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Daniel 7

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1 Im ersten Jahre Belsazars, des Königs von Babel, sah Daniel einen Traum und Gesichte seines Hauptes auf seinem Lager. Dann schrieb er den Traum auf, die Summe der Sache berichtete er.

2 Daniel hob an und sprach: Ich schaute in meinem Gesicht bei der Nacht, und siehe, die vier Winde des Himmels brachen los auf das große Meer.

3 Und vier große Tiere stiegen aus dem Meere herauf, eines verschieden von dem anderen. -

4 Das erste war gleich einem Löwen und hatte Adlersflügel; ich schaute, bis seine Flügel ausgerissen wurden, und es von der Erde aufgehoben und wie ein Mensch auf seine Füße gestellt und ihm eines Menschen Herz gegeben wurde. -

5 Und siehe, ein anderes, zweites Tier, gleich einem Bären; und es richtete sich auf einer Seite auf, und es hatte drei Rippen in seinem Maule zwischen seinen Zähnen; und man sprach zu ihm also: Stehe auf, friß viel Fleisch! -

6 Nach diesem schaute ich, und siehe, ein anderes, gleich einem Pardel; und es hatte vier Flügel eines Vogels auf seinem Rücken; und das Tier hatte vier Köpfe, und Herrschaft wurde ihm gegeben.

7 Nach diesem schaute ich in Gesichten der Nacht: und siehe, ein viertes Tier, schrecklich und furchtbar und sehr stark, und es hatte große eiserne Zähne; es fraß und zermalmte, und was übrigblieb, zertrat es mit seinen Füßen; und es war verschieden von allen Tieren, die vor ihm gewesen, und es hatte zehn Hörner.

8 Während ich auf die Hörner achtgab, siehe, da stieg ein anderes, kleines Horn zwischen ihnen empor, und drei von den ersten Hörnern wurden vor ihm ausgerissen; und siehe, an diesem Horne waren Augen wie Menschenaugen, und ein Mund, der große Dinge redete.

9 Ich schaute, bis Throne aufgestellt wurden und ein Alter an Tagen sich setzte: sein Gewand war weiß wie Schnee, und das Haar seines Hauptes wie reine Wolle; sein Thron Feuerflammen, dessen Räder ein loderndes Feuer.

10 Ein Strom von Feuer floß und ging von ihm aus; tausend mal Tausende dienten ihm, und zehntausend mal Zehntausende standen vor ihm. Das Gericht setzte sich, und Bücher wurden aufgetan.

11 Dann schaute ich wegen der Stimme der großen Worte, welche das Horn redete: ich schaute, bis das Tier getötet, und sein Leib zerstört und dem Brande des Feuers übergeben wurde. -

12 Und was die übrigen Tiere betrifft: ihre Herrschaft wurde weggenommen, aber Verlängerung des Lebens ward ihnen gegeben bis auf Zeit und Stunde.

13 Ich schaute in Gesichten der Nacht: und siehe, mit den Wolken des Himmels kam einer wie eines Menschen Sohn; und er kam zu dem Alten an Tagen und wurde vor denselben gebracht.

14 Und ihm wurde Herrschaft und Herrlichkeit und Königtum gegeben, und alle Völker, Völkerschaften und Sprachen dienten ihm; seine Herrschaft ist eine ewige Herrschaft, die nicht vergehen, und sein Königtum ein solches, das nie zerstört werden wird.

15 Mir, Daniel, ward mein Geist in mir tief ergriffen, und die Gesichte meines Hauptes ängstigten mich.

16 Ich nahte zu einem der Dastehenden, um von ihm Gewißheit über dies alles zu erbitten. Und er sagte mir, daß er mir die Deutung der Sache kundtun wolle:

17 Diese großen Tiere, deren vier waren, sind vier Könige, die von der Erde aufstehen werden.

18 Aber die Heiligen der höchsten Örter werden das Reich empfangen, und werden das Reich besitzen bis in Ewigkeit, ja, bis in die Ewigkeit der Ewigkeiten.

19 Darauf begehrte ich Gewißheit über das vierte Tier, welches von allen anderen verschieden war, sehr schrecklich, dessen Zähne von Eisen und dessen Klauen von Erz waren, welches fraß, zermalmte, und was übrigblieb, mit seinen Füßen zertrat;

20 und über die zehn Hörner auf seinem Kopfe; und über das andere Horn, welches emporstieg, und vor welchem drei abfielen; und das Horn hatte Augen und einen Mund, der große Dinge redete, und sein Aussehen war größer als das seiner Genossen.

21 Ich sah, wie dieses Horn Krieg wider die Heiligen führte und sie besiegte,

22 bis der Alte an Tagen kam, und das Gericht den Heiligen der höchsten Örter gegeben wurde, und die Zeit kam, da die Heiligen das Reich in Besitz nahmen. -

23 Er sprach also: Das vierte Tier: ein viertes Königreich wird auf Erden sein, welches von allen Königreichen verschieden sein wird; und es wird die ganze Erde verzehren und sie zertreten und sie zermalmen.

24 Und die zehn Hörner: aus jenem Königreich werden zehn Könige aufstehen; und ein anderer wird nach ihnen aufstehen, und dieser wird verschieden sein von den vorigen und wird drei Könige erniedrigen.

25 Und er wird Worte reden gegen den Höchsten und die Heiligen der höchsten Örter vernichten; und er wird darauf sinnen, Zeiten und Gesetz zu ändern, und sie werden eine Zeit und Zeiten und eine halbe Zeit in seine Hand gegeben werden.

26 Aber das Gericht wird sich setzen; und man wird seine Herrschaft wegnehmen, um sie zu vernichten und zu zerstören bis zum Ende.

27 Und das Reich und die Herrschaft und die Größe der Königreiche unter dem ganzen Himmel wird dem Volke der Heiligen der höchsten Örter gegeben werden. Sein Reich ist ein ewiges Reich, und alle Herrschaften werden ihm dienen und gehorchen. -

28 Bis hierher das Ende der Sache. Mich, Daniel, ängstigten meine Gedanken sehr, und meine Gesichtsfarbe veränderte sich an mir; und ich bewahrte die Sache in meinem Herzen.

   

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Apocalypse Revealed # 256

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256. CHAPTER 5

1. And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

2. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to loose its seals?"

3. And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book, or to look in it.

4. So I wept much, that no one was found worthy to open and read the book, or to look in it.

5. But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book and to loose its seven seals."

6. And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as though slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

7. Then He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

8. Now when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a lyre, and a golden bowl full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

9. And they sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals, because You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

10. and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth."

11. Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,

12. saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and... honor and glory and blessing!"

13. And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, "Blessing and honor and glory and strength be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

14. Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

THE SPIRITUAL MEANING

The Contents of the Whole Chapter

The meaning is that the Lord in His Divine humanity will execute a judgment based on the Word and in accordance with it, because He embodies the Word; and that all in the three heavens acknowledge this.

The Contents of the Individual Verses:

Verse ContentsSpiritual Meaning
1. And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back,The Lord in respect to His underlying Divinity from eternity, to whom belongs omnipotence and omniscience, and who embodies the Word,
sealed with seven seals.the Word completely hidden from angel and man.
2. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice,Divine truth flowing in from the Lord deeply in angels and people.
"Who is worthy to open the book and to loose its seals?"Who has the power to know the states of life of all in heaven and on earth and to judge each one according to his state?
3. And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was ableNo one in the higher heavens or in the lower heavens [had the power]
to open the book,to know the states of life of all and to judge each one according to his state.
or to look in it.Not the least power.
4. So I wept much, that no one was found worthy to open and read the book, or to look in it.Grief of heart, that if no one could do this, all would perish.
5. But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep.Consolation.
Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailedThe Lord, who by His own power conquered the hells and put everything into order when He was in the world, through the Divine goodness united to the Divine truth in His humanity.
to open the book and to loose its seven seals."The same here as before [verses 2, 3].
6. And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders,From the inmost elements of heaven, the Word, and the church, and so in all their constituents.
a Lamb standing as though slain,The Lord in respect to His humanity not acknowledged in the church as Divine.
having seven hornsHis omnipotence.
and seven eyes,His omniscience and Divine wisdom,
which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.that from it emanates Divine truth throughout the whole world, wherever religion is found.
7. Then He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.The Lord in respect to His Divine humanity embodies the Word, and this from His Divinity within Him, and thus He will execute judgment based on His Divine humanity.
8. Now when He had taken the book,When the Lord prepared to execute judgment, and thereby put back into order everything in heaven and on earth.
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb,A humility and worship of the Lord on the part of the higher heavens.
each having a lyre,A confession of the Lord's Divine humanity springing from spiritual truths.
and a golden bowl full of incense,A confession of the Lord's Divine humanity springing from spiritual goods.
which are the prayers of the saints.Thoughts that are matters of faith springing from affections that are matters of charity in people who worship the Lord in accord with spiritual goods and truths.
9. And they sang a new song,An acknowledgment and glorification of the Lord as being the only judge, redeemer and savior, thus God of heaven and earth.
saying, "You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals,The same here as before [verses 2, 3].
because You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood,Deliverance from hell and salvation by conjunction with Him.
out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,The Lord has redeemed those in the church or in any other religion who are impelled by truths in respect to their doctrine and by goods in respect to their life.
10. and have made us kings and priests to our God;They have from the Lord wisdom from Divine truths and love from Divine goods.
and we shall reign on the earth."And they will dwell in His kingdom, He in them and they in Him.
11. Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders;A confession and glorification of the Lord by angels of the lower heavens,
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,all possessing truths and goods.
12. saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and... honor and gloryA confession from the heart that to the Lord in His Divine humanity belong omnipotence, omniscience, Divine good and Divine truth -
and blessing!"all these being in Him, and from Him in them.
13. And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying,A confession and glorification of the Lord by angels of the lowest heavens,
"Blessing and honor and glory and strength be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"that present in the Lord from eternity and so in His Divine humanity is everything of heaven and the church - Divine good and truth, and Divine power - and that these are present in them from Him.
14. Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!"A Divine confirmation from the Word.
And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.Humility before the Lord on the part of all in the heavens, and out of humility worship of Him, from whom and in whom is eternal life.

THE EXPOSITION

And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back. (5:1) This symbolizes the Lord in respect to His underlying Divinity from eternity, to whom belongs omnipotence and omniscience, and who embodies the Word, who also of Himself knows the states of life of all in heaven and on earth, in every particular and in their entirety.

He who sat on the throne means the Lord in respect to His underlying Divinity from which His humanity originates, for the statement follows that the Lamb took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne (verse 7), and the Lamb means the Lord in respect to His humanity. The book written inside and on the back means the Word in every particular and in its entirety - "inside" meaning in every particular, and "on the back," in its entirety. Inside and on the back also mean the inner meaning of the Word, which is spiritual, and its outer meaning, which is natural. The right hand means the Lord in respect to His omnipotence and omniscience, because the subject is the exploration of all in heaven and on earth on whom the Last Judgment would fall, and their separation.

As the embodiment of the Word, the Lord knows of Himself the states of life of all in heaven and on earth, because He is Divine truth itself, and Divine truth itself, of itself, knows everything. This, however, is a secret which we disclosed in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom.

The fact that the Lord was the Word, that is to say, Divine truth, in respect to His Divinity from eternity is apparent from this statement in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

And the fact that the Lord came to embody the Word even in respect to His humanity, from this statement also in John:

And the Word became flesh... (John 1:14)

It can be seen from this what is meant by the testimony that the book was in right hand of Him who sat on the throne, and that the Lamb took the book from it (verse 7).

[2] Since the Lord embodies the Word, and the Word is the Divine truth which forms heaven and the church in general, and each angel in particular so as to have heaven in him, and each person so as to have the church in him, and because the Word is here meant by the book on the basis of which and according to which all are to be judged, therefore we find references here and there to being written in the book, to being judged on the basis of the book, and to being blotted out from the book, where the subject is someone's state of eternal life, as in the following places:

(The Ancient of Days) sat in judgment, and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:10)

...your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. (Daniel 12:1)

My frame was not hidden from You... ...on Your book were written all the days..., and not one of them is missing. (Psalms 139:15-16)

(Moses said,) ."..I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written." And Jehovah said..., "He who has sinned against Me, him I will blot out of My book." (Exodus 32:32-33)

Let them be blotted out of the book of life, and not be written with the righteous. (Psalms 69:28)

I saw (that) books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things which were written in the Book, according to their works..., and if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:12-15)

There shall not enter into (the New Jerusalem) anything... but those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. (Revelation 21:27)

All... will worship (the beast), whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb... (Revelation 13:8, cf. 17:8)

That the Book means the Word may be seen in the book of Psalms:

In the scroll of the book it is written of me. (Psalms 40:7)

And in Ezekiel:

I looked, and lo, there was a hand stretched out to me, and... in it the scroll of a book... written in front and in back... (Ezekiel 2:9-10)

...the book of the words of Isaiah... (Luke 3:4)

...the Book of Psalms... (Luke 20:42)

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

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The Foundations of the Church

Napsal(a) Bill Woofenden

"The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods." Psalm 24:1-2

Additional readings: Daniel 7:1, 15-28, John 10:1-17

Before the rise of modern science it was thought that the ocean was the basis of creation and that the world was literally founded on it, as some sort of large floating, yet stationary island. This concept, while not true literally, is a correspondential image of the truth that is conveyed in the internal sense by the words of our text.

"The word ‘earth’ or ‘land’ in the Word…denotes the people who are in it, and in fact the people of the church, thus the church itself" (Arcana Coelestia 1066). When we read, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1), a new church or spiritual development is what is meant. And when we read, "the fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon the earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, " not monarchical sovereignties but the states of the church are signified. So in our text the church is meant. The church is the Lord’s kingdom on earth, and it is founded upon the eternal truths of the Word in ultimates. Our text reads, "The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." Here we find the two words "earth" and "world." They are not used for literary effect, though the dual expressions that abound throughout the Word add much to its literary beauty. The earth refers to the church as to its truths and the fullness to their abundance, and the world refers to the church as to its goodness. "They that dwell therein" are the people in whom this truth and goodness dwell.

Thus we learn from these verses that the church is the Lord’s as to its good and truth. And the reason is given: "For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods." In the Hebrew the word translated floods is the term used for large rivers; so a more accurate translation would be "founded it upon the rivers."

The seas upon which the church is founded are the knowledges of truth that are contained in the Word. We recall that rivers watered the Garden of Eden. Rivers represent doctrines drawn from the Word that make these truths applicable to life, and because both are needed, it is said that He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

When we stand on the shore of the Atlantic, we cannot see its utmost limits; we can see but a small part of it, while rivers, which terminate in the sea, are those more particularly defined truths which terminate finally in general truths but have their source as it were in the mountains and hills of heaven. Thus these two verses with which the twenty-fourth Psalm opens in their spiritual meaning teach us that the church is founded upon the knowledge of truth and good rationally understood.

The church is founded upon the seas of the sense of the letter of the Word, or on Divine revelation, upon the whole vast, indefinable mass of knowledge expressed in the written statements of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, but it is established upon the doctrines through which it is rationally understood—the flowing, living truths that enter the mind of each individual from God out of heaven. And just as the earth is said to be founded, built up, and established, so the church is founded on revelation and established in the hearts and minds of men as that revelation is received and understood.

The Writings of the church put this very clearly in these words: "The church is from the Word, and it is such as its understanding of the Word is…The Word is the Word according to the understanding of it with man; that is, as it is understood. If it is not understood, the Word is indeed called the Word, but with man it is not." (Doctrine of Sacred Scripture 76-77). And again, "The Word is not understood without doctrine" (Doctrine of Sacred Scripture 50). The text has a very practical lesson for us. By the truths of the Word we are brought in touch with the Lord, who is the Word. Man does not live from himself. He was created by a power outside of himself. And this same power keeps him alive from day to day and gives him eternal life.

The importance to us of truths from the Word is emphasized throughout the Writings. We are living in a time of amazing increase in knowledge about the external world, knowledge that has made this and other nations immensely prosperous. Yet only obedience to the truths that the Lord has given us can make prosperity a safe blessing. Listen to what the Writings of our church say about the truths of the Word: "Faith is formed by truth. By truth is charity to the neighbor. By truth is conscience. By truth is innocence. By truth is purification from evil. By truths is intelligence and wisdom. By truths is the beauty of angels, and thus of men internally as to the spirit. By truths is the order of heaven. By truths man becomes truly man. Yet all these come through good, and not through truths without good, and all good is from the Lord." This is a magnificent, yet exactly just description of the office of truth revealed in its strength.

The church should be the gathering and distributing point of spiritual life. Her purpose is to proclaim the Lord’s words, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:22), and to draw men into a living relationship with the Lord. She is here to help us to a knowledge of what is right and just, that our hearts may be inspired with a desire to establish the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

This past year was one of the most prosperous in our nation’s history. At the beginning of every year people hope that it will be a highly prosperous one. The desire for prosperity seems to be the passion of the day. But is the world alive to the duty of self-conquest, to the duty of learning and doing the Lord’s will? What is all this abundance for? What is it worth unless well-dispositioned souls possess and administer it?

The Gospel teaches us, "A man’s life consisteth not in the things that he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). Possessions do not make the man. In these words, the Lord is trying to make us see that it is the quality of the possessor which is the important thing. Otherwise, his possessions, however great, are of no essential value to him. Even abundance of worldly learning without self-conquest cannot be a lasting blessing. Neither worldly possessions nor worldly knowledge can make a man rich.

"The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof." The earth with all its fullness was made for man. The Word was given that the way of life might be made known. The Lord came into the world to make life more abundant.

We need to know that He spoke the truth when He said, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18), and that He can say and He alone, "I have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18).

The Lord cannot found and establish His church among people by whom He is not acknowledged to be the All in All. Those who claim His Divine things as their own are thieves and robbers who seek to climb up another way than the true one. But those who acknowledge that "the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" and that without Him they can do nothing are those who enter through the door into the sheepfold, for the Lord is the Door, and it is He Who really enters and to Whom the porter opens. Those who come before Him, who put their own desires and ambitions first, do not hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow Him (John 10:1-17). But those who find their greatest strength and security in humility and in self-abnegation cannot want any good thing, for the Lord is their Shepherd and they know from the heart that "The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein: for He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods." Enlightened by the Lord, they see and follow the truths which are born in them of the Lord and the church, and they know, acknowledge, and believe that "there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: god shall help her, and that right early" (Psalm 46:4).

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