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Jeremiah 44

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1 Tämä on se sana, joka Jeremialle tapahtui, kaikista Juudalaisista, jotka Egyptin maalla asuivat, jotka asuivat Migdolissa, Tahpanheksessa, Nophissa, Patroksen maalla, ja sanoi:

2 Näin sanoo Herra Zebaot, Israelin Jumala: te olette nähneet kaiken sen pahan, jonka minä olen antanut tulla Jerusalemin päälle, ja kaikkein Juudan kaupunkein päälle; ja katso, tänäpänä ovat ne hävitettynä, niin ettei kenkään niissä asu:

3 Heidän pahuutensa tähden, jonka he tekivät vihoittaen minua, ja menivät ja suitsuttivat ja palvelivat muita jumalia, joita ei he, eli te, eikä teidän isänne tunteneet.

4 Ja minä lähetin varhain ja usein teidän tykönne kaikki palveliani prophetat, ja käskin teille sanoa: älkäät tehkö senkaltaisia kauhistuksia, joita minä vihaan;

5 Mutta ei he totelleet, eikä kallistaneet korviansa kääntymään pahuudestansa, ja ei suitsuttamaan muille jumalille.

6 Sentähden syttyi myös minun vihani ja julmuuteni, ja paloi Juudan kaupunkein päällä, ja Jerusalemin katuin päällä, niin ne ovat kukistetuiksi ja autioiksi tulleet, niinkuin se tänäpänä löydetään.

7 Nyt, näin sanoo Herra Jumala Zebaot, Israelin Jumala: miksi te teette tämän suuren pahan vastaan omaa henkeänne? että teidän seassanne pitää hävitettämän sekä mies että vaimo, sekä lapset että imeväiset Juudasta, ja ei pidä yhtään teistä jäämän,

8 Että te niin vihoitatte minun kättenne töillä, ja suitsutatte muille jumalille Egyptin maalla, johon te olette menneet asumaan, että teidän pitää hävitetyksi, ja kiroukseksi ja häväistykseksi kaikkein pakanain seassa maan päällä tuleman.

9 Oletteko te unhottaneet isäinne onnettomuuden, Juudan kuningasten onnettomuuden, heidän emäntäinsä onnettomuuden, niin myös teidän oman onnettomuutenne, ja teidän emäntäinne onnettomuuden, joka teille on tapahtunut Juudan maalla ja Jerusalemin kaduilla?

10 Kuitenkin ei he vielä ole tähän päivään asti itsiänsä nöyryyttäneet, ja ei myös mitään pelkää; ja ei vaella minun laissani ja säädyissäni, jotka minä teidän eteenne ja teidän isäinne eteen pannut olen.

11 Sentähden sanoo Herra Zebaot, Israelin Jumala näin: katso, minä panen minun kasvoni teitä vastaan onnettomuudeksi, ja koko Juudan pitää hävitetyksi tuleman.

12 Ja minä otan jääneet Juudasta, jotka ovat kasvonsa tavoittaneet mennäksensä Egyptin maalle, asumaan siellä, ja he kaikki pitää lopetettaman, Egyptin maalla pitää heidän miekalla kaatuman ja nälällä hukkuman, sekä pienet että suuret; heidän pitää kuoleman miekalla ja nälällä, ja pitää tuleman sadatukseksi, ihmeeksi, kiroukseksi ja häväistykseksi.

13 Minä tahdon rangaista Egyptin maan asuvaisia miekalla, nälällä ja rutolla, niinkuin minä tein Jerusalemille;

14 Niin ettei Juudan jääneistä ketään pidä pääsemän eikä jäämän, jotka kuitenkin sitä varten tänne Egyptin maalle asumaan tulleet ovat, että he taas Juudan maalle palajaisivat, johonka he mielellänsä jälleen asumaan tulisivat; mutta ei heidän pidä sinne palajaman, paitsi niitä, jotka täältä pakenevat.

15 Niin kaikki ne miehet vastasivat Jeremiaa, jotka kyllä tiesivät, että heidän emäntänsä muille jumalille olivat suitsuttaneet, niin myös kaikki vaimot, joita siellä suuri joukko oli, ja kaikki kansa, jotka Egyptin maalla, Patroksessa asuivat, ja sanoivat:

16 Sen sanan jälkeen, jonka sinä meille Herran nimeen sanot, emme tahdo sinua suinkaan kuulla;

17 Vaan me tahdomme kaiketi tehdä kaiken sen sanan perään, joka meidän suustamme käy, ja tahdomme taivaan kuningattarelle suitsuttaa, ja hänelle juomauhria uhrata, niinkuin me ja meidän isämme, meidän kuninkaamme ja päämiehemmme tehneet ovat Juudan kaupungeissa ja Jerusalemin kaduilla. Silloin meillä oli leipää kyllä, ja me olimme autuaat, ja emme nähneet onnettomuutta.

18 Mutta sittekuin kuin me lakkasimme suitsuttamasta taivaan kuningattarelle, ja juomauhria hänelle uhraamasta, niin me kaikki köyhiksi tulimme ja olemme miekan ja nälän kautta hukkuneet.

19 Ja vaikka me taivaan haltiattarelle suitsuttaisimme ja juomauhria uhraisimme, niin emme sitä tee ilman meidän miestemme tahtoa, kuin me hänelle leipiä leivomme ja juomauhria uhraamme.

20 Silloin Jeremia sanoi kaikelle kansalle, sekä miehille että vaimoille, ja kaikelle kansalle, joka häntä niin vastannut oli sanoen:

21 Sepä se on, että Herra on muistanut sen suitsuttamisen, jonka Juudan kaupungeissa ja Jerusalemin kaduilla tehneet olette, ynnä teidän isäinne, kuningastenne, päämiestenne ja kaiken maakunnan kansan kanssa, ja pani sen sydämeensä.

22 Niin ettei Herra voinut teidän pahaa menoanne enään kärsiä ja niitä kauhistuksia, joita te teitte; joista myös teidän maanne on autioksi, ihmeeksi ja kiroukseksi tullut, niin ettei kenkään siinä asu, niinkuin tänäpänä nähtävä on.

23 että te suitsutitte, ja Herraa vastaan syntiä teitte, ja ette totelleet Herran ääntä, ette myös hänen laissansa, säädyissänsä ja todistuksissansa vaeltaneet; sentähden myös tämä onnettomuus teille tapahtuu, niinkuin tänäpänä nähtävä on.

24 Ja Jeremia sanoi kaikelle kansalle ja kaikille vaimoille: kuulkaat Herran sanaa kaikki, jotka Juudasta Egyptin maassa olette.

25 Näin puhuu Herra Zebaot, Israelin Jumala, sanoen: te ja teidän vaimonne olette suullanne puhuneet ja käsillänne täyttäneet, mitä te sanoitte: meidän lupauksemme me kaiketi tahdomme pitää, jonka me taivaan kuningattarelle luvanneet olemme, että me hänelle pyhää savua suitsuttaisimme, ja juomauhria uhraisimme: te olette lupauksenne kyllä pitäneet, ja lupauksenne työllä täyttäneet.

26 Niin kuulkaat siis Herran sanaa, kaikki Juudasta, jotka Egyptin maalla asutte: katso, minä vannon suuren nimeni kautta, sanoo Herra: ettei minun nimeni pidä enään jonkun ihmisen suusta Juudasta koko Egyptin maassa nimitettämän, joka sanois: niin totta kuin Herra, Herra elää.

27 Katso, minä tahdon valvoa heitä vastaan heidän pahaksensa ja en heidän hyväksensä, niin että jokainen, joka Juudasta Egyptin maalla on, pitää miekalla ja nälällä hukkuman, siihenasti että he lopetetuksi tulevat.

28 Mutta jotka miekan välttävät, niiden pitää kuitenkin Egyptin maalta Juudan maahan vähässä joukossa palajaman. Ja niin pitää kaikki jääneet Juudasta, jotka Egyptin maahan asumaan menneet olivat, ymmärtämän, kummanko sanat todeksi joutuvat, minun vai heidän.

29 Ja tämä olkoon teille merkiksi, sanoo Herra: sillä minä tahdon teitä tässä paikassa rangaista, että tietäisitte minun sanani tulevan todeksi, teille onnettomuudeksi;

30 Näin sanoo Herra: katso, minä tahdon hyljätä Pharao Hophran, Egyptin kuninkaan, hänen vihollistensa käsiin ja niiden käsiin, jotka hänen henkeänsä väijyvät, niinkuin minä Zedekiankin, Juudan kuninkaan, hylkäsin Nebukadnetsarin, Babelin kuninkaan, hänen vihollistensa käteen, ja sen joka hänen henkeänsä väijyi.

   


SWORD version by Tero Favorin (tero at favorin dot com)

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Apocalypse Explained # 706

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706. Verse 1. And a great sign was seen in heaven, signifies Divine attestation respecting the coming church and the reception of its doctrine, and by whom it will be assaulted. This is evident from the signification of "a great sign in heaven," as being Divine manifestation and attestation; that it has reference to the church and the reception of its doctrine, and also to assault upon it, is evident from what follows, for the "woman" means the church, her "son a male" doctrine, and "the dragon and his angels" and afterwards "the beasts," mean those who will assault the church and its doctrine. This vision is called "a great sign" because a "sign" means Divine manifestation respecting things to come, and attestation, here respecting the coming church and its doctrine, and also the assault upon it by those who are meant by "the dragon" and "the beasts." This is called a "sign," because it manifests and attests. "Sign" and "wonder" are mentioned in many passages in the Word, "sign" meaning that which indicates, witnesses, and persuades respecting the subject of inquiry, and "wonder" meaning that which stirs up, strikes dumb, and fills with amazement; thus a sign moves the understanding and faith, but a wonder the will and its affection, for the will and its affection are what are stirred up, stricken dumb, and filled with amazement, while the understanding and its faith are what are persuaded and moved by indications and proofs.

[2] That there is a difference between a sign and a wonder is evident from the fact that the Jews, although they had seen so many wonders performed by the Lord, still sought signs from Him; and also from the fact that the prodigies wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness are sometimes called "signs" and sometimes "wonders," and sometimes both. It is further evident from this, that in every particular of the Word there is a marriage of truth and good, and thus also of the understanding and will, for truth is of the understanding and good of the will, consequently "signs" there have reference to things pertaining to truth, and to faith and the understanding, and "wonders" to the things pertaining to good, and to affection and the will. Thence is clear the meaning of "signs" and of "wonders," where they are both mentioned in the Word, as in the following passages. In Moses:

I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt (Exodus 7:3).

In the same:

Jehovah gave signs and wonders great and evil upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his men 1 (Deuteronomy 6:22).

In the same:

Hath Jehovah tried to come to take to Him a nation out of the midst of a nation, by wonders, by signs, and by prodigies? (Deuteronomy 4:34)

In David:

They remembered not the day in which Jehovah set His signs in Egypt, and His prodigies in the field of Zoan (Psalms 78:42, 43).

In the same:

They set among them the words of their 2 signs and wonders in the land of Ham (Psalms 105:27).

In the same:

He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh and all his servants (Psalms 135:9).

In Jeremiah:

Who hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day, both in Israel and in men, and hast led forth Thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt by signs and by wonders (Jeremiah 32:20, 21).

This shows that the prodigies wrought in Egypt, and afterwards among the sons of Israel, are called "signs and wonders," "signs" because they attested and persuaded, and "wonders" because they stirred up and filled with amazement; yet they agree in this, that the things that stir up and fill with amazement also attest and persuade, as those things that stir up the will also persuade the understanding, or as those things that move the affection also move the thought by persuading. Likewise in the Gospels:

In the consummation of the age there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, they shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22).

Here "great signs and wonders" have a like signification, namely, that they will attest and persuade, and that they will strike dumb and fill with amazement, which will cause a strong persuasion. Who are meant by "false Christs and false prophets," and who by "the elect," may be seen above (n. 624, 684).

[3] In Moses:

If there shall arise in the midst of thee a prophet or a dreamer of dreams who shall give thee a sign or a wonder, and if the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, thou shalt not obey (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).

Here a "prophet" and a "dreamer of dreams," also "sign" and "wonder" are mentioned, because a "sign" has reference to a prophet, and a "wonder" to a dreamer of dreams, because a "prophet" means one who teaches truths, and in the abstract sense the doctrine of truth, and a "dreamer" means one who stirs up to doing, and in the abstract sense the stirring up from which a thing is done; this, too, pertains to a "wonder," and the former to a "sign;" for prophets were instructed by a living voice from the Lord, and "dreamers" by representatives exciting to doing, which flowed into the affection of the dreamer, and from that into the sight of the thought, for when a man dreams his natural understanding is laid asleep and his spiritual sight is opened, which draws its all from the affection. But in this passage the sight that draws its all from an evil affection is meant, for it treats of prophets who teach falsities and who dream vain things, for "other gods" mean the falsities and vain things that such heard and saw.

[4] That "signs" signify attestations which indicate and persuade to the belief that a thing is so, is evident from the following passages. In Moses:

If they will not believe thee nor hear the voice of the first sign, yet they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And if they will not believe these two signs nor hear thy voice, thou shalt take of the waters of the river and they shall become blood (Exodus 4:8, 9).

This is said of the wonders wrought by Moses, when the Lord appeared to him in the bush, which are called "signs" because they were to attest and persuade that Moses was sent to lead them out of Egypt; this is why it is three times said "that they may believe," and also "that they may hear his voice."

[5] In the same:

Jehovah said unto Moses, How long will the people not believe in Me for all the signs which I have done in the midst of them? All the men that have seen My glory and the signs which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, they shall not see the land (Numbers 14:11, 22, 23).

These miracles, too, are called "signs," because mention is made of believing; for as has been said, miracles are called "signs" because they persuade and induce faith; and as signs did not induce faith with those who were unwilling on account of fear to enter into the land of Canaan, therefore it is said of them that "they should not see the land." "Signs" have a like signification in Exodus 4:17; and Jeremiah 10:1, 2.

[6] In the Gospels:

The Scribes and Pharisees said, Master, we would see a sign from Thee. But He answering, said, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the belly 3 of the earth (Matthew 12:38-40; Luke 11:16, 29, 30).

A "sign" plainly means attestation that they may be persuaded and believe that the Lord was the Messiah and the Son of God who was to come, for the miracles that the Lord wrought in abundance, and that they saw, were no signs to them, because miracles, as has been said above, are signs only with the good. "Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale," and this was taken for a "sign," because it signified the burial and resurrection of the Lord, thus the complete glorification of His Human, "three days and three nights" also signifying completeness.

[7] In Matthew:

The Pharisees and the Sadducees, tempting, asked Jesus to show them a sign from heaven. He answering, said to them, When it is evening ye say, It will be fair weather, for the heaven is red. And in the morning, There will be storm today, for the heaven is red and gloomy. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of heaven, but not the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous nation requireth a sign, but no sign shall be given unto it but the sign of the prophet Jonah (Matthew 16:1-4).

Here, too, the "sign" asked from heaven means attestation that they might be persuaded and might believe that the Lord was the Son of God, although miracles were wrought that they did not call signs. The Lord then spoke of evening and of morning because "evening and morning" signifies the Lord's coming; here it means when the church with the Jews was laid waste, who then had "fair weather," because they had no knowledge of the Lord, and lived securely in falsities from evil; this is the "evening;" but when they knew Him, and because of falsities from evils in which they were denied and assaulted Him, this is signified by "the morning when there is a storm." This is why the Lord said, "Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of heaven, but not the signs of the times," that is, the Lord's coming; and because they were "a wicked and adulterous nation," that is, one that adulterated the Word, He said that "no sign should be given unto them."

[8] So again in Mark:

The Pharisees began to dispute with Jesus, seeking of Him a sign from heaven; and He, sighing in His spirit, said, Why doth this generation seek a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation (Mark 8:11, 12).

That a "sign" here signifies attestation by which they might plainly know, acknowledge, and believe, that the Lord was the Messiah and Son of God whom they expected from the predictions in the prophets, is evident from this, that "sighing in spirit, He said, Why doth this generation seek a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation;" and this was because if this had been plainly revealed or told them from heaven, and if thus persuaded they had acknowledged and believed it, they would nevertheless have rejected it afterwards, and to reject after acknowledgment and faith is to profane, and the lot of profaners in hell is the worst of all.

[9] That for this reason plain attestation was not given them from heaven is evident from these words in John:

He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and should turn themselves, and I should heal them (John 12:40).

"To turn themselves and be healed" means here to profane, which is done when truths and goods are acknowledged, especially when the Lord is acknowledged and afterwards denied; so would it have been if the Jews had turned themselves and been healed by a sign. "To see with the eyes and understand with the heart" signifies to receive in the understanding and will, or in faith and love. From this it is clear that a "sign" signifies a plain testification. (On the lot of profaners see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n.172.)

[10] In John:

The disciples 4 said unto Jesus, What doest Thou for a sign, that we may see and believe Thee, what workest Thou? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven; for the bread of God is He who cometh down out of heaven and giveth life unto the world (John 6:30-33).

Here also the disciples 4 desired a sign; that this signifies attestation that they might believe is clear from their saying, "That we may see and believe, what workest Thou?" They then spoke of "manna," and the Lord answered respecting "bread from heaven," because "bread" signifies all good and truth that nourishes the soul, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself, from whom is everything of doctrine and everything of spiritual nourishment, whereby he gave attestation that they might see and believe. Nevertheless attestation, that is, a sign from heaven, was given to the three disciples, Peter, James, and John, as can be seen from the Lord's transfiguration, for they then saw His glory, and heard a voice out of heaven saying, "This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him" (Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; Matthew 17:5).

[11] In John:

When Jesus cast out of the temple them that sold therein, the Jews said, What sign showest Thou, that Thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, yet in three days I will raise it up (John 2:16, 18, 19).

Here evidently "to show a sign" signifies to give attestation by something wonderful, or by a voice out of heaven. But because such an attestation would have damned rather than saved them, as has been said just above, He answered them concerning "the temple," by which He meant His body, that this should be destroyed, that is, should die, and should rise again glorified on the third day. This too is what the Lord meant by "the sign of Jonah in the belly of the whale three days and three nights." (That "temple" in the highest sense signifies the Lord's body, see John 2:21.)

[12] In Luke:

The angels said to the shepherds, There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord; and this is a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger (Luke 2:11, 12, 16).

Since a "sign" means attestation that they might believe that the Savior of the world was born, it is said that "they should find Him lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes;" but that this was an attestation no one can know until it is known what is meant by a "manger" and by "swaddling clothes." "A manger" means the doctrine of truth from the Word, because "horses" signify the understanding of the Word (as can be seen from what has been shown above, n. 355, 364, and in the small work on The White Horse 2-4); and thus a manger, as a feeding place for horses, signifies the doctrine of truth from the Word. It is said in the seventh verse of the same chapter that this was done "because there was no place in the inn," an "inn" signifying a place of instruction. (This is the signification of "inn" also in Luke 10:34; 22:11; Mark 14:14; and elsewhere.)

Because this was the state with the Jews, who were then in mere falsities, through the adulteration of the Word, this was signified by "there was no place in the inn;" for if it had pleased the Lord He might have been born in a most splendid palace, and have been laid in a bed adorned with precious stones; but He would thus have been with such as were in no doctrine of truth, and there would have been no heavenly representation. He is also said to have been "wrapped in swaddling clothes," because "swaddling clothes" signify first truths, which are truths of innocence, and which are also truths of the Divine love; for "nakedness," in reference to a babe, signifies deprivation of truth. From this it is clear why it was said by the angels, "This is a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger."

[13] In the Gospels:

The disciples said to Jesus, What shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the consummation of the age? (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:4; Luke 21:7)

"The coming of the Lord and the consummation of the age" signifies the beginning of the New Church and the end of the former church, "the coming of the Lord" the beginning of the New Church, and "the consummation of the age" the end of the old church, therefore in these chapters the Lord instructs His disciples respecting the successive vastation of the former church, and at its end the establishment of the New Church; but He instructs and teaches them by mere correspondences, which cannot be unfolded and made known except by means of the spiritual sense; and because the Lord spoke by correspondences, all of these were signs and thus attestations. Moreover, the Lord calls them "signs."

As in Luke:

And there shall be fearful things, great signs from heaven. There shall be signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in desperation, the sea and the waves roaring (Luke 21:11, 21:25).

In Matthew:

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man; and then shall all the tribes of the earth lament, and they shall see the Son of man coming In the clouds of heaven with power and glory (Matthew 24:30).

The signification in the spiritual sense of these and the other things contained in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew have been explained in the Arcana Coelestia, and of "the appearing of the sign of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven" in the work on Heaven and Hell 1), therefore further explanation is unnecessary.

[14] In Mark:

Jesus said unto the disciples, These signs shall follow them that believe, In My name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the infirm and they shall be well. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them by signs following (Mark 16:17, 18, 20).

These were miracles, yet still they are called "signs" because they were attestations of the Divine power of the Lord who wrought them; therefore it is said, "The Lord working with them by those signs." If these had been applied to the evil they would have been called "wonders," for with the evil such things only fill with amazement and strike the mind, and still do not persuade to belief; but with the good it is otherwise, for with them the same things are attestations that persuade to belief, and therefore they are called "signs," and it is said "these signs shall follow them that believe." But how these signs can persuade to belief shall be briefly told. These miraculous signs, as that "they should cast out demons," "should speak with new tongues," "should take up serpents," "if they drank any deadly thing it should not hurt them," and "they should become well by the laying on of hands," were in their essence and in their origin spiritual, from which these flowed forth and came forth as effects; for they were correspondences that derived their all from the spiritual world by influx from the Lord. For instance, that "they should cast out demons in the name of the Lord" derived its effect from this, that the name of the Lord understood spiritually means everything of doctrine out of the Word from the Lord, and that "demons" mean falsities of every kind, and these are thus cast out, that is, taken away, by the doctrine out of the Word from the Lord; that "they should speak with new tongues" derives its effect from this, that "new tongues" mean doctrinals for the New Church; "they should take up serpents" was because "serpents" signify the hells in respect to malice, and thus they would be safe from infestation by it; "they would not be hurt if they drank any deadly thing" meant that they would not be contaminated by the malice of the hells; and "the infirm would become well by the laying on of hands" meant to be healed of spiritual diseases, which are called iniquities and sins, by communication and conjunction with heaven, thus with the Lord; the laying on of the hands of the disciples corresponding to communication and conjunction with the Lord, and thus to the removal of iniquities by His Divine power.

[15] In Isaiah:

Jehovah said unto Ahaz, Ask thee a sign of Jehovah, direct it into the deep, or lift it up on high. The Lord giveth you a sign, Behold, a virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son, and shall call His name God-with-us (Isaiah 7:11, 14).

This was said to Ahaz king of Judah, because the king of Syria and the king of Israel made war against him, even to Jerusalem, and they also had on their side the tribe of Ephraim, and yet they did not prevail, for the reason that "the king of Syria" here represented the external or natural of the church, "the king of Israel" its internal or spiritual, and "Ephraim" its intellectual; but here these three, the natural, the spiritual, and the intellectual, perverted, and these wished to attack the doctrine of truth, signified by "the king of Judah" and by "Jerusalem," wherefore they did not succeed. Nevertheless, in order that Ahaz might be assured of the frustration of their attempt he was told "to ask a sign," that is, an attestation that he might be assured, and the choice was granted him whether it should be from heaven or from hell; this was signified by "direct it into the deep, or lift it up on high," for the king was evil. But because "Jerusalem," which signifies the doctrine of truth from the Word, was not to be destroyed by such before the Lord's coming, there was given him, as an attestation of this, a miraculous sign, namely, that "a virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son, whose name shall be God-with-us." That this church would subsequently be destroyed is indicated further on in the same chapter.

[16] In the same:

This shall be a sign to thee from with Jehovah, behold, I will bring back the shadow of the steps which is gone down on the steps of Ahaz before the sun, ten steps backward, that the sun may return ten steps on the steps which it has gone down (Isaiah 38:7-8).

This sign was given to King Hezekiah as an attestation that the Lord would defend him and Jerusalem from the king of Assyria (as is said in the sixth verse of that chapter), Isaiah 38:6 that king signifying the perverted rational destroying all things of the church; therefore this sign represented also a New Church that was to be established by the Lord, but here that the time would be protracted beyond that indicated to Ahaz just above; "bringing back the shadow that had gone down on the steps of Ahaz before the sun" signifies a drawing back of the time before this should be done, "steps of Ahaz" signifying a time, here even until the coming of the Lord, and the "shadow" signifying the progress of time from the rising to the setting; that the shadow "should be drawn backwards ten degrees" signifies the prolongation of the time for many years still, "ten" signifying many, and the "sun" which should go back signifying the Lord's coming.

But this shall be further illustrated. The Lord's coming took place when the Jewish Church was at an end, that is, when there was no good or truth left in it; this is meant by "when iniquity was consummated," also by "the fullness of times," in which the Lord was to come. The entire period of the duration of the Jewish Church was represented by "the steps of Ahaz," its beginning by the first step there, which is when the sun is in its rising, and its end by the last when it is at its setting. This makes evident that by "the drawing back of the shadow" from the setting towards the rising means the prolongation of the time. This should take place "in the steps of Ahaz," because Ahaz was a wicked king, and profaned the holy things of the church, consequently if his successors had done the same, the end of that church would have quickly come; but as Hezekiah was an upright king the time was prolonged, for on that account the iniquity of that nation was not so soon to reach its consummation, that is, its end.

[17] In the same:

Say to King Hezekiah, This shall be the sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year that which springeth up of itself, and in the second year that which groweth of its own accord; but in the third year sow ye, reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof (Isaiah 37:30).

This was said to King Hezekiah when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, made war against him, and spoke proudly of himself and insolently of God and of Israel; in consequence of which also one hundred and eighty 5 thousand were smitten in his camp, and he was himself killed by his sons. This was done because "Assyria" signifies the rational, and "the king of Assyria" the like, and "Judea" the celestial of the church, and "its king" the spiritual of the church; but here "the king of Assyria" signifies the perverted rational, which destroys by false reasonings all the celestial and spiritual things of the church, which are its goods and truths. And as "Judea and its king" signify the celestial and spiritual of the church which will be from the Lord when He comes into the world, therefore these things are said by which is described the regeneration of those who will be of that church. So the sign that the first year "they shall eat that which springeth up of itself" signifies celestial good that the Lord will implant in them; "in the second year that which groweth of its own accord," signifies the truth of that good which shall come from it; "to sow, to reap, to plant vineyards, and to eat the fruit thereof," signifies all the goods and truths that flow forth therefrom, "to sow and reap" signifying the implantation of good and its reception; "to plant vineyards" the implantation of truth and its reception; and "to eat the fruits thereof" the enjoyment of good and joyous things therefrom which the regenerate man has. These things are called "a sign" because they are attestations of a celestial church with those who are meant in the spiritual sense by "Judah," whose regeneration is effected by the Lord by the implantation of celestial good, afterwards by the implantation of spiritual good, which in its essence is the truth of celestial good, and finally by multiplication and fructification in the natural man.

[18] In the same:

Thus said Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel and his Former, They have asked Me signs respecting My sons, and respecting the work of My hands they command Me. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build My city, and he shall send forth My captivity, not for price nor reward (Isaiah 45:11, 13).

This also treats of the Lord's coming and of the establishment of a church by Him. The Lord is meant by "Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Former," who is called "the Holy One of Israel" from Divine truth, and his "Former" from the establishment of the church by means of truth; and "Israel" means the church; therefore "His sons, respecting whom they asked signs," mean those who are in truths from the Lord, and "the work of His hands" means their formation, and the establishment of a church among them. "I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all His ways" signifies that Divine good and Divine truth are the Lord's, for "righteousness" is predicated in the Word of good, and "ways" signify truths that lead, here Divine truths, because they are predicated of the Lord; "he shall build My city, and he shall send forth My captivity" signifies that He will restore the doctrine of truth, and that He will deliver those who are in falsities from ignorance, "city" signifying the doctrine of truth, and "captivity" the falsities of ignorance in which the Gentiles were, and through which they were in spiritual captivity; "not for price nor reward" signifies freely given from Divine love.

[19] In the same:

Let them declare to you 6 the things that shall happen, declare ye the former things, that we may set our heart and may know the latter end of them; or make us to hear things to come, declare to us a sign for the future, that we may know that ye are gods (Isaiah 41:22, 23).

That to tell things past and to come belongs to the Lord alone, and not to any man or any spirit, is expressed by "declare a sign for the future, that we may know that ye are gods;" this concludes what precedes, therefore "to declare a sign" means to testify by persuading to believe.

[20] In Ezekiel:

Take to thee a pan of iron, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city; and thou shalt set thy faces against it, that it may be for a siege, and thou shalt lay siege to it; this shall be a sign to the house of Israel (Ezekiel 4:3).

These and the rest of the things in this chapter are representatives of the state of the church with the Jewish nation, signifying that they had no truth that was not falsified and adulterated, which in itself is falsity. Such truth is signified by "the pan of iron" that he should set for a wall between him and the city; and because this, like iron, is hard, shutting out and not admitting any genuine truth, it is said, "that it may be for a siege, and thou shalt lay siege to it;" that this sign should be a witness that the church is such is signified by "this shall be a sign to the house of Israel," "sign" meaning an attestation, and "house of Israel" the church.

[21] In David:

The adversary hath destroyed all things in the sanctuary; the adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy feast; they have set up their own signs for signs. We see not our signs; there is no more a prophet (Psalms 74:3, 4, 9).

"The adversary hath destroyed all things in the sanctuary" signifies that evil has destroyed the holy things of the church; "the adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy feast" signifies that falsities have destroyed all things of worship; "they have set up their own signs for signs" signifies that they have given attestation and persuaded by every means; "we see not our signs" signifies that no attestations of truth were accepted in the church; "there is no more a prophet" signifies no doctrine of truth.

[22] In the same:

Jehovah make a sign with me for good, that they that hate me may see and be ashamed, because Thou, O Jehovah, hast helped me and comforted me (Psalms 86:17).

"To make a sign for good" signifies attestation that Jehovah will help and comfort him, as follows, for this is the good for which Jehovah makes a sign; and because a sign is an attestation of this it is said "that they that hate me may see and be ashamed."

[23] In the same:

God who setteth fast the mountains by His power is girded with might; He maketh the tumult of the seas to cease, the tumult of its waves and the noise of the peoples, that the dwellers in the uttermost parts may fear because of Thy signs (Psalms 65:6-8).

This describes the Lord's Divine power through attestations that cause belief; but attestations that are signs are not that "He setteth fast the mountains, maketh the tumult of the seas and of its waves, and the noise of the people to cease," for these are not such signs as convince those who ascribe all things to nature; but the things meant in the spiritual sense, in which sense heaven and the church are treated of, are the signs that give attestation of the Lord's Divine power, for in that sense, the "mountains" that God setteth fast by His power mean the higher heavens, because the angels of those heavens dwell upon mountains; and in the abstract sense love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor are meant; these are what the Lord "girded with might, setteth fast by His power," that is, makes them to stand fast forever; that "mountains" have such a signification may be seen above n. 405; "the tumult of the seas" and "the tumult of the waves" mean the disputations and reasonings of those who are beneath the heavens, and who are natural and sensual; that "seas" signify the things of the natural man, thus those who are natural, therefore their tumults and waves signify disputations and reasonings, may be seen also above n. 342. "The noise of the peoples" mean contradictions from falsities, for "peoples" signify those who are in truths, and in the contrary sense those who are in falsities (See above, n. 175, 331, 625). "That the dwellers in the uttermost parts may fear because of Thy signs" signifies holy worship from faith in regard to Divine power with those who are in the ultimates of heaven and the church; that "to fear" means to worship the Lord from charity and faith may be seen above n. 696; and that "dwellers in the uttermost parts" mean those who are in the ultimates of heaven and the church, and are in the faith of charity there, is evident, since "the uttermost parts" mean the ultimates of heaven and the church. From this it is clear that "signs" here signify attestations respecting the Lord's Divine power.

[24] In Jeremiah:

This shall be the sign unto you that I will visit upon you in this place, that ye may know that My words shall stand against you for evil. Behold, I give the king of Egypt into the hand of his adversaries and into the hand of them that seek his soul (Jeremiah 44:29, 30).

This treats of those of the church who have become natural, who are meant by those who sojourned in Egypt and returned therefrom. That such would be destroyed by evils and falsities is meant by "He will give the king of Egypt into the hand of his adversaries and into the hand of them that seek his soul," "adversaries" here meaning those who are in evils, and "them that seek the soul" those who are in falsities, thus in an abstract sense evils and falsities (that "Egypt" means the natural man see above, n. 654.

This is called a "sign," because it is an attestation that this will be done; therefore it is added, "that ye may know that my words shall stand against you for evil."

[25] That a "sign" means attestation of certainty is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I am to go up into the house of Jehovah? (Isaiah 38:22)

In the book of Judges:

Gideon said to the angel of Jehovah, Show me a sign that it is thou that speakest to me; and the sign was, that when he touched with the staff the flesh and unleavened bread which Gideon had offered, a fire went up out of the rock and consumed them (Judges 6:17, 21).

In the first book of Samuel:

This shall be the sign unto thee that shall come upon thy two sons, in one day they shall die, both of them (1 Samuel 2:34).

If the Philistines say, Come up unto us, then will we go up, for Jehovah hath given them into our hand; this shall be the sign unto us (1 Samuel 14:10).

Nearly the same is signified by:

The signs of the covenant (Genesis 9:13; 17:11; Ezekiel 20:12, 20; and elsewhere);

namely, attestations respecting conjunction.

[26] Attestations are signified also by "signs" wrought by the evil that appeared like miracles, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Jehovah maketh void the signs of the liars, He rendereth the diviners mad, He turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge stupid (Isaiah 44:25).

In Jeremiah:

Jehovah hath said, Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of the heavens; for the nations are dismayed at them. The statutes of the nations 7 are vanity (Jeremiah 10:2, 3).

In Revelation:

The beast coming up out of the earth did great signs, so that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men, and seduceth them that worship 8 upon the earth, because of the signs that were given him to do (Revelation 13:13, 14).

They are the spirits of demons doing signs to go forth unto the kings of the earth, to gather them together unto the war of that great day (Revelation 16:14).

And again:

The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that did signs before him, by which he seduced them that had received the mark of the beast (Revelation 19:20).

But what is meant by "signs upon the hand and in the forehead" may be seen above n. 427. Again, the "signs" that were set upon mountains to gather the people together to war, to battle, and so on, signified indications to do the things commanded. As in Isaiah:

It shall be in that day that the root of Jesse, which standeth for an ensign of the peoples, the nations shall seek, and his rest shall be glory. When he shall lift up an ensign to the nations, and shall gather together the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah from the four winds of the earth (Isaiah 11:10-12).

In Jeremiah:

Set thee up signs, place for thee columns, set thine heart to the highway, the way thou mayest go (Jeremiah 31:21).

In the same:

Declare ye among the nations, and make to be heard, and lift up an ensign; Babylon is taken (Jeremiah 50:2).

Lift up an ensign against the walls of Babylon, keep the watch, set the watchmen. Lift up an ensign in the land, sound the trumpet among the nations (Jeremiah 51:12, 27);

and elsewhere, especially in the historical parts of the Word. From all these passages quoted from the Word it is clear that "a great sign seen in heaven" signifies Divine manifestation and attestation (as also in the third verse of this chapter, an (Revelation 12:3) d afterwards in chap. Revelation 15:1).

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The Hebrew has "house."

2. The Hebrew has "His," as found in Apocalypse Revealed 598.

3. The Greek has "heart," as also found in Arcana Coelestia 2798.

4. The context would seem to show that we should read "The people."

5. The Hebrew has "185,000," as found in Arcana Coelestia 4236.

6. The Hebrew has "to us."

7. The Hebrew has "peoples."

8. The Greek has "dwell," as found in Arcana Coelestia 826; Apocalypse Revealed 600.

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

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Apocalypse Explained # 624

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624. Verse 11. And he said to me, Thou must again prophesy, signifies Divine command to still teach the Word. This is evident from the signification of "saying," when the angel speaks, by whom in this chapter the Lord in relation to the Word is represented, as being command, for what the Lord says is a command; also from the signification of "to prophesy," as being to teach the Word (of which presently). It is said he must still teach the Word, because such understanding of the Word as still remained in the church was explored, and it was found that the Word was delightful in respect to the sense of the letter, for this is signified by "the little book was in the mouth sweet as honey," "the little book" meaning the Word. It was commanded to still teach the Word in the church, because its end was not yet come. The end of the church is described by "the sounding of the seventh angel;" but here the state of the church next before the end is described by "the sounding of the sixth angel;" this state of the church is here treated of. Before the end, the Word when taught is still delightful to some, but not so in the last state of the church or its end, for then the Lord opens the interior things of the Word, which are undelightful, as has been said above in treating of the eating up of the little book and its making the belly bitter.

[2] Why the Word must still be taught although its interior truths are undelightful, and why the Last Judgment does not come until the consummation, that is, when there is no longer any good or truth remaining with the men of the church, is wholly unknown in the world, although known in heaven. The reason is that there are two classes of men upon whom judgment is effected; one class consists of the well-disposed, and the other of those who are not well-disposed. The well-disposed are the angels in the ultimate heaven, most of whom are simple, because they have not cultivated the understanding by interior truths, but only by exterior truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, according to which they have lived; for this reason their spiritual mind, which is the interior mind, was not indeed, closed, but neither has it been opened, as it is with those who have received interior truths in doctrine and in life; this is why they have become simple in respect to spiritual things, and are called well-disposed. But the ill-disposed are those who have lived outwardly as Christians but inwardly have admitted evils of every kind into the thought and into the will, so that while in the external form they appeared to be angels, in internal form they were devils. When such come into the other life they come into association for the most part with the well-disposed, that is, with the simple good who are in the ultimate heaven; for exterior things consociate, and the simple good are such that what appears in external form to be good they believe to be good, their thought not penetrating farther. These ill-disposed must be separated from the well-disposed before the Last Judgment comes, and also afterward and they can only be separated successively. This is why before the time of the Last Judgment the Word must still be taught, although interiorly, that is, in respect to its interiors, it is undelightful; and as these interior things are undelightful they do not receive them, but only such things from the sense of the letter of the Word as favor their loves and the principles derived from them, on account of which the Word in respect to the sense of the letter is delightful to them. It is therefore by means of these interior things that the well-disposed are separated from the ill-disposed.

[3] That for this reason the time is extended after the Last Judgment before the new church is fully established, is an arcanum from heaven which at this day cannot enter the understanding except with a few; yet this is what the Lord teaches in Matthew:

The servants of the householder coming said unto him, Didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then are these tares? And they said, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Let both, therefore, grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into the barn. He that hath sowed the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom; the harvest is the consummation of the age. As then the tares are gathered up and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the consummation of this age (Matthew 13:27-30, 37-43).

"The consummation of the age" signifies the last time of the church; that until then the well-disposed are not to be separated from the ill-disposed, because they are consociated by outward things, is signified by "lest while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them." (On this see the small work on The Last Judgment 70.)

[4] "To prophesy" signifies to teach the Word, because a "prophet" means in the highest sense the Lord in relation to the Word, and in a relative sense one who teaches the Word, but in an abstract sense the Word itself, and also doctrine from the Word. This a "prophet" signifies, therefore "to prophesy" signifies to teach the Word and doctrine from the Word. That such is the signification of "to prophesy" and "prophet" can be seen from passages in the Word where these are mentioned, understood in the spiritual sense, as in the following.

In Matthew:

Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied by Thy name, and by Thy name cast out demons, and in Thy name done many mighty works? But then will I profess unto them, I know you not; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:22, 23).

This treats of salvation, that one is saved not by knowing the Word and teaching it, but by doing it; for just before, it is said that those only will enter the kingdom of the heavens who do the will of God (verse Matthew 7:21); and just after, that he who hears the Lord's words and does them is a prudent man, but he who hears and does not is a foolish man (verses Matthew 7:24-27). This makes clear what these words mean, namely, that worship of the Lord by prayers and by words of the mouth only is meant by "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord;" and to teach the Word and doctrinals from the Word is meant by "have we not prophesied by Thy name?;" "name" signifying according to doctrine from the Word, and "to prophesy" to teach; "to cast out demons" signifies to deliver from falsities of religion, "demons" meaning the falsities of religion; "to do many mighty works" signifies to convert many. But because these works were done not for the Lord's sake, nor for the sake of truth and good and the salvation of souls, but for the sake of self and the world, thus only that they might appear in outward form, so in reference to themselves it was not good but evil that was done; this is meant by the Lord's saying "I know you not, ye that work iniquity." Doing such things does not appear to be working iniquity, and yet everything that a man does for the sake of self and of the world is iniquity, since there is in it no love of the Lord and of the neighbor, but only the love of self and the world; and his own love awaits everyone after death.

[5] In the same:

In the consummation of the age many false prophets shall arise and shall lead many astray. There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22).

"False prophets" and "false Christs and false prophets" do not mean prophets in the common acceptation of the word, but mean all those who pervert the Word and teach falsities; such are also "false Christs," since "Christ" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truths, so "false Christs" signify Divine truths falsified. "To show great signs and wonders" signifies the efficacy and power of falsities through confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word, and it is by this that signs and wonders are produced in the spiritual world; for the sense of the letter of the Word, however falsified, has power; respecting which wonderful things might be related. "The elect" signify those who are in spiritual good, that is, who are in the good of charity.

[6] In the same:

He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. Yea, whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall not lose his reward (Matthew 10:41, 42).

This no one can understand unless he knows what is signified by "prophet," "righteous man," "disciple," and "little ones," also by "receiving them in their name." "Prophet" in an abstract sense signifies the truth of doctrine, "disciple" the good of doctrine, "a righteous man" the good of life, and "to receive them in their name" signifies to receive these things from the love of them; thus, "to receive a prophet in the name of a prophet" signifies to love the truth of doctrine because it is truth, or to receive truth for its own sake; "to receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man" signifies to love good and to do it because it is good, thus to receive it from the Lord from love or the affection of the heart; for he who loves truth and good for their own sakes loves them from themselves, thus from the Lord from whom they proceed, and as he does not love them for the sake of self and the world, he loves them spiritually, and all spiritual love continues with man after death and gives eternal life. "To receive a reward" signifies to carry with oneself that love, and thus to receive the blessedness of heaven; "to give to drink to one of the little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple" signifies to love innocence from innocence, and from it to love good and truth from the Word and to teach them; "to give to drink a cup of cold water," signifies to love and teach from a little innocence, "little ones" signifying the innocent, and in an abstract sense innocence itself; "to give to drink a cup of cold water" signifies to teach from a little innocence, and "a disciple" the good of doctrine from the Lord; "to give water to little ones to drink" signifies to teach truth from spiritual innocence, and also to teach truths to the innocent. This is the spiritual interpretation of these words, and unless this is known who can know what is meant by "receiving a prophet and a righteous man in the name of a prophet and righteous man" and that "they shall receive the reward of a prophet and a righteous man"? "Reward" signifies love with its delights enduring to eternity.

[7] In the same:

Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things which ye see but have not seen them, and to hear the things which ye hear but have not heard them (Matthew 13:17).

"Prophets and righteous men" mean in the spiritual sense all who are in the truths of doctrine and in the good of life according to truths; and "to see and hear" signifies to understand and perceive, here interior truths proceeding from the Lord, for when man understands and perceives these and also does them, he is reformed. Interior truths proceeding from the Lord are meant, because the Lord, when He was in the world, disclosed such truths. In the sense of the letter this means to see and hear the Lord, but as the Lord is the Divine truth itself in heaven and in the church, and as in consequence all Divine truths are from the Lord, and the Lord Himself taught them, and continually teaches them by means of the Word, so "to see and hear the Lord" signifies to understand and perceive these.

[8] In Joel:

I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; that your sons and your daughters may prophesy, your old men dream dreams, and your young men see visions (Joel 2:28).

This is said of the Lord's coming, and of the perception of Divine truth by those who receive the Lord and believe in Him; the "spirit" that will be poured out upon all flesh signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, for this is meant in the Word by the Holy Spirit; "to prophesy" signifies to understand and teach the truths of doctrine; "to dream dreams" signifies to receive revelation; and "to see visions" signifies to perceive revelation; "sons and daughters" signify those who are in the spiritual affection of truth and good; "old men" signify those who are in wisdom, and "young men," those who are in intelligence.

[9] In Amos:

The Lord Jehovih doeth not a word without revealing His secret unto His servants the prophets. The lion roareth, who will not fear? The Lord Jehovih hath spoken, who will not prophesy? (Amos 3:7, 8).

Here also "to prophesy" signifies to receive Divine truth and to teach it (but this may be seen explained above, n. 601.

"To prophesy" and "prophets" have a similar signification in the following passages in Revelation:

I will give unto My two prophets to prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth (Revelation 11:3).

Again:

The time of judging the dead, and of giving the reward to His 1 servants the prophets (Revelation 11:18).

Again:

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

Again:

Be glad, O heaven, ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath judged your judgment (Revelation 18:20).

That here "prophets" mean those who are in the truths of doctrine, and in an abstract sense the truths of doctrine, and "to prophesy" means to receive and teach these, especially to teach about the Lord Himself, will be seen hereafter.

[10] In Amos:

Amos said to Amaziah, Jehovah took me from following the flock and said, Go, prophesy against My people Israel: and thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not against the house of Isaac. Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line (Amos 7:14-17).

"To prophesy against Israel, and to drop against the house of Isaac," signifies to refute those of the church who are in the falsities of evil, "to prophesy" signifying to teach and refute, and "Israel" and "the house of Isaac" signifying the church. Because the falsities of evil are what must be refuted, this is said to Amaziah, who represented the perverted church; "his wife shall be a harlot" signifies the falsification and adulteration of the Word; "his sons and daughters shall fall by the sword" signifies that the truths and goods of the church will be destroyed by the falsities of evil; and "the land shall be divided by line" signifies that the church and everything belonging to it will be scattered.

[11] In Hosea:

By a prophet Jehovah caused Israel to come up out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he guarded. Ephraim hath provoked to anger with bitterness; therefore he shall leave his bloods upon him (Hosea 12:13, 14).

By the "prophet" here in the nearest sense Moses is meant, by whom Israel was led out of Egypt and afterwards guarded; but in the spiritual sense "prophet" means the Lord in relation to the Word, and "Israel" all those of the church who are in truths from good, and "Egypt" the natural man, which separated from the spiritual man is damned. Therefore "By a prophet Jehovah caused Israel to come up out of Egypt" signifies that the Lord leads out of damnation those who are in truths from good by means of the Divine truth, which is the Word, and guards them by means of it. "Ephraim hath provoked to anger with bitterness" signifies that they perverted the Word as to the understanding of it, "Ephraim" signifying the understanding of the Word, and "bitterness" perversions and falsities therefrom, from which is what is undelightful; "therefore he shall leave his bloods upon him" signifies damnation on account of the adulteration of the truth that is in the Word.

[12] In the same:

The days of visitation are come, the days of retribution are come; Israel, the foolish prophet, and the man insane of spirit, shall know it; this because of the multitude of iniquity and great hatred. Ephraim is a watchman with my God; but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God (Hosea 9:7, 8).

The "days of visitation and retribution" signify the days of the Last Judgment, when the evil suffer punishment, and this is retribution, which is always preceded by visitation; "Israel," "prophet," and "the man of spirit," do not mean Israel, prophet, and the man of spirit, but all those of the church who are in the falsities of evil and in the evils of falsity, and who teach these and confirm them by the sense of the letter of the Word. The falsities of evil are signified by "the multitude of iniquity," and the evils of falsity by "great hatred;" "Ephraim who is a watchman with God" signifies the understanding of the Word, and this is why he is called "a watchman with God;" but as those who are in the falsities of evil and in the evils of falsity pervert the understanding of the Word, and thus craftily lead astray, it is said "the prophet is the snare of a fowler, and hatred in the house of God."

[13] In Ezekiel:

Prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou to the prophets out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of Jehovah; Thus saith the Lord Jehovih, Woe unto the foolish prophets that go away after their own spirit, and after that which they have not seen! And My hand shall be against the prophets that behold vanity, and that divine falsehood (Ezekiel 13:2, 3, 9).

By "prophets" here and elsewhere in the Word are meant in the nearest sense such prophets as those were in the Old Testament through whom the Lord spoke; but in the spiritual sense those prophets are not meant, but all whom the Lord leads; with these also the Lord flows in and reveals to them the secrets of the Word, whether they teach or not; such, therefore, are signified by "prophets" in the spiritual sense. But "the prophets that prophesy out of their own heart, and go away after their own spirit, and who behold vanity and divine falsehood," mean all who are not taught and led by the Lord but by themselves, consequently they have insanity in place of intelligence, and folly in place of wisdom, for they have the love of self in place of the love to God, and the love of the world in place of the love to the neighbor, and from these loves falsities continually pour forth. From this it can be seen what these words signify in series.

[14] In Micah:

It shall be night unto you for vision, and darkness shall arise to you for divination; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall grow black over them (Micah 3:6).

"It shall be night unto you for vision" signifies that there shall be the understanding of falsity instead of the understanding of truth; "darkness for divination" signifies falsities instead of revealed truths; "the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day grow black over them," signifies that light shall no more flow in from the Lord out of heaven and enlighten, but thick darkness from the hells which shall darken the understanding.

[15] In many passages "prophets" are mentioned, and no one has had any other idea respecting them than that the prophets of the Old Testament, through whom the Lord spoke unto the people, and through whom He dictated the Word, are meant; but as the Word has a spiritual sense in each and every particular of it, therefore in that sense "prophets" mean all whom the Lord teaches, thus all who are in the spiritual affection of truth, that is, who love truth, because it is truth, for the Lord teaches these, and flows into their understanding and enlightens; and this is more true of these than of the prophets of the Old Testament, for they did not have their understanding enlightened, but the words they were to say or write they received merely by hearing, and did not even understand their interior sense, still less their spiritual sense. From this it can be seen that "prophets" mean in the spiritual sense all who are wise from the Lord; and this whether they teach or do not teach. And as every truly spiritual meaning is abstracted from the idea of persons, places, and times, so the "prophet" also signifies in the highest sense the Lord in relation to the Word, and as to doctrine from the Word, and likewise the Word and doctrine; and in the contrary sense "prophets" signify the perversions and falsifications of the Word and the falsities of doctrine. As this is what "prophets" signify in both senses, I will cite a few passages only in which prophets are mentioned, and in which they mean all who receive and teach the Word and doctrine, and in a sense separate from persons the Word and doctrine, and in the contrary sense those who pervert the Word and teach falsities of doctrine, and in an abstract sense the perversion of the Word and falsities of doctrine.

[16] In Isaiah:

Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail; the old man and the honored of face he is the head; but the prophet, the teacher of a lie, he is the tail (Isaiah 9:14, 15).

In the same:

Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; your prophets and your heads, the seers, hath He covered (Isaiah 29:10).

In Jeremiah:

They have denied Jehovah when they said, It is not He, neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword and famine. But the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them (Jeremiah 5:12, 13).

In the same:

I have sent unto them all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them (Jeremiah 7:25).

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts against the prophets, Behold I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink waters of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is hypocrisy gone forth into all the land. Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you; they make you vain; they speak the vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Jehovah (Jeremiah 23:15, 16).

In the same:

The prophets that have been before me and before thee of an age prophesied over many lands and over great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet who prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass that prophet shall be known that God sent him (Jeremiah 28:8, 9).

In Matthew:

Woe unto you, hypocrites and Pharisees, because ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye witness against yourselves that ye are the sons of them that slew the prophets. I send unto you prophets and wise men and scribes; and some of them shall ye kill and crucify; that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous even to the blood of Zachariah, son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee (Matthew 23:29-37; Luke 11:47-51).

In these passages it seems as if "prophets" mean merely the prophets through whom Jehovah, that is, the Lord, spoke, consequently that by "slaying the prophets" the Lord simply meant their slaughter. But the Lord meant at the same time the slaughter and extinction of Divine truth that comes from the falsification and adulteration of the Word; for by a person and his function the thing itself which the person did and said is meant in the spiritual sense; thus a "prophet" means Divine truth or the Word and doctrine therefrom; therefore as the function of a person and the person are in effect one, so the thing itself that the prophet teaches is meant by "prophet." "To shed blood" also means to adulterate the truths of the Word; and as the Jewish nation was such it is said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee," these words meaning in the spiritual sense that such extinguish all Divine truth which they have from the Word.

[17] Because a "prophet" means Divine truth, which is the Word, and which is in the church from the Word, and this cannot be extinguished except by those who have the Divine truth of the Word, therefore the Lord said:

That it was not fitting for a prophet to perish out of Jerusalem (Luke 13:33).

"Jerusalem" meaning the church in respect to the doctrine of truth.

In the Word "priest and prophet" are also often mentioned, and "priest" means there one who leads men to live according to Divine truth, and "prophet" one who teaches it. In this sense "priest and prophet" are mentioned in the following passages. In Jeremiah:

The law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the Word from the prophet (Deuteronomy 18:18).

In that day the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall be amazed (Jeremiah 4:9).

In Ezekiel:

They shall seek a vision from the prophet; but the law hath perished from the priest, and counsel from the elders. The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with astonishment (Ezekiel 7:26, 27).

"Vision from the prophet" means the understanding of the Word; "law from the priest" the precepts of life; "counsel from the elders" wisdom therefrom. "King" and "princes" mean intelligence through truths from good; such is the spiritual meaning of these words.

[18] In Isaiah:

The priest and the prophet err through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are gone astray through strong drink; they err among the seeing, they stumble in judgment (Isaiah 28:7).

In Jeremiah:

An astonishing and horrible thing has come to pass in the land; the prophets have prophesied a lie, and the priests bear rule by their hands; and my people love to have it so (Jeremiah 5:30, 31).

From the prophet even unto the priest everyone doeth a lie (Jeremiah 8:10).

When a prophet or a priest shall ask thee, saying, What is the prophetic saying of Jehovah? say unto them, I have abandoned you, and the prophet, and the priest (Jeremiah 23:33, 34).

In Zephaniah:

Her prophets are very light, men of treacheries; their priests profane what is holy; they violently wrest the law (Zephaniah 3:4).

In Jeremiah:

The priests said not, Where is Jehovah? and they that handle the law have not acknowledged Me, and the prophets have prophesied by Baal, and have walked after those that do not profit. The houses of Israel are ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets (Jeremiah 2:8, 26);

not to mention many other passages where "prophets and priests" are mentioned together, and thereby "priests" are meant those who teach life, and lead to good, and by "prophets" those who teach truths which lead; but in an abstract sense "priests" and "the priesthood" mean the good of love, consequently the good of life, and "prophets" the truth of doctrine, consequently the truth that leads to the good of life; in a word, "prophets" must teach, and "priests" lead.

[19] In Zechariah:

In that day I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, that they may no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land; and it shall come to pass that when any man shall prophesy anymore, his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through. It shall come to pass in that day that the prophets shall be ashamed every man of his vision when they have prophesied, neither shall they wear a tunic of hair to dissemble; and he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a man that tilleth the ground, for a man sold me from boyhood (Zechariah 13:2-5).

This is said of the Lord's coming into the world, and of the abolition of representative worship and of the falsities with which the doctrine of the church then abounded; for the Jewish nation, with which the church was, placed all worship in externals, and nothing in internals, that is, nothing in charity and faith, which are internal, but in sacrifices, and in such things as are external, consequently their worship and doctrine consisted of mere falsities, and the nation itself, viewed in itself, was idolatrous. The abolition of such things by the Lord is described by these words of the prophet; therefore "I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, that they may no more be remembered," signifies the abolition of idolatrous worship, that is, of worship merely external without any internal; "I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land" signifies the abolition of the falsities of doctrine; "when they have prophesied anymore, his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live," signifies that the church to be instituted by the Lord, which shall be an internal church, shall completely extinguish the falsities of doctrine, if anyone shall teach them; "to prophesy" signifying to teach the falsities of doctrine, "father and mother," the church in respect to good and in respect to truth, "father," the church in respect to good, and "mother," the church in respect to truth, and "thou shalt not live" signifying to extinguish. The same is meant by "his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through." The abolition of the falsities of doctrine is meant also by "the prophets shall be ashamed, every man of his vision, neither shall they wear a tunic of hair to dissemble," "prophets" and "their vision" here also meaning the falsities of doctrine, and "to wear a tunic of hair to dissemble" signifying to pervert the external things of the Word such as are in the sense of its letter, for "tunic of hair" with the prophets represented the ultimate sense of the Word, the same as "the raiment of camel's hair" of John the Baptist. His saying "I am a man that tilleth the ground, for a man sold me from boyhood," signifies that this is the case with those of the Jewish Church, which was merely external, not internal, because of their being born in it, and consequently devoted to it.

[20] In Daniel:

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy city of holiness, to finish the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to expiate iniquity, and to bring in the righteousness of the ages, and to seal up the vision and the prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies (Daniel 9:24).

This is said of the Lord's coming, when iniquity is consummated, or when there shall be no longer any good or truth remaining in the church. "Upon the people and upon the city of holiness" signifies upon the church and its doctrine, which are then wholly vastated and extinguished. "To finish the transgression and to seal up sins" signifies when all in the church are in the falsities of doctrine and in evils in respect to life, for, as has been shown at the beginning of this article, the Lord's coming and the Last Judgment therewith do not take place until there is no longer any truth of doctrine or good of life remaining in the church, and this for the reason there mentioned, that the well-disposed may be separated from the ill-disposed. "To bring in the righteousness of the ages" signifies the Last Judgment, when everyone will be rewarded according to his deeds; "to seal up the vision and the prophet" signifies the end of the former church and the beginning of the new, or the end of the external church, which was representative of things spiritual, and the beginning of the internal, which is a spiritual church, "vision and the prophet" meaning the falsities of doctrine; and these same words signify also that the Lord will fulfill all things that are predicted of Him in the Word; "to anoint the holy of holies" signifies the glorification of the Lord's Human by union with the Divine Itself; it signifies also that all worship afterwards must be from love to Him.

[21] In Moses:

Jehovah said unto Moses, I have set thee a god to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet (Exodus 7:1).

The Lord said to Moses, "I have set thee a god to Pharaoh," because Moses represented the Law, by which is meant the Divine truth, and this too is signified by "God" in the spiritual sense; for Moses received from the Lord's mouth the words that he was to say to Pharaoh, and he who receives these is called a "god;" this is why angels are called "gods," and thence also signify Divine truths. That Aaron was "his prophet" signifies that he taught the truth received by Moses and declared it to Pharaoh, for a "prophet," as has been said above, signifies one that teaches truth, and in an abstract sense the doctrine of truth. (But this may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia 7268, 7269.)

[22] This is why the prophets of the Old Testament represented the Lord in relation to the doctrine of Divine truth, and the chief of them represented the Lord in relation to the Word itself, from which comes the doctrine of Divine truth, as Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist; and as the Lord is the Word, that is Divine truth, He Himself in the highest sense is called a "Prophet." As Moses, Elijah, and John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word:

Moses and Elijah appeared speaking with the Lord when He was transfigured (Matthew 17:3, 4; Mark 9:4, 5; Luke 9:30).

There "Moses and Elijah" mean the Word both historical and prophetical, "Moses" the historical Word, and "Elijah" the prophetical, and for the reason that when the Lord was transfigured He presented Himself in the form in which the Divine truth is in heaven. That Elijah represented the Lord as to the Word is evident from the miracles done by Him, all of which signified such things as belong to Divine truth or the Word; and as John the Baptist in like manner represented the Lord as to the Word he was called "Elijah," as can be seen in Malachi:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh; and He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse (Malachi 4:5, 6).

And it is openly declared:

That John was Elijah (Matthew 11:14; 17:10-12; Mark 9:11-13);

not that he was Elijah, but he represented something similar to that which Elijah represented, that is, the Word; and as the Word teaches that the Lord was to come into the world, and because, moreover, in each and all particulars in the inmost sense the Word treats of Him, therefore:

John was sent before Him to teach them that the Lord was to come (as m ay be seen Matthew 11:9, 10; Luke 1:76; 7:26).

[23] From this it can now be seen why the Lord is called a "Prophet," namely, because He was the Word, that is, Divine truth itself (as is evident from John 1:1, 2, 14). That the Lord is called a "Prophet" because He was the Word can be seen also in Moses:

Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken. I will put My words in his mouth, that he may speak unto you all that I shall command him. The man who will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name, of him I will require it (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).

It is said that "Jehovah was to raise up a prophet like Moses," because Moses represented the Lord in relation to the Law, that is, the Word, as has been said above; therefore it is also said of Moses:

That Jehovah spake with him mouth to mouth, and not as with other prophets, by visions, dreams, and dark sayings (Numbers 12:1-8).

By this also the representation of the Lord by Moses is described; for the Lord from Jehovah, that is, from the very Divine that was in Him from conception, spoke with Himself; this is meant by "I will put My words in his mouth, that he may speak unto you all that I shall command him;" and this, too, was represented with Moses by "Jehovah spake with him mouth to mouth, and not as with other prophets." Again this is why:

The Lord is called a Prophet (Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:16; John 7:40, 41; 9:17).

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. Latin has "his," the Greek "thy," as found in AR 340.

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