Apocalypse Revealed＃483
483. And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about peoples, nations, tongues, and many kings." (10:11) This symbolically means that such being the case, the character of people caught up in faith alone must be further told.
That this is the symbolic meaning is apparent from what follows, in which the subject is people caught up in faith alone, to the end of chapter 16. After that the subject is the Roman Catholic religion, then the casting out of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet into hell, and afterward the New Church, which will worship the Lord alone.
To prophesy means, symbolically, to teach (nos. 8, 133), and so to prophesy again means to teach further. "Peoples" symbolize people who are impelled by doctrinal truths or doctrinal falsities, and "nations" symbolize people who are impelled by good practices or evil practices. More about these later. "Tongues" symbolize people who are impelled by truths and goods or falsities and evils externally (no. 282), and "kings" people who are impelled by them internally. To be shown that kings symbolize people who are impelled by truths springing from goodness, and in an opposite sense, people who are impelled by falsities springing from evil, and abstractly truths themselves springing from goodness or falsities themselves springing from evil, see nos. 20, 664, 704, 720, 830, 921. And as the subject in what follows is in particular people impelled by interior falsities, the text says, "and many kings," which symbolizes falsities accompanying evil in abundance.
The text says peoples, nations, tongues and kings in order to mean all people in the church who are of this character.
John's being told that he had to prophesy again means, symbolically, to teach further the character of people caught up in faith alone, in order that their falsities may be exposed and thus eradicated, since no falsity is eradicated before it has been exposed.
[2] That "peoples" symbolize people impelled by doctrinal truths or falsities, and "nations" people impelled by good or evil practices, can be seen from many passages in the Word where peoples and nations are mentioned. However, to demonstrate this we will cite here only some passages where peoples and nations are mentioned together, from which this conclusion may be drawn, as each and every particular in the Word contains a marriage of the Lord and the church, and consequently a marriage of goodness and truth; and "peoples" refer to truth, and "nations" to goodness. The presence of such a marriage in each and every particular of the Word may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 80-90.
[3] Here are the passages in the Word:
Woe to a sinful nation, to a people laden with iniquity... (Isaiah 1:4)
I will send him against a hypocritical nation, against the people of My wrath I will command him... (Isaiah 10:6)
(Jehovah) who is striking the peoples... with an incurable plague, who is ruling the nations in anger... (Isaiah 14:6)
At that time a present will be brought to Jehovah..., a people scattered and shaven..., and a nation marked off and downtrodden... (Isaiah 18:7)
...a strong people will honor You, a city of mighty nations will fear You. (Isaiah 25:3)
(Jehovah) will swallow up... the covering... over all peoples, and the veil... over all nations. (Isaiah 25:7)
Come near, you nations..., and pay heed, you peoples! (Isaiah 34:1)
I... have called You... as a covenant to the peoples, and as a light to the nations. (Isaiah 42:6)
Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples assemble. (Isaiah 43:9)
Behold, I will lift My hand... to the nations, and... My standard to the peoples. (Isaiah 49:22)
...I have given him as a witness to the peoples, a leader and lawgiver to the nations. (Isaiah 55:4)
Behold, a people is coming from the north country, and a great nation... from the edges of the earth. (Jeremiah 6:22)
Many peoples and numerous nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem... (Zechariah 8:22)
Jehovah renders the counsel of the nations of no effect, He overturns the deliberations of the peoples. (Psalms 33:10)
(Jehovah) will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet... (Jehovah) reigned over the nations... The willing of the peoples have gathered together... (Psalms 47:3, 8-9)
The peoples shall confess You... The nations shall be glad... For You shall judge the peoples righteously, and guide the nations on the earth. (Psalms 67:3-4)
Remember me, O Jehovah, with good pleasure toward Your people..., that I may rejoice in the joy of Your nations... (Psalms 106:4-5)
...all peoples, nations, and languages shall worship (the Son of Man). (Daniel 7:14)
And so on elsewhere, as in Psalms 18:43, Isaiah 9:2-3; 11:10, Ezekiel 36:15, Joel 2:17, Zephaniah 2:9, Revelation 5:9, Luke 2:30-32.
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Genesis 17
1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2
And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
9
And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10
This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11
And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12
And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13
He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14
And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
15
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
16
And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
17
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
18
And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
19
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20
And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
22
And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23
And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.
24
And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25
And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26
In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
27
And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.
