Apocalypse Revealed #748
748. "And eat her flesh and burn her with fire." This symbolically means that Protestants will with hatred condemn and destroy in themselves the evils and falsities inherent in the Roman Catholic religion, and will renounce the religion itself and expunge it in themselves.
This is said of Protestants, who will deal thus with the harlot, that is, with the Roman Catholic religion. To eat her flesh means, symbolically, with hatred to condemn and destroy in themselves the inherent characteristics of that religion, which are evils and falsities, about which we will say more below. And to burn her with fire means, symbolically, to renounce that religion as profane and expunge it in themselves.
This is what burning with fire means because the penalty for profaning something holy was burning. Therefore, according to Divine law, people who profaned the name of Jehovah by worshiping other gods were burned with fire - they and all their belongings (Deuteronomy 13:12-18). Therefore Moses burned with fire the golden calf that the children of Israel were profanely worshiping (Exodus 32:20, Deuteronomy 9:21). Moreover, because two of Aaron's sons profaned holy things, they were consumed by fire from heaven (Leviticus 10:1-6). Nor is anything else symbolized by the fire and pyre in Tophet but the fire of hell, which awaits those who profane holy things (Isaiah 30:33, Jeremiah 7:11, 31-32; 19:5-6, 2 Kings 23:10), for there the people worshiped Molech with a heinous sacrifice. 1
[2] Since the fourth beast in Daniel 7 symbolizes a religion that profanes the Word and consequently the sanctities of the church (no. 717), therefore we are told that it was burned with fire (Daniel 7:11).
Now, because it is profane worship to worship a person instead of the Lord, we are accordingly told here that they burnt the harlot with fire, which symbolically means that they renounced the religion itself and expunged it in themselves.
To eat her flesh means, symbolically, with hatred to condemn and destroy in themselves the inherent characteristics of that religion, which are evils and falsities, because that is the symbolic meaning of eating her flesh. For flesh symbolizes the inherent characteristics of a thing which relate to goods and truths, and in an opposite sense, to evils and falsities, and to eat means, symbolically, to consume, thus to destroy.
That flesh symbolizes a person's inherent character, which in itself is evil, is clear from the following passages:
It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. (John 6:63)
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6)
As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to be children of God...: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh... (John 1:12-13)
(God) remembered that they were flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again. (Psalms 78:39)
The Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. (Isaiah 31:3)
(Jerusalem) committed harlotry with the Egyptians..., great of flesh. (Ezekiel 16:26)
Jesus... said to (Peter), ."..flesh and blood has not revealed this to you...." (Matthew 16:17)
Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm... (Jeremiah 17:5)
[3] Because flesh symbolizes a person's inherent character, and people who hate others attack their personal character with the intention of destroying it, therefore to eat the flesh has also this symbolic meaning, as in the following passages:
Let the dying die, and the cut off be cut off. Those that are left eat each other's flesh. (Zechariah 11:9)
They shall devour Israel with the whole mouth... Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm - Manasseh, Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh. (Isaiah 9:12, 20-21)
I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh... (Isaiah 49:26)
...everyone shall eat the flesh of his friend... (Jeremiah 19:9)
To eat the flesh of sons and daughters (Jeremiah 19:9, Leviticus 26:29, Deuteronomy 28:53) means, symbolically, to destroy truths and goods in oneself, for sons symbolize truths, and daughters goods, as may be seen in nos. 139, 543, 545, 612[1-4] above.
Moreover, in the Word we find reference to "all flesh," and this symbolically means all mankind (Genesis 6:12-13, 17, 19).
Notas a pie de página:
1. The heinous sacrifice consisted of "passing infants through the fire to Molech," by burning them alive on a sacrificial altar. Vestiges of this worship have been found elsewhere, as far as northern Africa. Tophet was a site in the valley of Hinnom at the foot of Mount Zion on the south side. Because of the nature of its worship, the valley of Hinnon (Ge' Hinnom = Gehenna) became synonymous with Hades or hell.
如申命记 22
1
你若看見弟兄的牛或羊失迷了路,不可佯為不見,總要把他牽回來交給你的弟兄。
2
你弟兄若離你遠,或是你不認識他,就要牽到你家去,留在你那裡,等你弟兄來尋找就還給他。
3
你的弟兄無論失落甚麼,或是驢,或是衣服,你若遇見,都要這樣行,不可佯為不見。
4
你若看見弟兄的牛或驢跌倒在路上,不可佯為不見,總要幫助他拉起來。
5
婦女不可穿戴男子所穿戴的,男子也不可穿婦女的衣服,因為這樣行都是耶和華─你神所憎惡的。
6
你若路上遇見鳥窩,或在樹上或在地上,裡頭有雛或有蛋,母鳥伏在雛上或在蛋上,你不可連母帶雛一併取去。
7
總要放母,只可取雛,這樣你就可以享福,日子得以長久。
8
你若建造房屋,要在房上的四圍安欄杆,免得有人從房上掉下來,流血的罪就歸於你家。
9
不可把兩樣種子種在你的葡萄園裡,免得你撒種所結的和葡萄園的果子都要充公。
14
信口說他,將醜名加在他身上,說:我娶了這女子,與他同房,見他沒有貞潔的憑據;
15
女子的父母就要把女子貞潔的憑據拿出來,帶到本城門長老那裡。
16
女子的父親要對長老說:我將我的女兒給這人為妻,他恨惡他,
17
信口說他,說:我見你的女兒沒有貞潔的憑據;其實這就是我女兒貞潔的憑據。父母就把那布鋪在本城的長老面前。
19
並要罰他一百舍客勒銀子,給女子的父親,因為他將醜名加在以色列的一個處女身上。女子仍作他的妻,終身不可休他。
20
但這事若是真的,女子沒有貞潔的憑據,
21
就要將女子帶到他父家的門口,本城的人要用石頭將他打死;因為他在父家行了淫亂,在以色列中做了醜事。這樣,就把那惡從你們中間除掉。
22
若遇見人與有丈夫的婦人行淫,就要將姦夫淫婦一併治死。這樣,就把那惡從以色列中除掉。
24
你們就要把這二人帶到本城門,用石頭打死─女子是因為雖在城裡卻沒有喊叫;男子是因為玷污別人的妻。這樣,就把那惡從你們中間除掉。
25
若有男子在田野遇見已經許配人的女子,強與他行淫,只要將那男子治死。
26
但不可辦女子;他本沒有該死的罪,這事就類乎人起來攻擊鄰舍,將他殺了一樣。
27
因為男子是在田野遇見那已經許配人的女子,女子喊叫,並無人救他。
28
若有男子遇見沒有許配人的處女,抓住他,與他行淫,被人看見,