303. Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? That this signifies whether any one there is of such a quality as to know and perceive the states of the life of all, is evident from the signification of, Who is worthy? as denoting, who has merit and justice, and who has omniscience, thus whether there are any of such a quality. That by worthy, when said of the Lord, merit and justice are signified; these belong to Him alone, as may be seen above (n. 293). And that omniscience is signified is evident from what follows, where it is said, that the Lamb took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne, and opened it; for by the right hand is signified omniscience and omnipotence, as may be seen above (n. 297); from the signification of the book, as denoting the state of the life of all in general and in particular (concerning which see just above, n. 299); and from the signification of opening it and loosing the seals thereof, as denoting to know and perceive. For when a book signifies the states of the life of all, then to open and to loose the seals signifies to know and perceive the same; for to know and perceive are said of the state of the life, but to open and loose the seals are said of a book. Thus the words, in the internal sense, are accommodated to the things signified by the words in the sense of the letter, for they correspond; therefore, to open signifies to know, and to loose the seals signifies to perceive what is entirely hidden from others (as above, n. 300).
Isaiah 13
1
The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:
2
Set up a banner on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3
I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my mighty men for my anger, even my proudly exulting ones.
4
The noise of a multitude is in the mountains, as of a great people; the noise of an uproar of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Yahweh of Armies is mustering the army for the battle.
5
They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Yahweh, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6
Wail; for the day of Yahweh is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
7
Therefore all hands will be feeble, and everyone's heart will melt.
8
They will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame.
9
Behold, the day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it.
10
For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.
11
I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the haughtiness of the terrible.
12
I will make people more rare than fine gold, even a person than the pure gold of Ophir.
13
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place in the wrath of Yahweh of Armies, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14
It will happen that like a hunted gazelle, and like sheep that no one gathers, they will each turn to their own people, and will each flee to their own land.
15
Everyone who is found will be thrust through. Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16
Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be ransacked, and their wives raped.
17
Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it.
18
Their bows will dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eyes will not spare children.
19
Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20
It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
21
But wild animals of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of jackals. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will frolic there.
22
Wolves will cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.
Jeremiah 23:10
10
For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourns; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. Their course is evil, and their might is not right;
