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Ezequiel 17

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1 Y FUÉ á mí palabra de Jehová, diciendo:

2 Hijo del hombre, propón una figura, y compón una parábola á la casa de Israel.

3 Y dirás: Así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: Una grande águila, de grandes alas y de largos miembros, llena de plumas de diversos colores, vino al Líbano, y tomó el cogollo del cedro:

4 Arrancó el principal de sus renuevos, y llevólo á la tierra de mercaderes, y púsolo en la ciudad de los negociantes.

5 Tomó también de la simiente de la tierra, y púsola en un campo bueno para sembrar, plantóla junto á grandes aguas, púsola como un sauce.

6 Y brotó, é hízose una vid de mucha rama, baja de estatura, que sus ramas la miraban, y sus raíces estaban debajo de ella: así que se hizo una vid, y arrojó sarmientos, y echó mugrones.

7 Y fué otra grande águila, de grandes alas y de muchas plumas; y he aquí que esta vid juntó cerca de ella sus raíces, y extendió hacia ella sus ramos, para ser regada por ella por los surcos de su plantío.

8 En un buen campo, junto á muchas aguas fué plantada, para que hiciese ramos y llevase fruto, y para que fuese vid robusta.

9 Di: Así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: ¿Será prosperada? ¿No arrancará sus raíces, y destruirá su fruto, y secaráse? Todas las hojas de su lozanía secará, y no con gran brazo, ni con mucha gente, arrancándola de sus raíces.

10 Y he aquí que plantada está ella, ¿será prosperada? ¿No se secará del todo cuando el viento solano la tocare? En los surcos de su verdor se secará.

11 Y fué á mí palabra de Jehová, diciendo:

12 Di ahora á la casa rebelde: ¿No habéis entendido qué significan estas cosas? Diles: He aquí que el rey de Babilonia vino á Jerusalem, y tomó tu rey y sus príncipes, y llevólos consigo á Babilonia.

13 Tomó también de la simiente del reino, é hizo con él alianza, y trájole á juramento; y tomó los fuertes de la tierra,

14 Para que el reino fuese abatido y no se levantase, sino que guardase su alianza y estuviese en ella.

15 Rebelóse empero contra él enviando sus embajadores á Egipto, para que le diese caballos y mucha gente. ¿Será prosperado, escapará, el que estas cosas hizo? ¿y el que rompió la alianza, podrá huir?

16 Vivo yo, dice el Señor Jehová, que morirá en medio de Babilonia, en el lugar del rey que le hizo reinar, cuyo juramento menospreció, y cuya alianza con él hecha rompió.

17 Y no con grande ejército, ni con mucha compañía hará con él Faraón en la batalla, cuando funden baluarte y edifiquen bastiones para cortar muchas vidas.

18 Pues menospreció el juramento, para invalidar el concierto cuando he aquí que había dado su mano, é hizo todas estas cosas, no escapará.

19 Por tanto, así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: Vivo yo, que el juramento mío que menospreció, y mi concierto que ha invalidado, tornaré sobre su cabeza.

20 Y extenderé sobre él mi red, y será preso en mi malla; y hacerlo he venir á Babilonia, y allí estaré á juicio con él, por su prevaricación con que contra mí se ha rebelado.

21 Y todos sus fugitivos con todos sus escuadrones caerán á cuchillo, y los que quedaren serán esparcidos á todo viento; y sabréis que yo Jehová he hablado.

22 Así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: Y tomaré yo del cogollo de aquel alto cedro, y pondrélo; del principal de sus renuevos cortaré un tallo, y plantarlo he yo sobre el monte alto y sublime;

23 En el monte alto de Israel lo plantaré, y alzará ramos, y llevará fruto, y haráse magnífico cedro; y habitarán debajo de él todas las aves, toda cosa que vuela habitará á la sombra de sus ramos.

24 Y sabrán todos los árboles del campo que yo Jehová abatí el árbol sublime, levanté el árbol bajo, hice secar el árbol verde, é hice reverdecer el árbol seco. Yo Jehová hablé é hice.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 578

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578. Out of their mouths went out fire, and smoke, and brimstone, signifies thoughts and consequent reasonings springing from the love of evil and from the love of falsity, and from the lust for destroying truths and goods by the falsities of evil. This is evident from the signification of the "mouth," as being thought and consequent reasoning respecting which see in the explanation of verse 19); from the signification of "fire," as being the love of self and the love of evil therefrom (See above, n. 504, 539); from the signification of "smoke," as being the dense falsity springing from the love of evil (See also above, n. 494, 539); and from the signification of "brimstone," as being the lust of destroying the truths and goods of the church by the falsities of evil.

[2] That this is the signification of "brimstone" can be seen from passages of the Word where it is mentioned. Thus in Moses:

Jehovah made brimstone and fire to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24).

In Luke:

In the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. After the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed (Luke 17:29, 30).

Those who were in Sodom and Gomorrah mean those who are in the falsities of evil from the love of self; and since the falsities of evil from that love destroyed them, it rained brimstone and fire, "brimstone" because of the lust of destroying the church by the falsities of evil, and "fire" because that lust burst forth from the love of self. That it should be thus "when the Son of man should be revealed," signifies that then, too, falsities of evil from the love of self will destroy the church. Such rain appears in the spiritual world when the evil who are in falsities from that love are cast down into hell.

[3] In Moses:

What shall your sons say, and the alien, when they shall see the plagues of that land, and its sicknesses. The whole land is brimstone and salt, and a conflagration; it is not sown, it doth not spring up, nor doth any herb grow upon it, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim (Deuteronomy 29:22, 23).

These were the curses with which the sons of Israel were threatened if they did not keep the commandments and statutes, and if they worshiped other gods; and because the church is thus laid waste and destroyed by the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity it is said that "the whole land is then brimstone, and salt, and conflagration," the "land" signifying the church; and "it will not be sown, nor spring up, nor any herb grow upon it," signifies that no longer will any truth from good be received or brought forth.

[4] In Isaiah:

Topheth is prepared of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he shall go down into a deep and wide place; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it (Isaiah 30:33).

"Topheth" signifies the hell in which the direful and cruel love of destroying all the truths and goods of the church reigns, especially the cruel lust for destroying the goods of innocence; that this direful hell is from the falsities of evil is signified by "he shall go down into a deep and wide place;" the "king for whom it is prepared" signifies infernal falsity itself; "the pile thereof is fire and wood," signifies evils of every kind belonging to that love; and because that hell burns with a lust for destroying, it is said, "the breath of Jehovah like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it;" for there, as soon as they hear from anyone the truths of the church and perceive its goods, they are inflamed with a frenzy for destroying and extinguishing them.

[5] In Isaiah:

The day of Jehovah's vengeance, and the year of retribution for the controversy of Zion, and the brooks thereof shall be turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone, and its land shall become burning pitch; it shall not be quenched night or day, the smoke thereof shall go up forever (Isaiah 34:8-10).

"The day of Jehovah's vengeance, and the year of retribution for the controversy of Zion" signifies the Lord's coming, and the Last Judgment then accomplished by Him; "the brooks shall be turned into pitch, and the dust into brimstone," signifies the hell into which those are cast, who are in the falsities of evil, and in the evils of falsity; the evil of infernal love and its punishment are signified by "the burning pitch shall not be quenched night or day;" and the direful falsity from that evil is signified by "the smoke shall go up forever."

[6] In Ezekiel:

And I will plead with Gog with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him an overflowing rain and hailstones, fire and brimstone (Ezekiel 38:22).

By "Gog" is meant those who place all worship in a holy and pious external, and not in what is internal, and yet the quality of external worship is the same as the quality of its internal. It is said, "Jehovah shall rain upon them an overflowing rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone," which signifies falsities and evils destroying all the truths and goods of the church; "fire and brimstone" mean the evils of falsity and the falsities of evil, both of which are diabolical.

[7] In David:

Jehovah shall rain upon the wicked snares, fire, and brimstone; and a wind of storms shall be the portion of their cup (Psalms 11:6).

This signifies that the wicked will be destroyed by their own evils of falsity and their own falsities of evil, which will destroy with them all truths of the church; "snares, fire, and brimstone," mean the evils of falsity and the falsities of evil; "the wind of storms which shall be the portion of their cup," signifies the destruction of all truth. Evidently it is not meant that Jehovah will rain fire and brimstone upon the wicked, for it is also said that "He will rain snares" upon them; therefore "fire and brimstone" signify such things as totally destroy the truths and goods of the church.

[8] Likewise in Job:

Brimstone shall be scattered upon the habitation of the wicked one (Acts of the Apostles 18:15).

"Brimstone" means such falsity of evil as destroys everything of the church with man; this is falsity from the evil of the love of self, such as those were in who dwelt in Sodom and Gomorrah, respecting which is said:

That it overthrew not only the cities and inhabitants, but also the plain and that which springeth up in the field (Genesis 19:25);

"that which springeth up in the field" signifies the truths of the church springing up. "Fire and brimstone" have a like signification in the following passages in Revelation:

If anyone worship the beast and his image he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone (Revelation 14:9, 10).

The beast and the false prophet were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20).

The devil was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are the beast and the false prophet (Revelation 20:10).

The murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8).

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