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numerot 8

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1 Ja Herra puhui Mosekselle sanoen:

2 Puhu Aaronille, ja sano hänelle: koskas lamput panet ylös, niin pitää ne seitsemän lamppua valaiseman juuri kynttiläjalan kohdalla.

3 Ja Aaron teki niin, ja asetti lamput kynttiläjalan kohdalle, niinkuin Herra Mosekselle käskenyt oli.

4 Mutta kynttiläjalka oli tehty lujasta kullasta, varresta niin kukkaisiin asti oli se vahvaa tekoa: sen muodon jälkeen kuin Herra oli Mosekselle näyttänyt, niin teki hän kynttiläjalan.

5 Ja Herra puhui Mosekselle, sanoen:

6 Ota Leviläiset Israelin lapsista ja puhdista heitä.

7 Ja näin pitää sinun tekemän heille, puhdistaakses heitä. Sinun pitää priiskottaman syntivettä heidän päällensä: ja heidän pitää kaiken lihansa päältä karvat ajeleman, ja vaatteensa pesemän, niin he ovat puhtaat.

8 Ja sitte pitää heidän ottaman nuoren mullin, ja sen ruokauhriksi öljyllä sekoitettuja sämpyläjauhoja, ja toisen nuoren mullin pitää sinun ottaman syntiuhriksi.

9 Ja sinun pitää tuoman Leviläiset seurakunnan majan eteen, ja kaiken Israelin lasten kansan kokooman.

10 Ja tuoman Leviläiset Herran eteen: ja Israelin lapset pitää paneman kätensä Leviläisten päälle.

11 Ja Aaronin pitää häälyttämän Leviläiset Israelin lapsilta Herran eteen, Herran palvelusta palvelemaan.

12 Ja Leviläisten pitää laskeman kätensä mullin päälle, ja toinen mulli pitää Herralle syntiuhriksi tehtämän, ja toinen polttouhriksi, Leviläisiä sovittamaan.

13 Ja sinun pitää asettaman Leviläiset Aaronin ja hänen poikainsa eteen, ja häälyttämän heitä häälytykseksi Herralle.

14 Ja sinun pitää eroittaman Leviläiset Israelin lapsista, niin että Leviläiset pitää oleman minun.

15 Ja sitte pitää heidän käymän sisälle palvelemaan seurakunnan majassa, ja pitää sinun heitä puhdistaman, ja häälyttämän heitä häälytykseksi.

16 Sillä he ovat minulle peräti annetut Israelin lasten seasta, ja minä olen heidät ottanut minulleni kaikkein edestä, jotka ensisti avaavat äitinsä kohdun, nimittäin, kaikkein esikoisten edestä Israelin lapsista.

17 Sillä kaikki esikoiset Israelin lapsista ovat minun, sekä ihmisistä että eläimistä: sinä päivänä, kuin minä löin kaikki esikoiset Egyptin maalla, pyhitin minä ne minulleni,

18 Ja otin minulleni Leviläiset, kaikkein esikoisten edestä Israelin lapsista,

19 Ja annoin Leviläiset Aaronille ja hänen pojillensa lahjaksi Israelin lapsista, että heidän pitää seurakunnan majassa Israelin lasten virassa palveleman, ja sovittaman Israelin lapset, ettei rangaistus tulisi Israelin lasten päälle, jos he lähestyisivät pyhää.

20 Ja Moses ynnä Aaronin kanssa, ja koko Israelin seurakunta tekivät Leviläisille kaikki niinkuin Herra oli Mosekselle käskenyt; niin tekivät Israelin lapset heille.

21 Ja Leviläiset puhdistivat itsensä, ja pesivät vaatteensa, ja niin Aaron häälytti heidät häälytykseksi Herran edessä, ja sovitti heitä niin että he puhdistettiin.

22 Ja sitte Leviläiset menivät seurakunnan majaan, virkaansa tekemään Aaronin ja hänen poikainsa eteen: niinkuin Herra oli Mosekselle käskenyt Leviläisistä, niin tekivät he heille.

23 Ja Herra puhui Mosekselle, sanoen:

24 Tämä on se minkä Leviläisten pitää pitämän: viidennestä vuodesta kolmattakymmentä ja sen ylitse, ovat he kelvolliset sotaan menemään ja palvelemaan seurakunnan majassa.

25 Mutta viidennestäkymmenestä vuodesta pitää heidän vapaat oleman palveluksensa virasta, ja ei pidä enää palveleman.

26 Mutta heidän pitää veljeinsä palveluksesta seurakunnan majassa ottaman vaarin; mutta viran töitä ei heidän pidä tekemän. Näin sinun pitää tekemän Leviläisille heidän vartiossansa.

   


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

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Apocalypse Explained # 735

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735. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.- That this signifies combat between those who are for a life of love and charity, and for the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and those who are for faith alone and separated from charity, and who are opposed to the Divine of the Lord in His Human, is evident from the signification of Michael and his angels, as denoting those who are for the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and for a life of love and charity (of which we shall speak presently); and from the signification of the dragon, as denoting those who are for faith alone and separated from the life of love and of charity, and also opposed to the Divine of the Lord in His Human. That those who are in faith separated from charity, which is called faith alone, are meant by the dragon, was shown above (n. 714, 715, 716). The reason why these are also opposed to the Divine of the Lord in His Human, that is the Divine Human, is that most of those who have confirmed themselves in faith alone are merely natural and sensual; and the natural and sensual man, separated from the spiritual, can have no idea of the Divine in the Human. For they think of the Human of the Lord, naturally and sensually, and not at the same time from any spiritual idea; therefore they think of the Lord as of an ordinary man like themselves, and this they also teach; consequently in the idea of their thought they place the Divine of the Lord above His Human, and thus completely separate these two. And they do this although their doctrine, which is the doctrine of Athanasius, concerning the Trinity teaches otherwise, for this teaches that the Divine and Human are united in person, and that these two are one, like the soul and body. Let any one of these examine himself, and he will perceive that such is their idea concerning the Lord.

From these things it is evident what is meant by Michael and his angels, who fought with the dragon, namely, those who acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord and are for a life of love and charity. For such cannot but acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord, because otherwise they could not be in any love to the Lord, nor thus in any charity towards the neighbour, since these are solely from the Lord's Divine Human, and not from the Divine separated from His Human, nor from the Human separated from His Divine; consequently, after the dragon with his angels was cast down unto the earth, a voice out of heaven said, "Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the power (potestas) of His Christ" (verse 10). This makes it clear what is meant by Michael and angels.

[2] In regard to Michael in particular, it is believed from the sense of the letter that he is one of the archangels, but there is no archangel in the heavens. There are indeed higher and lower angels, and also wiser and less wise; and in the societies of angels there are governors who are set over the rest, yet there are no archangels who keep others in obedience by the exercise of arbitrary authority. Such government has no place in the heavens, for there no one acknowledges in heart that any one is above himself but the Lord alone; this is meant by these words of the Lord in Matthew:

"Be not ye called teacher, for one is your teacher, the Christ, but all ye are brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for one is your Father who is in the heavens. Neither be ye called master, for one is your Master, the Christ. He that is greatest among you shall be your minister" (23:8-11).

But those angels that are mentioned in the Word, as Michael and Raphael, mean administrations and functions, and, in general, fixed and determined parts of the administration and function of all the angels. So here Michael means that part of the angelic function which was spoken of above, namely, the defending of that part of doctrine from the Word which teaches that the Human of the Lord is Divine, and also that man must live a life of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour in order that he may receive salvation from the Lord. That part of the angelic function is therefore meant which fights against those who separate the Divine from the Human of the Lord, and who separate faith from the life of love and of charity; in fact those who show forth charity with the lips but not with the life.

[3] Moreover, angels, in the Word, in the spiritual sense do not mean angels, but Divine truths from the Lord, as may be seen above (n. 130, 302), for the reason that angels are not angels from their proprium, but from the reception of Divine Truth from the Lord; it is similar in respect to archangels, who signify that Divine Truth, as said above. The angels in the heavens have not names like men on earth, but they have names expressive of their functions, and, in general, every angel has a name given to him according to his quality; this is why "name," in the Word, signifies the quality of a thing and state. The name Michael, from its derivation in the Hebrew, means "who is like God," therefore Michael signifies the Lord as to the Divine Truth that the Lord is God even as to the Human, and that man must live from Him, that is, in love to Him from Him, and in love towards the neighbour. Michael is also mentioned in Daniel (10:13, 21; 12:1), and signifies there as here, genuine truth from the Word, which is for those who will belong to the church to be established by the Lord; for Michael means those who will be in favour of the doctrine of the New Jerusalem, the two essentials of which doctrine are, that the Human of the Lord is Divine, and that a life of love and charity must be lived.

[4] Michael is also mentioned in the Epistle of Jude, in these words:

"When Michael the archangel, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he durst not utter a sentence of reproach, but said, The Lord rebuke thee" (verse 9).

The apostle Jude quoted these words from ancient books which were written by correspondences, and by Moses in those books the Word was meant, and by his body, the sense of the letter of the Word. And as the same persons are here meant by the devil as are meant in the Apocalypse by the dragon, called also the devil and Satan, it is evident what is signified by Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, namely, that such falsified the sense of the letter of the Word. And because the Word in the letter is of such a nature that the evil can turn it aside from its real meaning, and that nevertheless it can be received by the good according to its true meaning, therefore it was said by the ancient peoples, from whom these words of Jude were received, that "Michael durst not utter a sentence of reproach." That Moses, in the spiritual sense, signifies the law, thus the Word, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 4859 at end, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8787, 8805, 9372, 9414, 9419, 9429, 10234, 10563, 10571, 10607, 10614).

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

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Deuteronomy 20:1-4

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1 When you go forth to battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, [and] a people more than you, you shall not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

2 It shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,

3 and shall tell them, "Hear, Israel, you draw near this day to battle against your enemies: don't let your heart faint; don't be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared of them;

4 for Yahweh your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you."