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Postanak 15

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1 Poslije tih događaja Jahve uputi Abramu riječ u ukazanju: "Ne boj se, Abrame, ja sam ti zaštita; a nagrada tvoja bit će vrlo velika!"

2 Abram odgovori: "Gospodine moj, Jahve, čemu mi tvoji darovi kad ostajem bez poroda; kad je mojoj kući nasljednik Eliezer Damaščanin?

3 Kako mi nisi dao potomstva - nastavi Abram - jedan će, eto, od mojih ukućana postati moj baštinik."

4 Ali mu Jahve opet uputi riječ: "Taj neće biti tvoj baštinik, nego će ti baštinik biti tvoj potomak."

5 Izvede ga van i reče: "Pogledaj na nebo i zvijezde prebroj ako ih možeš prebrojiti." A onda doda: "Toliko će biti tvoje potomstvo."

6 Abram povjerova Jahvi, i on mu to uračuna u pravednost.

7 Tada mu on reče: "Ja sam Jahve koji sam te odveo iz Ura Kaldejskoga da ti predam ovu zemlju u posjed."

8 A on odvrati: "Gospodine moj, Jahve, kako ću ja doznati da ću je zaposjesti?"

9 Odgovori mu: "Prinesi mi junicu od tri godine, kozu od tri godine, ovna od tri godine, jednu grlicu i jednog golubića."

10 Sve mu to donese, rasiječe na pole i metnu sve pole jednu prema drugoj; ptica nije rasijecao.

11 Ptice grabežljivice obarale se na leševe, ali ih je Abram rastjerivao.

12 Kad je sunce bilo pri zalazu, dubok san obuzme Abrama, a onda se na nj spusti gust mrak pun jeze.

13 Tada Bog reče Abramu: "Dobro znaj da će tvoji potomci biti stranci u tuđoj zemlji; robovat će i biti tlačeni četiri stotine godina,

14 ali narodu kojem budu služili ja ću suditi; i konačno će izići s velikim blagom.

15 A ti ćeš k ocima svojim u miru poći, u sretnoj starosti bit ćeš sahranjen.

16 Oni će se ovamo vratiti za četvrtog naraštaja, jer mjera se zlodjela amorejskih još nije navršila."

17 Kad je sunce zašlo i pao gust mrak, pojavi se zadimljen žeravnjak i goruća zublja te prođu između onih dijelova.

18 Toga je dana Jahve sklopio Savez s Abramom rekavši: "Potomstvu tvojemu dajem zemlju ovu od Rijeke u Egiptu do Velike rijeke, rijeke Eufrata:

19 Kenijce, Kenižane, Kadmonce,

20 Hetite, Perižane, Refaimce,

21 Amorejce, Kanaance, Girgašane, Jebusejce."

   

Aus Swedenborgs Werken

 

Apocalypse Revealed #657

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657. Seven angels having the seven last plagues. This symbolizes the evils and falsities that exist in the church in its last state exposed in their entirety by the Lord.

Seven angels symbolize the whole of heaven. However, because heaven is heaven owing not to the angels' own inherent qualities, but to the Lord, therefore the seven angels symbolize the Lord. Moreover, only the Lord can expose the evils and falsities that are present in the church. That angels symbolize heaven, and in the highest sense the Lord, may be seen in nos. 5, 258, 344, 465, 644, 647, 648 above.

Plagues symbolize evils and falsities - evils that are matters of love, and falsities that are matters of faith. For these are what are described in the following chapter, symbolized by the foul and noxious sore; by the blood as though of someone dead, causing every living creature to die; by the blood into which the waters of the rivers and springs were turned; by the heat of the fire that scorched people; by the unclean spirits looking like frogs, which were demons; and by the great hail.

The evils and falsities symbolized by all of these are the plagues here. Last plagues symbolize evils and falsities in the church's last state. Seven means, symbolically, all (nos. 10, 390). However, because the evils symbolized by the plagues in the following chapter are not all evils in particular, but all evils in general, seven here symbolically means all universally; for a universal entity embraces all of its constituents in particular.

It is apparent from this that John's seeing seven angels having the seven last plagues means symbolically that the evils and falsities that exist in the church and their character in its last state were exposed in their entirety by the Lord.

[2] That plagues symbolize spiritual plagues, which afflict people with respect to their souls and destroy them, and that these plagues or afflictions are evils and falsities, can be seen from the following passages:

From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness..., but a fresh wound not lanced; neither has it been bound up or softened... (Isaiah 1:6)

(Jehovah) is striking the peoples wrathfully with an incurable plague... (Isaiah 14:6)

(Jehovah,) remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. (Psalms 39:10)

Your fracture is beyond hope...; for I have struck you with the affliction of an enemy... for the multitude of your iniquities; your sins have become many... But I will... heal you of your afflictions... (Jeremiah 30:12, 14, 17)

If you do not carefully keep all the words of (the Law)..., Jehovah will bring upon you... extraordinary plagues - great and prolonged plagues - (and) every plague... which is not written in this book of the Law... until you are destroyed. (Deuteronomy 28:58-59, 61)

No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your tent. (Psalms 91:10)

Edom shall become a desolation. Everyone who goes by... will hiss at all its plagues. (Jeremiah 49:17)

...she shall be a desolation. Everyone who passes by Babylon shall be dumbfounded, and hiss over all her plagues. (Jeremiah 50:13)

...plagues will come (upon Babylon) in one day... (Revelation 18:8)

(The two witnesses will) strike the earth with every plague... (Revelation 11:6)

The plagues in Egypt, which were in part like the plagues described in the following chapter, symbolized nothing else but evils and falsities. You may find the plagues in Egypt enumerated in no. 503 1 above. They are also called plagues in Exodus 9:14; 11:1.

It is apparent from this that plagues and afflictions mean, symbolically, nothing other than spiritual plagues and afflictions, which afflict people with respect to their souls and destroy them. So also in Isaiah 30:26; Zechariah 14:12, 15; Psalms 38:5, 11; Revelation 9:20; 16:21; Exodus 12:13; 30:12; Numbers 11:33; Luke 7:21; and elsewhere.

Fußnoten:

1. No. 503:4.

  
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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.