117. Internal Meaning of Jeremiah, Chapter 51

Of those who by traditions or reasonings from the natural man have perverted the truths and goods of the church, who are here meant by Babylon. (3)

1-4 All truths of doctrine with them will be destroyed. (3)

5 The Jewish church is such, and is against the Lord. (3)

6 Let them beware of such. (3)

7-10 Those who are there are vastated by such things, and they do not refrain. (3)

11-13 They pervert truths and goods, which they have in abundance. (2, 3)

14-18 They have the Word so that they can be wise, but they falsify it. (2)

19-23 When the judgment overtakes them from the Lord, all things appertaining to them, from firsts to lasts, are to be scattered. (15)

24-26 Their destruction will come, because they have destroyed everything of the church. (15)

27-29 They will seize upon falsities of every kind. (3)

30-32 Hence they will no longer have any power. (2)

33 Her last time is coming. (15, 17)

34-40 They will perish because they have destroyed the church. (15, 2)

41-44 They will be destroyed by mere falsities. (15)

45-50 Let them not come near those who are of the church, lest they perish together with them. (15)

51-53 They cannot resist, however much they trust in themselves. (15, 3)

54-58 Those who trust in their own falsities will come to nothing and will be destroyed. (15)

59-61 This is told to those who in the church have been taken captive by such, and who have become Babylon. 15 (15)

62-64 They are to be cast into hell. (15)

The idea of a "prophet" is very closely tied to the idea of the Bible itself, since the Bible was largely written by prophets. At a lower level, prophets represent people who teach from the Bible. At a higher level, they represent the Lord as He reveals himself through the Bible. Viewed in a abstract way, prophets represent the holy parts of the Bible themselves, and also represent doctrine drawn from the Bible. The reason we say "largely written by prophets" and "the holy parts of the Bible" is that not all of the books currently included in the Bible have a complete and continuous internal sense. Some -- like Job, Ruth, and Song of Solomon -- are wonderful literary pieces that got included, but which lack the systematic meanings for words and phrases. Others -- the Acts and Epistles, primarily -- are really doctrinal works, the first attempt by others to extract meaning from Jesus' life and words.