Arcana Coelestia # 8813
8813. 'That there were voices and lightnings' means a Divine state in which revelation took place. This is clear from the meaning of 'voices', which are the sounds made by claps of thunder, as God's truths; and from the meaning of 'lightnings' as the radiance and brilliance which those truths possess, for God's truths are made brilliant and radiant by the fiery brightness of light that shines from the sun of heaven. This is why 'voices and lightnings' means a Divine state in which revelation takes place, a Divine state being meant by the fact that they come down out of the sky, and revelation by the fact that 'voices' and 'lightnings' mean God's truths. For the meaning of 'voices', which are the products of lightning from the sky, as God's truths, see 7573; and the fact that 'lightnings' means brilliant flashes from them which strike a person's inward eye, enlightening those guided by truth derived from good and bewildering those steeped in falsity arising from evil, is clear from places in the Word where 'lightnings' are mentioned, as in David,
The clouds dropped water, the skies gave voice; and Your arrows went out The voice of Your thunder went into the world, 1 the lightnings lit up the earth, the earth was shaken violently and quaked. Psalms 77:17-18.
Here 'the voice of thunder' stands for God's truth, 7573, 'lightnings' for its brilliance, and 'the earth' for the Church. Consequently ' the lightnings lit up the earth' stands for the enlightenment of the Church by God's truth.
[2] Something similar occurs in the same author,
His lightnings will enlighten the earth, the earth will see and fear; the mountains will melt like wax before Jehovah. Psalms 97:4-5.
In the same author,
What Jehovah wills He does in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all deep places. He causes the vapours to go up from the ends of the earth, He makes lightnings for the rain. Psalms 135:6-7; Jeremiah 10:13; 51:16.
'Lightnings for the rain' stands for the brightness of the truth coming down from heaven. In John,
There were lightnings, voices, and thunders. Revelation 11:19; 16:18.
'Voices, lightnings, and thunders' stands for God's truths which enlighten the good and terrify the evil.
[3] In Ezekiel,
The appearance of the living creatures (who were cherubs) was like burning coals of fire, Like the appearance of lamps. It was moving between the living creatures, so that there was the brightness of fire, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran forth and back, in appearance like a flash of lightning. Ezekiel 1:13-14.
Here 'fire' stands for the good of love, and 'out of the fire went forth lightning' for God's truth derived from that good. The Lord's Divine providence, which is God's truth emanating from the Lord's Divine Good, is described here by 'the cherubs'.
[4] In Daniel, behold, one clothed in linen whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz, and his body was like tarshish; 2 his face was like the appearance of lightning, and his eyes were like fiery torches. Daniel 10:5-6.
'A face like the appearance of lightning' stands for the love of truth; for truth radiated by love carries with it a characteristic, meant by 'lightning', which is like a flame flashing from fire.
[5] In Zechariah,
Jehovah will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning; and the Lord Jehovih will sound a blast on the trumpet, and move forward in storms of the south. Zechariah 9:14.
'The arrow which will go forth like lightning' stands for God's truth which strikes and penetrates, 'an arrow' being truth coming from doctrine, see 2686, 2709, so that 'an arrow from Jehovah' is truth coming from God.
[6] In Nahum,
The glitter of the sword, the lightning-flash of the spear, 3 and the multitude of the slain. Nahum 3:3
In Moses,
I will sharpen My flashing sword 4 . Deuteronomy 32:41.
This stands for the penetration of God's truth as experienced by the evil, 'sword' standing for truth engaged in conflict, 2799, 8294, and 'lightning' for its brightness which strikes the understanding and deprives it of the ability to see truth. Something similar occurs in Ezekiel 21:15, 28. From all this it is also evident that 'lightning' is used to mean God's truth in Matthew 28:3, and Luke 17:24.
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. The Hebrew, word here means a wheel or a whirlwind.
2. A Hebrew word for a particular kind of stone, possibly a beryl.
3. literally, The brightness of the sword, the lightning of the spear
4. literally, the lightning of My sword
Nahum 3
1
Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. The prey doesn't depart.
2
The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots,
3
the horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble on their bodies,
4
because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.
5
"Behold, I am against you," says Yahweh of Armies, "and I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.
6
I will throw abominable filth on you, and make you vile, and will set you a spectacle.
7
It will happen that all those who look at you will flee from you, and say, 'Nineveh is laid waste! Who will mourn for her?' Where will I seek comforters for you?"
8
Are you better than No-Amon, who was situated among the rivers, who had the waters around her; whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea?
9
Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya were her helpers.
10
Yet was she carried away. She went into captivity. Her young children also were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets, and they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
11
You also will be drunken. You will be hidden. You also will seek a stronghold because of the enemy.
12
All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs: if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
13
Behold, your troops in your midst are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars.
14
Draw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.
15
There the fire will devour you. The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust.
16
You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips, and flees away.
17
Your guards are like the locusts, and your officials like the swarms of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day, but when the sun appears, they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
18
Your shepherds slumber, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.
19
There is no healing your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you; for who hasn't felt your endless cruelty?
