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Zakariás 9

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1 Az Úr igéjének terhe a Kadrák földe ellen; Damaskus lesz pedig annak nyugvóhelye (mert az Úr szemmel tartja az embereket és Izráelnek minden törzsét);

2 És Hámát is, a mely szomszédos vele; Tírus és Sídon, noha igen okosak!

3 Várat épített magának Tírus, és annyi az ezüstje rakáson, mint a por, és az aranya, mint az utczák sara.

4 Ímé szegénynyé teszi õt az Úr, és megrontja hatalmát a tengeren, magát pedig tûz emészti meg.

5 Meglátja [ezt] Askalon és megretten; Gáza is és igen bánkódik; Ekron is, mert megszégyenült reménységében. Mert kivész a király Gázából, és Askalon lakatlan marad.

6 Asdódban pedig idegenek laknak, és a Filiszteusok kevélységét megtöröm.

7 Kivonszom a vért szájukból és útálatosságaikat fogaik közül, és õ is a mi Istenünké marad; és olyan lesz, mint egy fejedelem Júdában, Ekron pedig, mint a Jebuzeus.

8 És tábort járok házam körül, [mint] a sereg ellen, az ide-oda kóborlók ellen, és nem megy át többé rajtok a sarczoló, mert most szemmel tartom õt.

9 Örülj nagyon, Sionnak leánya, örvendezz, Jeruzsálem leánya! Ímé, jön néked a te királyod; igaz és szabadító õ; szegény és szamárháton ülõ, azaz nõstényszamárnak vemhén.

10 És kivesztem a szekeret Efraimból és a lovat Jeruzsálembõl, kivesztem a harczi kézívet is, és békességet hirdet a pogányoknak; és uralkodik tengertõl tengerig, és a folyamtól a föld határáig.

11 Sõt a veled való szövetségnek véréért a te foglyaidat is kibocsátom a kútból, a melyben nincs víz.

12 Térjetek vissza az erõsséghez, reménységnek foglyai! Ma is azt hirdetem [néktek:] kétszeresen megfizetek néked!

13 Mert kifeszítem Júdát magamnak [mintegy] kézívet [és] megtöltöm Efraimot; és felindítom fiaidat, oh Sion, a te fiaid ellen, oh Jáván, és olyanná teszlek, mint a hõs fegyvere.

14 És megjelen felettök az Úr, és nyila repül mint a villámlás; az Úr Isten kürtöt fuvall, és déli szelekben nyomul elõ.

15 A Seregeknek Ura megoltalmazza õket; megemésztik és letapossák a parittya-köveket, és isznak [és] zajongnak, mint a bortól, és megtelnek, mint a csészék [és] mint az oltár szegletei.

16 És megsegíti õket az Úr, az õ Istenök ama napon, mint az õ népének nyáját, és mint korona-kövek ragyognak az õ földén.

17 Oh, mily nagy az õ jósága és mily nagy az õ kedvessége! Ifjakat tesz virágzóvá a gabona, és leányokat a must.

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Apocalypse Revealed # 447

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447. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million. (9:16) This symbolizes their reasonings concerning faith alone, with which they had filled the interiors of their minds, springing from nothing but an abundance of falsities accompanying evil.

Armies symbolize goods and truths, and in an opposite sense, evils and falsities - here falsities accompanying evil, as we will see presently. Horsemen symbolize reasonings concerning faith alone, because a horse symbolizes an understanding of the Word (no. 298) and also a destroyed understanding of the Word (nos. 305, 312, 320). Horsemen consequently symbolize reasonings based on a destroyed understanding of the Word - here reasonings concerning faith alone, because the subject is people caught up in that faith. Two hundred million does not mean two hundred million, but an abundance. The number two is used because two is said in application to goodness, and in an opposite sense, to evil (no. 322); and a hundred million, or ten thousand times ten thousand, is said in application to truths, and in an opposite sense, to falsities (no. 287).

It can be seen from this that the number of the army of horsemen being two hundred million symbolizes reasonings concerning faith alone, with which these people had filled the interiors of their minds, springing from nothing but an abundance of falsities accompanying evil.

[2] That armies in the Word symbolize the goods and truths of heaven and the church, and in an opposite sense, evils and falsities, can be seen from passages where the sun, moon and stars are called armies or hosts, and where the sun symbolizes the goodness of love, the moon the truth of faith, and stars concepts of goodness and truth, and the antithesis in an opposite sense (nos. 51, 53, 332, 413). All of these are called armies or hosts in the following passages:

Praise (Jehovah), all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars...! (Psalms 148:2-3)

My hands stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded. (Isaiah 45:12)

By the word of Jehovah the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. (Psalms 33:6)

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. (Genesis 2:1)

(The male goat's horn) grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground... He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host... And the host was sent under the yoke for its transgression, (because) it cast truth to the ground... Then... a holy one said..., "How long will... the sanctuary and the host be trampled under foot?" (Daniel 8:10-14)

Jehovah has given forth His voice before His army. (Joel 2:11)

...(on the roofs of the houses) they have burned incense to all the host of heaven... (Jeremiah 19:13)

(Lest you bow down to and serve) the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the host of heaven... (Deuteronomy 4:19; cf. 17:3, Jeremiah 8:2)

So, too, Isaiah 13:4; 34:4; 40:26, Jeremiah 33:22, Zechariah 9:8, Revelation 19:14.

[3] Since the hosts of heaven symbolize the goods and truths of heaven and the church, therefore the Lord is called Jehovah Zebaoth, or Jehovah of Hosts. And therefore the ministry of the Levites was called military service (Numbers 4:3, 23, 30, 39).

Moreover, we read in the book of Psalms,

Bless Jehovah, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His will. (Psalms 103:21)

Evils and falsities in the church are symbolically meant by the armies of the nations in Isaiah 34:2; and by the army of the king of the north with which he came against the king of the south, in Daniel 11:13, 15, 20. The king of the north is the falsity accompanying evil in the church, and the king of the south is the truth accompanying goodness in it.

The Lord says,

When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its devastation is near. (Luke 21:20)

Jerusalem there symbolizes the church, and the armies symbolize the evils and falsities that will devastate it. The subject is the end of the age, which is the final period of the church.

Evils and falsities are symbolically meant by armies in Joel,

I will restore to you the years that the locust, the beetle grub, the locust's larva, and the caterpillar has eaten, My great army which I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)

To be shown that the locust and the rest symbolize falsity of the lowest sort, see no. 424 above.

  
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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.