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Genesis 17

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1 And Abram was a son of ninety years and nine years; and Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am God Shaddai*; walk thou before Me, and be thou perfect.

2 And I will give My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee very exceedingly.

3 And Abram fell on his faces; and God spoke with him saying:

4 I, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be for a father of a multitude of nations.

5 And thy name shall no more be called Abram; and thy name shall be Abraham, for as the father of a multitude of nations have I given thee.

6 And I will make· thee ·fruitful very exceedingly, and I will make thee into nations, and kings shall go·​·out from thee.

7 And I will raise·​·up My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee, to their generations, for an eternal covenant, to be to thee for God, and to thy seed after thee.

8 And I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an eternal possession; and I will be to them for God.

9 And God said to Abraham, And thou shalt keep My covenant, thou and thy seed after thee, to their generations.

10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee: every male shall be circumcised to you.

11 And you shall cut·​·off the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and you.

12 And a son of eight days shall be circumcised to you, every male in your generations, he that is born of the house, and he that is bought with silver from every son of a foreigner who is not of thy seed.

13 Circumcising he shall be circumcised that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy silver; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an eternal covenant.

14 And the uncircumcised male, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut·​·off from his peoples; he has made· My covenant ·of·​·none·​·effect.

15 And God said to Abraham, Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.

16 And I will bless her, and will also give to thee a son from her; and I will bless her, and she shall be for nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.

17 And Abraham fell upon his faces, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall one be·​·born to a son of a hundred years? And shall Sarah, who is a daughter of ninety years, give·​·birth?

18 And Abraham said to God, Would·​·that Ishmael might live before Thee!

19 And God said, Indeed Sarah, thy wife, shall give·​·birth to a son for thee, and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will raise·​·up My covenant with him for an eternal covenant, to his seed after him.

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee; behold I will bless him, and will make· him ·fruitful, and will multiply him very exceedingly; twelve chiefs shall he beget, and I will make him into a great nation.

21 And My covenant will I raise·​·up with Isaac, to whom Sarah shall give·​·birth for thee at this appointed·​·time in the year after.

22 And He completed speaking with him; and God went·​·up from over Abraham.

23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his silver, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in this same day, as God spoke with him.

24 And Abraham was a son of ninety and nine years, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25 And Ishmael his son was a son of thirteen years, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26 In this same day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

27 And all the men of his house, he that was born in the house, and he that was bought with silver from the son of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

   


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

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Apocalypse Revealed # 598

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598. 13:13 "It also performs great signs." This symbolizes certifications that their teachings are true, even though they are false.

Signs symbolize certifications that things are true, because signs once occurred to attest to a truth. But after signs and miracles ceased, their symbolism still remained, which is the certification of a truth. Here, however, signs symbolize certifications by the beast or false prophet that its falsities were true, because that is how falsities appear after they are defended.

That signs symbolize certifications that something is true can be seen from the following passages:

(At the end of the age) false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22).

There will also be fearful... signs from heaven... There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars..., the sea and the waves roaring. (Luke 21:11, 25)

(Jehovah) frustrates the signs of liars, drives diviners mad, turning back wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish. (Isaiah 44:25)

Do not learn the way of the gentiles, and do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven. (Jeremiah 10:2)

...they are spirits of demons, performing signs..., to gather them to the battle of that great day... (Revelation 16:14)

Then the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who worked signs in its presence, (and) led astray... (Revelation 19:20)

[2] That signs were certifications that something was a truth is further apparent from the following:

(The disciples said to Jesus,) "What sign do You perform then, that we may... believe You? What work do You do?" (John 6:30-33)

The Jews, scribes and Pharisees sought a sign from the Lord, that they might know He was the Christ (Matthew 12:38-40; 16:1-4, Mark 8:11-12.

(The disciples said to Jesus,) "What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3, cf. Mark 13:4)

...if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, still they will believe the message of the latter sign. (Exodus 4:8-9)

The message of a sign is a certification.

They have set among them the messages of His signs... (Psalms 105:27)

(Jehovah said to Ahaz,) "Ask a sign for yourself from Jehovah...." (Isaiah 7:11, 14)

This is the sign to you from Jehovah...: "Behold, I will turn back the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down on the sundial of Ahaz...." (Isaiah 38:7-8)

Hezekiah said, "What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah?" (Isaiah 38:22)

This shall be a sign to you..., that I will visit you in this place, that you may know that My words will... stand... (Jeremiah 44:29-30)

Show me a sign (O Jehovah) for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed. (Psalms 86:17)

They will... announce to us what will happen..., that we may set our heart... Show the sign that is to come..., that we may know that you are gods. (Isaiah 41:22-23)

Your enemies roar in the midst of your festival; they set up their banners as signs. (Psalms 74:3-4, 9)

And so on elsewhere, as in Isaiah 45:11; 55:13; Jeremiah 32:20-21; Ezekiel 4:3; Psalms 65:6-8; 78:42, 43; Exodus 7:3; Numbers 14:11, 22; Deuteronomy 4:34; 13:1-3; Judges 6:17, 21; 1 Samuel 2:34; 14:10; Mark 16:17, 18, 20; Luke 2:11, 12, 16).

Signs of the covenant have a similar symbolic meaning in Genesis 9:13; 17:11, Ezekiel 20:12, 20.

[3] It can be clearly seen from this that the great signs that this beast of the dragon performed do not mean signs, but certifications by the clergy that their teachings are true. For every heretic who confirms himself in falsities, afterward certifies that his falsities are true. Indeed, he does not see truths any longer, since the certification of a falsity is a denial of the truth, and truth denied loses its light. Moreover, in the measure that the light of their certification causes falsities to shine with an illusory light, in the same measure the light of truth becomes darkness (as may be seen in no. 566 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.