Bible

 

Daniel 7

Studie

   

1 Nang unang taon ni Belsasar na hari sa Babilonia, ay nagtaglay si Daniel ng isang panaginip at mga pangitain ng kaniyang ulo sa kaniyang higaan: nang magkagayo'y kaniyang isinulat ang panaginip, at isinaysay ang kabuoan ng mga bagay.

2 Si Daniel ay nagsalita, at nagsabi, May nakita ako sa aking pangitain sa kinagabihan, at, narito, ang apat na hangin ng langit ay nagsisihihip sa malaking dagat.

3 At apat na malaking hayop na magkakaiba ay nagsiahon mula sa dagat,

4 Ang una'y gaya ng leon, at may mga pakpak ng aguila: aking minasdan hanggang sa ang mga pakpak niyao'y nahugot, at ito'y nataas mula sa lupa, at pinatayo sa dalawang paa na gaya ng isang tao; at puso ng tao ang nabigay sa kaniya.

5 At, narito, ang ibang hayop, na ikalawa, na gaya ng isang oso; at lumitaw sa isang tagiliran, at tatlong tadyang ang nasa kaniyang bibig sa pagitan ng kaniyang mga ngipin: at sinabi ng mga ito ang ganito sa kaniya, Bumangon ka, manakmal ka ng maraming laman.

6 Pagkatapos nito'y tumingin ako, at narito ang iba, gaya ng isang leopardo, na mayroon sa likod niyaon na apat na pakpak ng ibon; ang hayop ay mayroon din namang apat na ulo; at binigyan siya ng kapangyarihan.

7 Pagkatapos nito'y may nakita ako sa pangitain sa gabi, at, narito, ang ikaapat na hayop, kakilakilabot at makapangyarihan, at totoong malakas; at may malaking mga ngiping bakal; nananakmal at lumuluray, at niyuyurakan ng kaniyang mga paa ang nalabi: at kaiba sa lahat na hayop na una sa kaniya; at siya'y may sangpung sungay.

8 Aking pinagdilidili ang mga sungay, at, narito, sumibol sa gitna ng mga yaon ang ibang sungay, isang munti, na sa harap niyao'y tatlo sa mga unang sungay ay nabunot sa mga ugat: at, narito, sa sungay na ito ay may mga mata na parang mga mata ng tao, at isang bibig na nagsasalita ng mga dakilang bagay.

9 Aking minasdan hanggang sa ang mga luklukan ay nangaglagay, at isa na matanda sa mga araw ay nakaupo: ang kaniyang suot, maputing parang niebe, at ang buhok ng kaniyang ulo ay parang taganas na lana; ang kaniyang luklukan ay mga liab na apoy, at ang mga gulong niyaon ay nagniningas na apoy.

10 Isang mabangis na sigalbo ay lumabas at nagmula sa harap niya: mga libo libo ang naglilingkod sa kaniya, at makasangpung libo na sangpung libo ang nagsitayo sa harap niya: ang kahatulan ay nalagda, at ang mga aklat ay nangabuksan.

11 Ako'y tumingin nang oras na yaon dahil sa tinig ng mga dakilang salita na sinalita ng sungay; ako'y tumingin hanggang sa ang hayop ay napatay, at ang kaniyang katawan ay nagiba, at siya'y nabigay upang sunugin sa apoy.

12 At tungkol sa nalabi sa mga hayop, ang kanilang kapangyarihan ay naalis: gayon ma'y ang kanilang mga buhay ay humaba sa isang kapanahunan at isang panahon.

13 Ako'y nakakita sa pangitain sa gabi, at, narito, lumabas na kasama ng mga alapaap sa langit ang isang gaya ng anak ng tao, at siya'y naparoon sa matanda sa mga araw, at inilapit nila siya sa harap niya.

14 At binigyan siya ng kapangyarihan, at kaluwalhatian, at isang kaharian, upang lahat ng mga bayan, bansa, at mga wika ay mangaglingkod sa kaniya: ang kaniyang kapangyarihan ay walang hanggang kapangyarihan, na hindi lilipas, at ang kaniyang kaharian ay hindi magigiba.

15 Tungkol sa aking si Daniel, ang aking kalooban ay namanglaw sa loob ng aking katawan, at binagabag ako ng mga pangitain ng aking ulo.

16 Ako'y lumapit sa isa sa kanila na nakatayo, at itinanong ko sa kaniya ang katotohanan tungkol sa lahat na ito. Sa gayo'y kaniyang isinaysay sa akin, at ipinaaninaw niya sa akin ang kahulugan ng mga bagay.

17 Ang mga dakilang hayop na ito na apat, ay apat na hari, na magbabangon sa lupa.

18 Nguni't ang mga banal ng Kataastaasan ay magsisitanggap ng kaharian, at aariin ang kaharian magpakailan man, sa makatuwid baga'y magpakakailan-kailan man.

19 Nang magkagayo'y ninasa kong maalaman ang katotohanan tungkol sa ikaapat na hayop, na kaiba sa lahat ng yaon, na totoong kakilakilabot, na ang mga ngipin ay bakal, at ang mga kuko ay tanso; na nananakmal, lumalamuray, at niyuyurakan ng kaniyang mga paa ang nalabi;

20 At tungkol sa sangpung sungay na nangasa kaniyang ulo, at sa isa na sumibol, at sa harap niyao'y nabuwal ang tatlo, sa makatuwid baga'y yaong sungay na may mga mata, at bibig na nagsalita ng dakilang mga bagay, na ang anyo ay lalong dakila kay sa kaniyang mga kasama.

21 Ako'y tumingin, at ang sungay ding yaon ay nakipagdigma sa mga banal, at nanaig laban sa kanila;

22 Hanggang sa ang matanda sa mga araw ay dumating, at ang kahatulan ay ibinigay sa mga banal, ng Kataastaasan; at ang panaho'y dumating na inari ng mga banal ang kaharian.

23 Ganito ang sabi niya, Ang ikaapat na hayop ay magiging ikaapat na kaharian sa ibabaw ng lupa, na magiging kaiba sa lahat ng kaharian, at sasakmalin ang buong lupa, at yuyurakan, at pagluluraylurayin.

24 At tungkol sa sangpung sungay, mula sa kahariang ito ay sangpung hari ang babangon: at ang isa'y babangong kasunod nila; at siya'y magiging kaiba kay sa mga una, at kaniyang ibabagsak ay tatlong hari.

25 At siya'y magbabadya ng mga salita laban sa Kataastaasan, at lilipulin niya ang mga banal ng Kataastaasan; at kaniyang iisiping baguhin ang panahon at ang kautusan; at sila'y mangabibigay sa kaniyang kamay hanggang sa isang panahon, at mga panahon at kalahati ng isang panahon.

26 Nguni't ang kahatulan ay matatatag, at kanilang aalisin ang kaniyang kapangyarihan, upang patayin at ibuwal hanggang sa wakas.

27 At ang kaharian, at ang kapangyarihan, at ang kadakilaan ng mga kaharian sa silong ng buong langit, mabibigay sa bayan ng mga banal ng Kataastaasan: ang kaniyang kaharian ay walang hanggang kaharian, at ang lahat na kapangyarihan ay maglilingkod at tatalima sa kaniya.

28 Narito ang wakas ng bagay. Tungkol sa aking si Daniel, ay binabagabag akong mabuti ng aking mga pagiisip, at ang aking pagmumukha ay nabago: nguni't iningatan ko ang bagay sa aking puso.

   

Komentář

 

The Foundations of the Church

Napsal(a) Bill Woofenden

"The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods." Psalm 24:1-2

Additional readings: Daniel 7:1, 15-28, John 10:1-17

Before the rise of modern science it was thought that the ocean was the basis of creation and that the world was literally founded on it, as some sort of large floating, yet stationary island. This concept, while not true literally, is a correspondential image of the truth that is conveyed in the internal sense by the words of our text.

"The word ‘earth’ or ‘land’ in the Word…denotes the people who are in it, and in fact the people of the church, thus the church itself" (Arcana Coelestia 1066). When we read, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1), a new church or spiritual development is what is meant. And when we read, "the fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon the earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, " not monarchical sovereignties but the states of the church are signified. So in our text the church is meant. The church is the Lord’s kingdom on earth, and it is founded upon the eternal truths of the Word in ultimates. Our text reads, "The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." Here we find the two words "earth" and "world." They are not used for literary effect, though the dual expressions that abound throughout the Word add much to its literary beauty. The earth refers to the church as to its truths and the fullness to their abundance, and the world refers to the church as to its goodness. "They that dwell therein" are the people in whom this truth and goodness dwell.

Thus we learn from these verses that the church is the Lord’s as to its good and truth. And the reason is given: "For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods." In the Hebrew the word translated floods is the term used for large rivers; so a more accurate translation would be "founded it upon the rivers."

The seas upon which the church is founded are the knowledges of truth that are contained in the Word. We recall that rivers watered the Garden of Eden. Rivers represent doctrines drawn from the Word that make these truths applicable to life, and because both are needed, it is said that He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

When we stand on the shore of the Atlantic, we cannot see its utmost limits; we can see but a small part of it, while rivers, which terminate in the sea, are those more particularly defined truths which terminate finally in general truths but have their source as it were in the mountains and hills of heaven. Thus these two verses with which the twenty-fourth Psalm opens in their spiritual meaning teach us that the church is founded upon the knowledge of truth and good rationally understood.

The church is founded upon the seas of the sense of the letter of the Word, or on Divine revelation, upon the whole vast, indefinable mass of knowledge expressed in the written statements of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, but it is established upon the doctrines through which it is rationally understood—the flowing, living truths that enter the mind of each individual from God out of heaven. And just as the earth is said to be founded, built up, and established, so the church is founded on revelation and established in the hearts and minds of men as that revelation is received and understood.

The Writings of the church put this very clearly in these words: "The church is from the Word, and it is such as its understanding of the Word is…The Word is the Word according to the understanding of it with man; that is, as it is understood. If it is not understood, the Word is indeed called the Word, but with man it is not." (Doctrine of Sacred Scripture 76-77). And again, "The Word is not understood without doctrine" (Doctrine of Sacred Scripture 50). The text has a very practical lesson for us. By the truths of the Word we are brought in touch with the Lord, who is the Word. Man does not live from himself. He was created by a power outside of himself. And this same power keeps him alive from day to day and gives him eternal life.

The importance to us of truths from the Word is emphasized throughout the Writings. We are living in a time of amazing increase in knowledge about the external world, knowledge that has made this and other nations immensely prosperous. Yet only obedience to the truths that the Lord has given us can make prosperity a safe blessing. Listen to what the Writings of our church say about the truths of the Word: "Faith is formed by truth. By truth is charity to the neighbor. By truth is conscience. By truth is innocence. By truth is purification from evil. By truths is intelligence and wisdom. By truths is the beauty of angels, and thus of men internally as to the spirit. By truths is the order of heaven. By truths man becomes truly man. Yet all these come through good, and not through truths without good, and all good is from the Lord." This is a magnificent, yet exactly just description of the office of truth revealed in its strength.

The church should be the gathering and distributing point of spiritual life. Her purpose is to proclaim the Lord’s words, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:22), and to draw men into a living relationship with the Lord. She is here to help us to a knowledge of what is right and just, that our hearts may be inspired with a desire to establish the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

This past year was one of the most prosperous in our nation’s history. At the beginning of every year people hope that it will be a highly prosperous one. The desire for prosperity seems to be the passion of the day. But is the world alive to the duty of self-conquest, to the duty of learning and doing the Lord’s will? What is all this abundance for? What is it worth unless well-dispositioned souls possess and administer it?

The Gospel teaches us, "A man’s life consisteth not in the things that he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). Possessions do not make the man. In these words, the Lord is trying to make us see that it is the quality of the possessor which is the important thing. Otherwise, his possessions, however great, are of no essential value to him. Even abundance of worldly learning without self-conquest cannot be a lasting blessing. Neither worldly possessions nor worldly knowledge can make a man rich.

"The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof." The earth with all its fullness was made for man. The Word was given that the way of life might be made known. The Lord came into the world to make life more abundant.

We need to know that He spoke the truth when He said, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18), and that He can say and He alone, "I have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18).

The Lord cannot found and establish His church among people by whom He is not acknowledged to be the All in All. Those who claim His Divine things as their own are thieves and robbers who seek to climb up another way than the true one. But those who acknowledge that "the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" and that without Him they can do nothing are those who enter through the door into the sheepfold, for the Lord is the Door, and it is He Who really enters and to Whom the porter opens. Those who come before Him, who put their own desires and ambitions first, do not hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow Him (John 10:1-17). But those who find their greatest strength and security in humility and in self-abnegation cannot want any good thing, for the Lord is their Shepherd and they know from the heart that "The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein: for He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods." Enlightened by the Lord, they see and follow the truths which are born in them of the Lord and the church, and they know, acknowledge, and believe that "there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: god shall help her, and that right early" (Psalm 46:4).