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Apocalypse Explained #642

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642. Fire shall go forth out of their mouth and shall devour their enemies, signifies that those who would do them harm fall into evils and falsities which are from hell, and these destroy them. This is evident from the signification of "fire," as being love in both senses, here the love of self and of the world, and thus the love of evil and falsity of every kind (of which above, n. 68, 504, 539). From this it follows that "fire shall go forth out of their mouth" signifies that those who desire to hurt them or do them harm fall into evils and falsities of every kind, which are from hell. Also from the signification of "devouring their enemies," as being that such will be destroyed by the falsities of evil; for "enemies" in the Word signify the falsities of evil, and "adversaries" evils, and the love of evil and falsity is what destroys.

[2] It is said that "fire shall go forth out of their mouth;" but this is said according to appearance, and it is according to this that it is also said that "fire and a flame go forth out of the mouth of God," and that "anger and wrath go forth from His nostril," and yet nothing of the fire of anger and wrath goes forth from Him, for He is good itself, love itself, and mercy itself, from which nothing of fire, of anger, or of wrath, can go forth, yet it is so said, because it so appears. It so appears, because when an evil and infernal spirit assails anything Divine with intent of hurting it, as when he blasphemes the Lord or the Word, or any good and truth of doctrine, or any good spirit or angel whom the Lord protects, that evil spirit immediately deprives himself of the Lord's protection; for every spirit, the evil as well as the good, is under the Lord's protection, and when that is taken away, he falls into evils and falsities of every kind which are from hell, and at the same time he falls into the hands of those that are from hell, who are called punishers, and these then punish and torment him according to the evil that he has done or has attempted to do. From this it can be seen that the Lord does no evil to such, but that the evil spirit himself brings evil upon himself, that is, the evil itself which is in him does it.

[3] This makes clear the meaning of the words, "If anyone desires to hurt the two witnesses, fire shall go forth out of their mouth and shall devour them;" the two witnesses are the good of love and charity, and the truth of doctrine and faith; and these are Divine, because they are from the Lord with angel and man; the meaning is, not that fire will go forth from these, but from the evil itself, which endeavors to do them harm, as has just been said; and that this is to be understood in a similar way as when it was said that fire, anger, and wrath go forth from Jehovah. (But these things are more fully set forth in the work on Heaven and Hell 545-550, under the head, The Lord Casts no one down into Hell, but the Spirit Casts himself down. )

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.

Le texte de la Bible

 

Acts of the Apostles 3

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1 Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

2 A certain man who was lame from his mother's womb was being carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask gifts for the needy of those who entered into the temple.

3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive gifts for the needy.

4 Peter, fastening his eyes on him, with John, said, "Look at us."

5 He listened to them, expecting to receive something from them.

6 But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"

7 He took him by the right hand, and raised him up. Immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength.

8 Leaping up, he stood, and began to walk. He entered with them into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God.

9 All the people saw him walking and praising God.

10 They recognized him, that it was he who used to sit begging for gifts for the needy at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

11 As the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.

12 When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, "You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk?

13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him.

14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses.

16 By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

17 "Now, brothers, I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

18 But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.

19 "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,

20 and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before,

21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.

22 For Moses indeed said to the fathers, 'The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you.

23 It will be, that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.'

24 Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.

25 You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'In your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.'

26 God, having raised up his servant, Jesus, sent him to you first, to bless you, in turning away everyone of you from your wickedness."