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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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True Christian Religion # 754

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754. There are various ways in which a church comes to an end. It happens principally through circumstances which cause falsity to look like truth; and when this happens, the good which is inherently good, what is called spiritual good, can no longer exist. What is then believed to be good is only natural good, the product of a moral life. The reason for truth coming to an end, and good with it, is principally the two natural loves which are diametrically opposed to the two spiritual loves; these are called self-love and love of the world. When self-love is dominant, it is the opposite of love to God; and when the love of the world is dominant, it is the opposite of love towards the neighbour. Self-love is wishing well to no one but oneself, except for selfish reasons; and likewise the love of the world. Once those loves have got a grip, they spread like mortification through the body, and stage by stage destroy every part of it. It is clear that such a love attacked past churches from the description of Babylon (Genesis 11:1-9; Isaiah 13, 14, 47; Jeremiah 50; and in Daniel 2:31-47; 3:1-7ff; and Daniel 5; 6:8-end; Daniel 7:1-14; and in Revelation 17, 18, both from beginning to end). In the end, Babylon vaunted itself so much that it not only transferred to itself the Lord's Divine power, but also did its best to attract to itself all the riches of the world.

[2] Omens and far from misleading appearances allow us to conclude that outside Babylon similar loves would have broken out from many of the leaders of churches, had not their power been checked and so limited. What else might be expected but that such a person would look upon himself as God, the world as heaven, and pervert all the church's truth? For real truth, which is inherently true, cannot be known and acknowledged by a purely natural person; nor can God impart it to him, because it turns upside down and becomes falsity. As well as those two loves there are many more causes for truth and good coming to an end, and so causing the end of churches; but these are secondary causes, subordinate to the two mentioned.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.