Apocalypse Revealed # 862
862. We have said that the nations' surrounding the camp of the saints and the beloved city means, symbolically, that these people attempted to destroy everything connected with the New Church, both its truths and goods and its fundamental doctrine regarding the Lord and life, as stated in the preceding number. This is the symbolic meaning because the camp of the saints symbolizes all the truths and goods of the church which is the New Jerusalem.
That a camp in the spiritual sense symbolizes everything connected with the church with respect to its truths and goods can be seen from the following passages:
The sun and moon grew dark, and the stars diminished their brightness. Jehovah uttered His voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for numberless are those who obey His Word. (Joel 2:10-11)
I will encamp for My house some of the army... (Zechariah 9:8)
...God has scattered the bones of them who encamp against you..., because God has rejected them. (Psalms 53:5)
The angel of Jehovah encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. (Psalms 34:7)
(An angel of God met Jacob, and said to Jacob,) "This is God's camp." Therefore he called the name of that place Mahanaim (Two Camps). (Genesis 32:1-2)
And so on elsewhere, as in Isaiah 29:3, Ezekiel 1:24, Psalms 27:3.
That an army or host in the Word symbolizes the church's truths and goods, and also its falsities and evils, may be seen in nos. 447, 826, 833; and so, too, does a camp.
[2] Since the children of Israel and their twelve tribes symbolize the church in respect to all its truths and goods (nos. 349, 350), they were therefore called the armies or hosts of Jehovah (Exodus 7:4; 12:41, 51), and the places where they stopped and assembled were called camps, as in Leviticus 4:12; 8:17; 13:46; 14:8; 16:26, 28; 24:14, 23; Numbers 1; 2; 3; 4:5 ff., 5:2-4; 9:17-23; 10:1-10, 11-28; 11:31-32; 12:14-15; 21:10-15; 33:1-49; Deuteronomy 23:9-14; Amos 4:10.
It is apparent from this now that the nations' surrounding the camp of the saints and the beloved city means, symbolically, that these people tried to destroy all the truths and goods of the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, and also its doctrine regarding the Lord and life.
The same symbolism is found in these verses in Luke:
When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near... (At length) Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:20, 24)
This is said in reference to the end of the age, which is the final period of the church. Jerusalem here also symbolizes the church.
That Gog and Magog, that is, people who engage in external worship divorced from any internal worship, will then invade the church and try to destroy it, is something we are told also in Ezekiel 38:8-9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 39:2, and that the New Church will then be established by the Lord, Ezekiel 39:17-29.
Joshua 19
1
The second lot came out for Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. Their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Judah.
2
They had for their inheritance Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah,
3
Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,
4
Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,
5
Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,
6
Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages;
7
Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan; four cities with their villages;
8
and all the villages that were around these cities to Baalath Beer, Ramah of the South. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.
9
Out of the part of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon; for the portion of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.
10
The third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families. The border of their inheritance was to Sarid.
11
Their border went up westward, even to Maralah, and reached to Dabbesheth. It reached to the brook that is before Jokneam.
12
It turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrise to the border of Chisloth Tabor. It went out to Daberath, and went up to Japhia.
13
From there it passed along eastward to Gath Hepher, to Ethkazin; and it went out at Rimmon which stretches to Neah.
14
The border turned around it on the north to Hannathon; and it ended at the valley of Iphtah El;
15
Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages.
16
This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.
17
The fourth lot came out for Issachar, even for the children of Issachar according to their families.
18
Their border was to Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,
19
Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,
20
Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,
21
Remeth, Engannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.
22
The border reached to Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh. Their border ended at the Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages.
23
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their villages.
24
The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.
25
Their border was Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,
26
Allammelech, Amad, Mishal. It reached to Carmel westward, and to Shihorlibnath.
27
It turned toward the sunrise to Beth Dagon, and reached to Zebulun, and to the valley of Iphtah El northward to Beth Emek and Neiel. It went out to Cabul on the left hand,
28
and Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, even to great Sidon.
29
The border turned to Ramah, to the fortified city of Tyre; and the border turned to Hosah. It ended at the sea by the region of Achzib;
30
Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty-two cities with their villages.
31
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.
32
The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.
33
Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, Adaminekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakkum. It ended at the Jordan.
34
The border turned westward to Aznoth Tabor, and went out from there to Hukkok. It reached to Zebulun on the south, and reached to Asher on the west, and to Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrise.
35
The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,
37
Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor,
38
Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages.
39
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their villages.
40
The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.
41
The border of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, Irshemesh,
42
Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
44
Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,
45
Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,
46
Me Jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border over against Joppa.
47
The border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and lived therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
48
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.
49
So they made an end of distributing the land for inheritance by its borders. The children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun in the midst of them.
50
According to the commandment of Yahweh, they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnathserah in the hill country of Ephraim; and he built the city, and lived there.
51
These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Yahweh, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. So they made an end of dividing the land.
