728. That 'seven days' time' here means the onset of temptation is clear from the internal sense of all the details in this verse, where the subject is the temptation of the man called Noah. In general the subject concerns not only the temptation of that man but also the utter vastation of those who belonged to the Most Ancient Church and who had become such as described. Consequently 'seven days' time' means not only the onset of temptation but also the finish of vastation. The reason 'seven days' time' means those things is that seven Is a holy number, as stated and shown at verse 2 of this chapter, at Genesis 4:15, 24, and in 84-87. It means the Lord's Coming into the world, and also His coming into glory. In particular it means every coming He makes. Every one of His comings involves a beginning for those who are being regenerated and the end of those who are being vastated. And so for the member of this Church His coming marked the onset of temptation, for when someone is being tempted he starts to become a new man and be regenerated. At the same time it was the end of those from the Most Ancient Church who had become of such a character that inevitably they perished. It was similar when the Lord came into the world; at that time the Church had entered the final stages of its vastation, and a new one came into being.

[2] That 'seven days' time' means these things is clear in Daniel,

Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning your people and your holy city to bring transgression to a close and to seal up sins and to atone for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. And you will know and perceive that from the going forth of the Word to restore and to build Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be SEVEN WEEKS. Daniel 9:24-25.

Here 'seventy weeks' and 'seven weeks' are similar in meaning to seven days, namely the Coming of the Lord. But because it is plain prophecy here, periods of time are presented in an even more holy and decided fashion by numbers involving seven. From this quotation it is clear that, when applied in this way to periods of time, 'seven' means not only the Coming of the Lord, but also - in the words stating that He was to anoint the Most Holy Place and that He was to restore and build Jerusalem - the beginning of a new Church at that time, and simultaneously - in the words stating that [seventy] weeks were decreed concerning the holy city to bring transgression to a close and to seal up sin - final vastation.

[3] Similar usages occur elsewhere in the Word, as in Ezekiel where he describes a personal experience,

I came to those in captivity at Tel-abib, who were sitting by the river Chebar, and I sat there seven days, astonished among them And at the end of seven days the Word of Jehovah came to me. Ezekiel 3:15-16.

Here also 'seven days' stands for the onset of visitation, for when he had sat seven days among those in captivity, the Word of Jehovah came to him. In the same prophet,

They will bury Gog, that they may cleanse the land in seven months. At the end of seven months they will make their search. Ezekiel 39:12, 14.

This similarly stands for the final phase of vastation and the first of visitation. In Daniel,

The heart of Nebuchadnezzar will be changed from a man and the heart of a beast given to him, and seven times will pass over him. Daniel 4:16, 25, 31.

This likewise stands for the finish of vastation and the beginning of a new man.

[4] The seventy years of captivity in Babylon represented the same. Whether the number is seventy or seven what is embodied is the same. The same applies whether it is seven days, or seven years, or seven decades which make seventy years. Vastation was represented by the years of captivity, the beginning of a new Church by the liberation and by the rebuilding of the Temple. Jacob's serving in the house of Laban also represented things of a similar nature - where the following is stated,

I will serve you for seven years for Rachel. And he served for seven years. Laban said, Complete the week of this one, and we will give you also the other one for the service you render with me for another seven years. And Jacob did so, and completed the week of this one. Genesis 29:18, 20, 27-28.

Here 'the service of seven years' embodies something similar. And after the period of seven years marriage and freedom followed. The period of these seven years was called a week, as also in Daniel.

[5] Something similar was also represented by the command to go around the city of Jericho seven times, and the wall would collapse. It is also said that they rose at dawn on the seventh day and went around the city, as they were accustomed to do, seven times. And after the seventh time round, the seven priests blew on their seven trumpets and the wall collapsed, Joshua 6:10-20. Unless these events had also had this meaning the command would never have been given to go round seven times, or that there were to be seven priests and seven trumpets. From these and many other places, for example in Job 2:13; Revelation 15:1, 6-7; 21:9, it becomes clear that 'seven days' time' means the beginning of a new Church and the end of the old. Since the subject here is not only the member of the Church called Noah and his temptation, but also the final descendants of the Most Ancient Church who destroyed themselves, 'seven days' time' can mean nothing other than the onset of the temptation of Noah and the finish of the Most Ancient Church, which was the final destruction and extinction of it.

801. 18:24 "선지자들과 성도들과 및 땅 위에서 죽임을 당한 모든 자의 피가 이 성중에서 보였느니라 하더라"

"선지자들과 성도들과 및 땅 위에서 죽임을 당한 모든 자의 피가 이 성중에서 보였느니라 하더라"는 "성 바빌론"이 뜻하는 그 종교적 설득력으로 말미암아 말씀과 거기서 나온 교회의 모든 진리의 섞음질과 모독이 있는 것과 거짓이 그로부터 온 기독교계에 퍼진 것을 뜻한다.

"피"는 말씀을 속이고 섞음질하고 모독한 것을 뜻한다(327, 379, 684). "선지자"는 말씀에서 나온 신적 진리 안에 있는 모든 사람과 추상적으로는 말씀에서 나올 교리의 진리(8, 133)를 뜻한다. "성도들"은 주의 교회에 속한 사람들과 추상적으로는 교회의 거룩한 진리를 (173, 586, 666)뜻한다. "죽임을 당하고"는 영적으로 죽임을 당한 사람을 뜻하고, 또 속임수로 멸망한 사람들을 영적으로 죽임을 당하였다고 한다(325 및 그밖의 많은 곳에). 그리고 "땅"은 교회를 뜻하므로 "땅 위에서 죽임을 당한 모든 자"는 속임수로 멸망한 기독교계 안에 있는 모든 사람을 뜻한다. 그들에게 있는 거짓이 그 종교적 설득력에서 나왔기 때문이다. 예레미아서에도 아래와 같이 바벨에 대하여 언급되어 있다.

"땅의 모든 사람이 죽임을 당하여"(예레미아 51:49, 52)

또 이사야서에는,

"(바벨이 그곳에 있는) 계명성이여 네가 자기 땅을 망케 하였고 자기 백성을 죽였음으로"(이사야 14:20)

많은 거짓들이 바빌론의 종교적 설득력에서 나와 개혁 교회에 들어갔다는 것은 위 751을 보면 알 수 있을 것이다. 거기 이러한 구절이 풀이되어 있다.

"네가 본 바 여자는 땅의 임금들을 다스리는 한 나라를 가지고 있는 큰 성이라"(요한계시록 17:18)