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Genesis 18

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1 And Jehovah appeareth unto him among the oaks of Mamre, and he is sitting at the opening of the tent, about the heat of the day;

2 and he lifteth up his eyes and looketh, and lo, three men standing by him, and he seeth, and runneth to meet them from the opening of the tent, and boweth himself towards the earth,

3 And he saith, `My Lord, if, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes, do not, I pray thee, pass on from thy servant;

4 let, I pray thee, a little water be accepted, and wash your feet, and recline under the tree;

5 and I bring a piece of bread, and support ye your heart; afterwards pass on, for therefore have ye passed over unto your servant;' and they say, `So mayest thou do as thou has spoken.'

6 And Abraham hasteth towards the tent, unto Sarah, and saith, `Hasten three measures of flour-meal, knead, and make cakes;'

7 and Abraham ran unto the herd, and taketh a son of the herd, tender and good, and giveth unto the young man, and he hasteth to prepare it;

8 and he taketh butter and milk, and the son of the herd which he hath prepared, and setteth before them; and he is standing by them under the tree, and they do eat.

9 And they say unto him, `Where [is] Sarah thy wife?' and he saith, `Lo -- in the tent;'

10 and he saith, `returning I return unto thee, about the time of life, and lo, to Sarah thy wife a son.'

11 And Sarah is hearkening at the opening of the tent, which is behind him;

12 and Abraham and Sarah [are] aged, entering into days -- the way of women hath ceased to be to Sarah;

13 and Sarah laugheth in her heart, saying, `After I have waxed old I have had pleasure! -- my lord also [is] old!'

14 And Jehovah saith unto Abraham, `Why [is] this? Sarah hath laughed, saying, Is it true really -- I bear -- and I am aged? Is any thing too wonderful for Jehovah? at the appointed time I return unto thee, about the time of life, and Sarah hath a son.'

15 And Sarah denieth, saying, `I did not laugh;' for she hath been afraid; and He saith, `Nay, but thou didst laugh.'

16 And the men rise from thence, and look on the face of Sodom, and Abraham is going with them to send them away;

17 and Jehovah said, `Am I concealing from Abraham that which I am doing,

18 and Abraham certainly becometh a nation great and mighty, and blessed in him have been all nations of the earth?

19 for I have known him, that he commandeth his children, and his house after him (and they have kept the way of Jehovah), to do righteousness and judgment, that Jehovah may bring on Abraham that which He hath spoken concerning him.'

20 And Jehovah saith, `The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah -- because great; and their sin -- because exceeding grievous:

21 I go down now, and see whether according to its cry which is coming unto Me they have done completely -- and if not -- I know;'

22 and the men turn from thence, and go towards Sodom; and Abraham is yet standing before Jehovah.

23 And Abraham draweth nigh and saith, `Dost Thou also consume righteous with wicked?

24 peradventure there are fifty righteous in the midst of the city; dost Thou also consume, and not bear with the place for the sake of the fifty -- the righteous who [are] in its midst?

25 Far be it from Thee to do according to this thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked; that it hath been -- as the righteous so the wicked -- far be it from Thee; doth the Judge of all the earth not do justice?'

26 And Jehovah saith, `If I find in Sodom fifty righteous in the midst of the city, then have I borne with all the place for their sake.'

27 And Abraham answereth and saith, `Lo, I pray thee, I have willed to speak unto the Lord, and I -- dust and ashes;

28 peradventure there are lacking five of the fifty righteous -- dost Thou destroy for five the whole of the city?' and He saith, `I destroy [it] not, if I find there forty and five.'

29 And he addeth again to speak unto Him and saith, `Peradventure there are found there forty?' and He saith, `I do [it] not, because of the forty.'

30 And he saith, `Let it not be, I Pray thee, displeasing to the Lord, and I speak: peradventure there are found there thirty?' and He saith, `I do [it] not, if I find there thirty.'

31 And he saith, `Lo, I pray thee, I have willed to speak unto the Lord: peradventure there are found there twenty?' and He saith, `I do not destroy [it], because of the twenty.'

32 And he saith, `Let it not be, I pray Thee, displeasing to the Lord, and I speak only this time: peradventure there are found there ten?' and He saith, `I do not destroy [it], because of the ten.'

33 And Jehovah goeth on, when He hath finished speaking unto Abraham, and Abraham hath turned back to his place.

   

Aus Swedenborgs Werken

 

True Christian Religion #755

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755. The ending of the age being the final period of the church is clear from the passages in the Word where it is mentioned. For instance:

I have heard an ending and a cutting off from Jehovah's part upon the whole earth, Isaiah 28:22.

Ending limited, righteousness overwhelmed, for the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth is bringing about ending and cutting off in the whole earth, Isaiah 10:22-23.

In the fire of the zeal of Jehovah the whole earth will be consumed, because He will bring about a speedy ending with all the inhabitants of the earth, Zephaniah 1:18.

Earth in these passages means the church, because the land of Canaan is meant, where the church was. The meaning of earth or land being the church can be seen supported by numerous passages from the Word in Apocalypse Revealed (285, 902).

Finally upon the bird of abominations desolation, to the point of ending and cutting off it will be poured upon devastation, Daniel 9:27.

This was said by Daniel about the end of the present Christian church; see Matthew 24:15.

The whole earth will be a wilderness, yet I shall not make an ending, Jeremiah 4:27.

The first iniquity of the Amorites has not yet come to an end, Genesis 15:16.

Jehovah said, I shall go down and see whether they have made an ending, according to the cry which has reached me, Genesis 18:21.

This relates to Sodom.

[2] The final period of the present Christian church was also what the Lord meant by the ending of the age in the following passages:

The disciples asked Jesus, What is the sign of your coming and of the ending of the age? Matthew 24:3.

At harvest-time I shall tell the reapers, First gather the tares for burning. Gather the wheat into the barns. Thus it will be at the ending of the age, Matthew 13:30, 39-40.

At the ending of the age the angels will go forth and separate the wicked from out of the midst of the righteous, Matthew 13:49.

Jesus said to the disciples, Look, I am with you until the ending of the age, Matthew 28:20.

It needs to be known that devastation, desolation and cutting off have similar meanings to ending, but desolation means the ending of truth, devastation the ending of good, and cutting off the complete ending of both. The fullness of time, in which the Lord came into the world, and in which He will come again, is also an ending.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.