Isaiah 43
1
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
2
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3
For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Cush and Seba for thee.
4
Since thou hast been precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
5
Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;
6
I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
7
Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; verily, I have made him.
8
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
9
Let all the nations be collected, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
10
Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no god formed, neither shall there be after me.
11
I, even I, am the LORD; and besides me there is no savior.
12
I have declared, and have saved, and I have shown, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
13
Yes, before the day was, I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall hinder it?
14
Thus saith the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.
15
I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.
16
Thus saith the LORD, who maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
17
Who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.
18
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
20
The beast of the field shall honor me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
21
This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.
22
But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
23
Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt-offerings; neither hast thou honored me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.
24
Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thy iniquities.
25
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26
Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
27
Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
28
Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.
Apocalypse Explained＃531
531. Woe, woe, woe, to those that dwell on the earth, from the remaining voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound, signifies grievous lamentation over the changes of state of the church at its end, on account of the aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation. This is evident from the signification of "woe," as being lamentation over the aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation; and as "woe" is said three times, grievous lamentation is meant (of which presently); also from the signification of "those that dwell on the earth," as being those who are of the church (the "earth" means the church, as may be seen above, n. 29, 304, 417); also from the signification of "the voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound," as being the changes of state of the church; for "the angels sounding the trumpets" signify changes from influx out of heaven (See above, n. 502). That "three" signifies what is complete even to the end will be seen in the following article. From this it can be seen that "Woe, woe, woe, to those that dwell on the earth, from the voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound," signifies grievous lamentation over the changes of state of the church at its end, on account of the aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation.
[2] That "woe" signifies lamentation over calamity, danger, hardship, destruction can be seen from passages in the Word where it occurs; but here it means lamentation over the aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation, because this is what is treated of in what follows; and as the aversion from good and truth becomes successively more grievous in the church even to its end, it is said three times, each one standing for the successively increasing grievousness of the evil. This can be seen from the following, where it is said:
The first woe is past; behold there come yet two woes hereafter (Revelation 9:12).
And afterwards:
The second woe is past, behold the third woe cometh quickly (Revelation 11:14).
[3] That "woe" signifies in the Word lamentation over various occurrences, especially over the evils that devastate the church, can be seen from many passages therein. As in Matthew:
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (Matthew 23:13, 14, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29).
In Luke:
Woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! (Luke 22:22).
In the same:
Woe unto him through whom occasions for stumbling come! (Luke 17:1).
In Isaiah:
Woe unto them that join house to house! (Isaiah 5:8).
Woe unto them that rise early in the morning that they may follow strong drink! (Isaiah 5:11).
Woe unto them that draw iniquity! (Isaiah 5:18).
Woe unto them that call evil good! (Isaiah 5:20).
Woe unto the wise in their own eyes! (Isaiah 5:21).
Woe unto the mighty in drinking wine! (Isaiah 5:22).
(See in many other passages, as in Isaiah 3:11; 10:1; 17:12; 18:1; 29:1, 29:15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1; 45:9, 10, etc.; Jeremiah 22:13; Ezekiel 13:3; Revelation 18:16, 19).
