Apocalypse Revealed # 797
797. "And the sound of a bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore." This symbolically means that those caught up in the Roman Catholic religion because of its doctrine and a life in accordance with it have no conjunction of goodness and truth, which is what forms the church.
The sound here symbolizes joy, because it is the sound of a bridegroom and bride. In the highest sense a bridegroom means the Lord in respect to Divine good, and a bride means the church in respect to Divine truth from the Lord. For a church is a church by virtue of its reception of the Lord's Divine goodness in the Divine truths that it has from Him.
It is apparent from the Word that the Lord is called a bridegroom and also a husband, and that the church is called a bride and also a wife. That this produces the heavenly marriage that is a marriage of goodness and truth will be seen in a short work, On Marriage. 1
Now because this heavenly marriage is produced in people in the church by their receiving Divine goodness from the Lord in Divine truths drawn from the Word, it is apparent that there is no conjunction of goodness and truth in people caught up in the Roman Catholic religion because of its doctrine and so a life in conformity with it, since they have no conjunction with the Lord, but instead a conjunction with men, living and dead. This conjunction in people caught up in a love of exercising dominion from a love of self over the Divine sanctities belonging to the Lord, and over the Lord Himself, is as though a conjunction with the Devil, who, as we said in the preceding number, is that love. And to turn to the Devil in order to come by him to God is detestable.
[2] That the Lord is called a bridegroom and the church a bride is apparent from the following passages:
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. (John 3:29)
This John the Baptist said in reference to the Lord.
Jesus said..., "As long as the bridegroom is with them, the wedding guests cannot fast. The day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast. (Matthew 9:15, cf. Mark 2:19-20)
I... saw the holy city, New Jerusalem..., prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)
(An angel said,) "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." (Revelation 21:9-10)
...(the time for) the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready... Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:7, 9)
The bridegroom whom the ten virgins went out to meet, also means the Lord (Matthew 25:1-13).
[3] From these passages it is apparent what the sound and joy of a bridegroom and bride symbolize in following places:
As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:5)
My soul shall rejoice over my God..., as a bridegroom puts on the turban, and as a bride adorns herself with her vessels. (Isaiah 61:10)
Again there shall be heard in this place... the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the bridegroom and the sound of the bride, the sound of those saying, "Confess Jehovah Zebaoth...." (Jeremiah 33:10-11)
Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her room. (Joel 2:16)
I will cause to cease... from the streets of Jerusalem the sound of mirth and the sound of gladness, the sound of the bridegroom and the sound of the bride. (Jeremiah 7:34, cf. 16:9)
I will take from them the sound of mirth and the sound of gladness, the sound of the bridegroom and the sound of the bride, the sound of mills and the light of the lamp. And this whole land shall be a desolation (because of) the king of Babylon... (Jeremiah 25:10-11)
[4] From this one can now see the successive meanings in these two verses, that those caught up in the Roman Catholic religion will not have any affection for spiritual truth and goodness (no. 792); that they are without any understanding of spiritual truth, and so are without any thought of spiritual truth (no. 793), for thought springs from affection and accords with it; that neither do they inquire into, investigate, or confirm spiritual truth (no. 794); that they are also without any enlightenment from the Lord and so without any perception of spiritual truth (no. 796); and finally that they have no conjunction of goodness and truth, which is what forms the church (no. 797).
Thus the literal pronouncements also follow in sequence.
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. A reference to a work by that title never published by the writer. Extant in manuscript are a brief outline, a relatively short preliminary draft, and two indices for a longer draft on the subject of marriage that has not been found. The content of the existing material makes clear that these manuscripts, including the missing longer draft, were written in preparation for Delights of Wisdom Relating to Married Love (or Conjugial Love), Followed By Pleasures of Insanity Relating to Licentious Love, which the writer published in 1768, two years after publishing the present work on the Apocalypse.
Revelation 17
1
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
2
with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality."
3
He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored animal, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth.
5
And on her forehead a name was written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
6
I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.
7
The angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8
The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
9
Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.
10
They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while.
11
The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction.
12
The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.
13
These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
14
These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. They also will overcome who are with him, called and chosen and faithful."
15
He said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.
16
The ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute, and will make her desolate, and will make her naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire.
17
For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, and to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.
18
The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."
