Apocalypse Explained #1045
1045. Having in her hand a golden cup, full of abominations and the uncleanness of whoredoms, signifies having doctrine from profaned goods and truths. This is evident from the signification of a "cup," as being falsity from hell, for a "cup" has a similar signification as "wine," and "wine" signifies truth from heaven, and in the contrary sense falsity from hell (See n. 887, 960, 1022). And as a "cup" signifies truth or falsity, and the doctrine of every church is either of truth or of falsity, for all truth or falsity of the church is contained in doctrine, so a "cup" also signifies doctrine, and "a golden cup" the doctrine of falsity from evil.
[2] As in Jeremiah:
Babylon is a golden cup in the hand of Jehovah, making the whole earth drunken (Jeremiah 51:7).
It is called "a golden cup" for the same reason that the woman is said to be "arrayed in purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stones and pearls," that is, from the appearance in externals; and yet in internals it is like a cup "full of abominations and uncleanness." For it is like what the Lord says of the externals and internals with the Scribes and Pharisees:
Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, who cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. And ye make yourselves like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of bones of the dead and all uncleanness (Matthew 23:25-27).
The above is evident also from the signification of "abominations," as being the profanations of good (of which presently); also from the signification of "the uncleanness of whoredom," as being the profanation of truth. For "whoredom" signifies falsification of truth (See above), therefore its "uncleanness" signifies profanation.
[3] In regard to the profanations that are signified by "abominations," they are perversions of the holy things of the church, thus conversions of its goods into evils, and of its truths into falsities. They are called "abominations" because the angels abominate them; for so far as they have been holy things of the church, derived from goods and truths from the Word, they ascend into heaven; but so far as they have been applied to evils, and thus profaned, they carry with them what is infernal, which lies hidden within; and consequently they are perceived as things dead, in which there was once a living soul; and this is why heaven abominates and detests them.
[4] That this is the meaning of "abominations" in the Word is evident from the account of the abominations of Jerusalem in Ezekiel:
As that she took of the garments of her adorning which were given to her, and made for herself high places of various colors, and committed whoredom upon them;
That of the gold and silver given to her, she made herself images of a male, and committed whoredom with them;
That the oil, incense, bread, fine flour, and honey, that were given to her, she gave for an odor of rest;
That they sacrificed their sons and daughters;
That she committed whoredom first in Egypt, and afterwards with the sons of Assyria, and finally with the Chaldeans; besides other things that are there called abominations. (Ezekiel 16:2-63).
All these things signify profanations of the Word, of the church, and of worship. So in other passages where abominations are either recounted or mentioned (as Jeremiah 7:9, 10; 16:18; 32:35; Ezekiel 5:11; 7:19, 20; 8:6-18; 11:21; 14:6; 20:7, 8; Deuteronomy 7:25, 26; 12:31; 18:9, 10; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; Daniel 9:27; 11:31).
如申命记 30
1
我所陳明在你面前的這一切咒詛都臨到你身上;你在耶和華─你神追趕你到的萬國中必心裡追念祝福的話;
2
你和你的子孫若盡心盡性歸向耶和華─你的神,照著我今日一切所吩咐的聽從他的話;
3
那時,耶和華─你的神必憐恤你,救回你這被擄的子民;耶和華─你的神要回轉過來,從分散你到的萬民中將你招聚回來。
4
你被趕散的人,就是在天涯的,耶和華─你的神也必從那裡將你招聚回來。
5
耶和華─你的神必領你進入你列祖所得的地,使你可以得著;又必善待你,使你的人數比你列祖眾多。
6
耶和華─你神必將你心裡和你後裔心裡的污穢除掉,好叫你盡心盡性愛耶和華─你的神,使你可以存活。
7
耶和華─你的神必將這一切咒詛加在你仇敵和恨惡你、逼迫你的人身上。
8
你必歸回,聽從耶和華的話,遵行他的一切誡命,就是我今日所吩咐你的。
9
你若聽從耶和華─你神的話,謹守這律法書上所寫的誡命律例,又盡心盡性歸向耶和華─你的神,他必使你手裡所辦的一切事,並你身所生的,牲畜所下的,地土所產的,都綽綽有餘;因為耶和華必再喜悅你,降福與你,像從前喜悅你列祖一樣。
10
a
12
不是在天上,使你說:誰替我們上天取下來,使我們聽見可以遵行呢?
13
也不是在海外,使你說:誰替我們過海取了來,使我們聽見可以遵行呢?
16
吩咐你愛耶和華─你的神,遵行他的道,謹守他的誡命、律例、典章,使你可以存活,人數增多,耶和華─你神就必在你所要進去得為業的地上賜福與你。
18
我今日明明告訴你們,你們必要滅亡;在你過約但河、進去得為業的地上,你的日子必不長久。
19
我今日呼天喚地向你作見證;我將生死禍福陳明在你面前,所以你要揀選生命,使你和你的後裔都得存活;
20
且且愛耶和華─你的神,聽從他的話,專靠他;因為他是你的生命,你的日子長久也在乎他。這樣,你就可以在耶和華向你列祖亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓應許所賜的地上居住。