De obras de Swedenborg

 

Apocalypse Revealed #322

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322. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill. This symbolizes the destruction of all good in the church.

Since death means the extinction of a person's spiritual life, and hell his damnation, it follows that to kill here means to destroy the life of a person's soul. The life of the soul is spiritual life.

A fourth of the earth means, symbolically, all good in the church. The earth is the church (no. 285).

That a fourth means all good can be known only by someone who knows what numbers in the Word symbolize. The numbers two and four are said in application to goods, and they symbolize those goods. And the numbers three and six are said in application to truths, and they symbolize those truths. Thus a fourth part, or simply a fourth, symbolizes all good, while a third part, or simply a third, symbolizes all truth. Therefore to kill a fourth of the earth here means, symbolically, to destroy all good in the church.

Clearly he who sat on the pale horse was not given the power to kill a fourth part of the habitable earth.

[2] In addition, the number four in the Word symbolizes the union of goodness and truth.

That the number four has these symbolic meanings can, indeed, be confirmed from the Word, as by the four living creatures or cherubim in Ezekiel 1,3, 10; by the four chariots between two mountains in Zechariah 6:1; by the four horns in Zechariah 1:18ff.; by the four horns of the altar in Exodus 27:1-8, and Revelation 9:13; and by the four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, in Revelation 7:1 (cf. Matthew 24:31). It can be confirmed, too, by the "visiting the iniquity to the third and fourth generation" in Numbers 14:18, and by the third and fourth generation mentioned elsewhere. By these passages in the Word and more, I say, one can confirm that the number four is said in application to goods, and that they symbolize those goods, and also the conjunction of goodness and truth. But because it would take a lengthy explanation of these passages to make this apparent, it is enough to briefly state that this is the meaning that the number four and a fourth part have in heaven.

  
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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.

Comentario

 

#139 Why All the Building Projects in the Bible?

Por Jonathan S. Rose

Title: Why All the Building Projects in Scripture?

Topic: First Coming

Summary: Longer than all the well loved stories in Scripture, there are lengthy description of the building of the tabernacle and the Temple. What does these stories mean, and why do they take up so much space?

Use the reference links below to follow along in the Bible as you watch.

References:
1 Kings 6:14-19; 7:1, 13-14
Exodus 28:3; 29:42; 35:25-26, 35; 36:1
Ezekiel 40; 42:2; 43:1-9
Haggai 1:7; 2:4, 7
Zechariah 2:1; 6:12-15; 7
John 2:17-19, 21
Romans 12:1-5
1 Corinthians 6:13; 12:12, 27
Ephesians 3:6; 4:10, 16; 5:29, 32
Colossians 1:18; 2:16
Revelation 21:14, 22-23
John 14:2
Psalms 127:1
1 Kings 8:27, 31; 9:4
Acts of the Apostles 7:47, 50
1 Chronicles 29:14

Tocar Video
Spirit and Life Bible Study broadcast from 5/8/2013. The complete series is available at: www.spiritandlifebiblestudy.com

La Biblia

 

Exodus 35

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1 Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said to them, "These are the words which Yahweh has commanded, that you should do them.

2 'Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to Yahweh: whoever does any work in it shall be put to death.

3 You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the Sabbath day.'"

4 Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which Yahweh commanded, saying,

5 'Take from among you an offering to Yahweh. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, Yahweh's offering: gold, silver, brass,

6 blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats' hair,

7 rams' skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood,

8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,

9 onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate.

10 "'Let every wise-hearted man among you come, and make all that Yahweh has commanded:

11 the tabernacle, its outer covering, its roof, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets;

12 the ark, and its poles, the mercy seat, the veil of the screen;

13 the table with its poles and all its vessels, and the show bread;

14 the lampstand also for the light, with its vessels, its lamps, and the oil for the light;

15 and the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle;

16 the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of brass, it poles, and all its vessels, the basin and its base;

17 the hangings of the court, its pillars, their sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court;

18 the pins of the tabernacle, the pins of the court, and their cords;

19 the finely worked garments, for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.'"

20 All the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.

21 They came, everyone whose heart stirred him up, and everyone whom his spirit made willing, and brought Yahweh's offering, for the work of the Tent of Meeting, and for all of its service, and for the holy garments.

22 They came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought brooches, earrings, signet rings, and armlets, all jewels of gold; even every man who offered an offering of gold to Yahweh.

23 Everyone, with whom was found blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats' hair, rams' skins dyed red, and sea cow hides, brought them.

24 Everyone who did offer an offering of silver and brass brought Yahweh's offering; and everyone, with whom was found acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it.

25 All the women who were wise-hearted spun with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, the blue, the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen.

26 All the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats' hair.

27 The rulers brought the onyx stones, and the stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastplate;

28 and the spice, and the oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.

29 The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to Yahweh; every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all the work, which Yahweh had commanded to be made by Moses.

30 Moses said to the children of Israel, "Behold, Yahweh has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship;

32 and to make skillful works, to work in gold, in silver, in brass,

33 in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all kinds of skillful workmanship.

34 He has put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

35 He has filled them with wisdom of heart, to work all kinds of workmanship, of the engraver, of the skillful workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of those who do any workmanship, and of those who make skillful works.