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Daniel 7

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1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head on his bed; then he wrote the dream, the sum of the words that he said.

2 Daniel answered and said, I was seeing in my vision by night, and, lo, the four winds of the heavens rushed at the great sea.

3 And four great animals came·​·up from the sea, different* this from that.

4 The foremost was as a lion, and had wings of an eagle; I was seeing until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted·​·up from the earth, and was raised·​·up on the feet as a man, and a heart of a man was given to it.

5 And lo, another animal, a second, was·​·like a bear, and it raised· itself ·up on one side, and there was three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and they said thus to it, Arise, eat much flesh.

6 In the place of this I was seeing, and lo, another, as a leopard, and it had on the back of it four wings of a fowl; and the animal had four heads; and dominion was given to it.

7 In the place of this I was seeing in the night visions, and lo, a fourth animal, fearful and dreadful, and exceedingly strong; and it had great teeth of iron; it ate·​·up and crushed·​·thin, and trampled what was left with its feet; and it was different from all the animals that were before it; and it had ten horns.

8 I was considering* the horns, and, behold, there came·​·up between them another little horn, from before which there were three from the foremost horns uprooted; and, behold, in this horn were eyes as the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

9 I was seeing until the thrones were cast·​·out, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head as the pure wool; His throne was like the fiery flame, and His rolling wheels as chasing fire.

10 A river of fire emanated and came·​·out from before Him; a thousand thousands ministered to Him, and a myriad of myriads rose·​·up before Him; the judgment did sit, and the books were·​·opened.

11 I was seeing then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke; I was seeing even until the animal was killed, and his body perished, and was given to the burning fire.

12 And what was left of the animals, their dominion was made to pass·​·away; but a lengthening in their lives was given to them until a season and a time.

13 I was seeing in the night visions and lo, one as the Son of Man was coming with the clouds of the heavens, and reached even·​·to the Ancient of Days, and they brought· Him ·near before Him.

14 And there was given to Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and tongues, should serve Him; His dominion is an eternal dominion, which shall not pass·​·away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

15 I Daniel was pierced in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head vexed me.

16 I came·​·near upon one of those who stood by, and sought from him the certainty concerning all this. And he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the thing.

17 These great animals, which are these four, are four kings, which shall arise from the earth.

18 But the holy·​·ones of the Most·​·High shall receive the kingdom, and secure the kingdom even·​·for the age, and even·​·for ages of ages.

19 Then I desired certainty concerning the fourth animal, which was different from all of them, exceedingly fearful, whose teeth were of iron and his nails of bronze, which ate·​·up, crushed·​·thin, and trampled what was left with his feet;

20 and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and the other which came·​·up, and before whom the three fell; and that horn had eyes, and a mouth that spoke great things, and its vision was greater than its friend.

21 I was seeing, and that horn made war* with the holy·​·ones, and prevailed against them,

22 until this Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the holy·​·ones of the Most·​·High; and the time was reached and the holy·​·ones secured the kingdom.

23 Thus he said, The fourth animal shall be the fourth kingdom in the earth, which shall be changed from all the kingdoms, and shall eat·​·up all the earth, and shall tread·​·on her, and crush· her ·thin.

24 And the ten horns from the kingdom are the ten kings that shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and he shall be different* from the foremost, and he shall make·​·low the three kings.

25 And he shall speak words against the Most·​·High, and shall wear·​·down the holy·​·ones of the Most·​·High, and think to change times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and a division of time.

26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall make his dominion to pass·​·away, to blot·​·out and to make it perish until the end.

27 And the kingdom and the dominion, and the majesty of the kingdom under all of the heavens, shall be given to the people of the holy·​·ones of the Most·​·High. His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.

28 Even·​·for now is the end of the thing*. As for me, Daniel, my concerns much vexed me, and my countenance changed upon me; but I kept the thing in my heart.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Apocalypse Explained # 36

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36. Verse 7. Behold, He cometh with the clouds, signifies that the Lord is about to reveal Himself in the Word through the internal sense. This is evident from the signification of "coming," as being, in reference to the Lord, to reveal Himself; and from the signification of "clouds," as being Divine truths in ultimates, thus the Word in the letter; for the Word as to the sense of the letter is Divine truth in ultimates; and since each thing therein contains an internal or spiritual sense, "coming with clouds" means revealing Himself through that sense. That "clouds" signify Divine truths in ultimates is from appearances in the spiritual world. There clouds appear in various kinds of light; in the inmost or third heaven in a flaming light, in the middle or second heaven in a bright white light, and in the outmost or first heaven in a light more dense; and everyone there knows that they signify Divine truth from the Lord through the angels; for when Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, which is the very light of heaven, passes through the angels, it appears as a cloud, purer or denser according to their intelligence. Such clouds have oftentimes been seen by me, and what they signify has also been perceived. This is why "clouds," such as those that appear before the eyes of men in the world, signify Divine truth in ultimates; and as the Word in the letter is Divine truth in ultimates, that is what is meant by "clouds."

[2] He who does not know that "clouds" have this signification, may suppose that the Lord is about to come in clouds for the Last Judgment, and to appear in glory; according to His words in the Evangelists, where He says:

Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and much glory (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27).

"The consummation of the age" which is there treated of is the last time of the church; and the Lord's coming at that time is the revelation of Himself, and of Divine truth which is from Him, in the Word, through the internal sense. Elsewhere than in the Word the Lord does not reveal Himself, nor does He reveal Himself there except through the internal sense. The Word in the internal sense is also signified by "power" and "glory." (That this is fulfilled at this day, namely that the age is consummated, and the Last Judgment accomplished; and also that the Lord has come in the clouds of heaven, that is, has revealed the internal sense of the Word, may be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment, from beginning to end; also in the work on Heaven and Hell 1; also in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n.249-266.

That "the consummation of the age" signifies the last time of the church, see Arcana Coelestia 4535, 10622; that "the coming of the Lord" signifies the revelation of Divine truth through the internal sense, n. 3900, 4060; that "clouds" signify the sense of the letter of the Word, n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8781, 9430, 10551, 10574; that "glory" signifies Divine truth in heaven, thus the internal sense, for this is Divine truth in heaven, n. 5922, 9429[1-7], 10574. The Lord is said to be "about to come in power," because Divine truth, which is from the Lord has all power, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 228-233, 539.) The like is meant by the Lord's words to the high priest:

Jesus said to the high priest, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62).

"The Son of man" is the Lord as to Divine truth; "sitting at the right hand of power" is His omnipotence; "coming in the clouds of heaven" is the revelation of Divine truth respecting Him in the Word, for He has revealed Himself and has also fulfilled all things contained in the internal sense, which treats especially of the glorification of His Human.

[3] The same is signified by "clouds" in the following passages. In Daniel:

I saw in the night visions, and behold there came with the clouds of heaven, one like unto the Son of man (Daniel 7:13);

in Revelation:

I saw, and behold a white cloud; and on the cloud one sat like unto a man, 1 having on his head a crown (Revelation 14:14, 16);

in Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah sitting upon a dense light cloud (Isaiah 19:1);

in David:

Sing unto God, sing praises to His name, extol Him that rideth upon the clouds (Psalms 68:4);

in the same:

Jehovah appointeth the clouds His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind (Psalms 104:3).

Who cannot see that these things are not to be understood according to the sense of the letter, that is, that Jehovah sits upon a cloud, that He rides upon the clouds, and that He makes the clouds His chariot? He who thinks spiritually may know that Jehovah is present in His Divine truth, for this proceeds from Him, consequently that this is what is meant by "clouds there;" so it is also said that Jehovah "appointeth the clouds His chariot;" because by "chariot" is signified the doctrine of truth (See Arcana Coelestia 2762, 5321, 8215).

[4] Likewise in the following places. In Isaiah:

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the higher clouds [pour down] righteousness (Isaiah 45:8);

in Nahum:

The way of Jehovah is with cloud 2 and storm, and clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3);

in David:

Ascribe ye strength unto God; His excellency is over Israel, and His strength is in the higher clouds (Psalms 68:34);

A faithful witness in the clouds (Psalms 89:37);

in Moses:

There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in thy 3 magnificence upon the clouds (Deuteronomy 33:26).

From this it can be seen what is meant by:

The cloud filling the inner court (Ezekiel 10:3-4);

And the cloud resting upon the tent (repeatedly in Moses); also that:

Jesus when He was transfigured, was seen in glory, and a cloud overshadowed the three disciples, and it was said to them out of the cloud, This is my beloved son (Matthew 17:1-10; Mark 9:1-11; Luke 9:28-36).

(See also what is said about the Lord's being in a cloud in the midst of angels, in the little work on The Earths in the Universe 171.)

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The Greek has "the Son of man," as found also in Apocalypse Explained 906; Apocalypse Revealed 642; Arcana Coelestia 9807, 9930.

2. The Hebrew has "storm and tempest," as also found in Apocalypse Explained 419, 594; Arcana Coelestia 2162.

3. The Hebrew has "His," as also found in Apocalypse Explained 594.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.