like in thy greatness?

3 Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and a shadowing shroud, and of a high stature: and his top was amidst the thick boughs.

4 The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high; its streams ran round about his plantation, and it sent out its rivulets unto all the trees of the field.

5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long, because of great waters, when he shot forth.

6 All the fowl of the heavens made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all the great nations.

7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: because his root was by great waters.

8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him; the cypresses were not like his boughs, and the plane-trees were not as his branches: no tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.

9 I had made him fair by the multitude of his branches; and all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

10 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast lifted up thyself in stature, ... and he hath set his top amidst the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height,

11 I have given him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.

12 And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off and have left him; upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken in all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.

13 Upon his fallen [trunk] do all the fowl of the heavens dwell, and all the beasts of the field are upon his branches:

14 to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, nor set their top amidst the thick boughs, and that none of them that drink water stand up in his height by himself; for they are all given over unto death in the lower parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.

15 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when he went down to Sheol, I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed; and I made Lebanon black for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.

16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol, with them that go down into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the lower parts of the earth.

17 They also went down into Sheol with him unto them that were slain with the sword, and [that were] his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the nations.

18 To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden, unto the lower parts of the earth; thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord Jehovah.

   

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True Christian Religion # 635

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635. Lastly I will reveal this secret. Seven chapters of Revelation describe the termination of the present church, in terms similar to the devastation of Egypt. In both cases this was by similar plagues, each of which stands in the spiritual sense for some falsity advancing its devastation to the point of destruction. This church, therefore, which is at the present time lost, is also called Egypt as spiritually understood (Revelation 11:8). The plagues in Egypt were as follows.

The waters were turned to blood, so that all the fish died and the river stank (Exodus 7; similar language in Revelation 8:8; 16:3). Blood means Divine truth falsified (see Apocalypse Revealed 379, 404, 681, 687-688). The fish that died mean likewise truths in the natural man (Apocalypse Revealed 290, 405).

Frogs came forth upon the land of Egypt (Exodus 8). There is also a mention of frogs in Revelation 16:13. Frogs mean reasonings as a result of a longing for the falsification of truth (see Apocalypse Revealed 702).

In Egypt foul ulcers appeared upon men and beasts (Exodus 9); similar language in Revelation 16:2. Ulcers mean inward evils and falsities which can destroy the good and truth in the church (see Apocalypse Revealed 678).

In Egypt hail fell mixed with fire (Exodus 9); similar language in Revelation 8:7; 16:21. Hail means hellish falsity (see Apocalypse Revealed 399, 714).

Locusts were sent upon Egypt (Exodus 10); similar language in Revelation 9:1-11. Locusts mean falsities in outermost things (see Apocalypse Revealed 424, 430).

Oppressive darkness was brought upon Egypt (Exodus 10:21); similar language in Revelation 8:12. Darkness means falsities arising from ignorance, or from false ideas of religion, or from evil living (see Apocalypse Revealed 110, 413, 695).

The Egyptians finally perished in the sea of Suph 1 (Exodus 14). In Revelation the dragon and the false prophet perished in the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 19:20; 20:10). Both the sea of Suph and that lake have the same meaning, hell.

The reason why similar language is used of Egypt and of the church, the termination and end of which is described in Revelation, is that Egypt stands for the church, which in its beginnings was outstanding. So before its church was devastated, Egypt is equated with the Garden of Eden and the garden of Jehovah (Genesis 13:10; Ezekiel 31:8). It is also called 'the corner-stone of the tribes', and 'the sons of wise men and of the kings of ancient time' (Isaiah 19:11, 13). More about Egypt in its earliest state and in its devastation will be found in Apocalypse Revealed 503.

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1. Generally taken as 'the Red Sea', but the author keeps the Hebrew form.

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

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Psalms 105

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1 Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name! Make his doings known among the peoples.

2 Sing to him, Sing praises to him! Tell of all his marvelous works.

3 Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.

4 Seek Yahweh and his strength. Seek his face forever more.

5 Remember his marvelous works that he has done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,

6 you seed of Abraham, his servant, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7 He is Yahweh, our God. His judgments are in all the earth.

8 He has remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations,

9 the covenant which he made with Abraham, his oath to Isaac,

10 and confirmed the same to Jacob for a statute; to Israel for an everlasting covenant,

11 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;"

12 when they were but a few men in number, yes, very few, and foreigners in it.

13 They went about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people.

14 He allowed no one to do them wrong. Yes, he reproved kings for their sakes,

15 "Don't touch my anointed ones! Do my prophets no harm!"

16 He called for a famine on the land. He destroyed the food supplies.

17 He sent a man before them. Joseph was sold for a slave.

18 They bruised his feet with shackles. His neck was locked in irons,

19 until the time that his word happened, and Yahweh's word proved him true.

20 The king sent and freed him; even the ruler of peoples, and let him go free.

21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all of his possessions;

22 to discipline his princes at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom.

23 Israel also came into Egypt. Jacob lived in the land of Ham.

24 He increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their adversaries.

25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.

26 He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

27 They performed miracles among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.

28 He sent darkness, and made it dark. They didn't rebel against his words.

29 He turned their waters into blood, and killed their fish.

30 Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the rooms of their kings.

31 He spoke, and swarms of flies came, and lice in all their borders.

32 He gave them hail for rain, with lightning in their land.

33 He struck their vines and also their fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country.

34 He spoke, and the locusts came, and the grasshoppers, without number,

35 ate up every plant in their land; and ate up the fruit of their ground.

36 He struck also all the firstborn in their land, the first fruits of all their manhood.

37 He brought them forth with silver and gold. There was not one feeble person among his tribes.

38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for the fear of them had fallen on them.

39 He spread a cloud for a covering, fire to give light in the night.

40 They asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of the sky.

41 He opened the rock, and waters gushed out. They ran as a river in the dry places.

42 For he remembered his holy word, and Abraham, his servant.

43 He brought forth his people with joy, his chosen with singing.

44 He gave them the lands of the nations. They took the labor of the peoples in possession,

45 that they might keep his statutes, and observe his laws. Praise Yah!