7
Appresso, io riguardava nelle visioni di notte, ed ecco una quarta bestia, spaventevole, terribile, e molto forte, la quale avea di gran denti di ferro; ella mangiava, e tritava e calpestava il rimanente co’ piedi; ed era differente da tutte le bestie, ch’erano state davanti a lei, ed avea dieci corna.
To many Protestant and Evangelical Italians, the Bibles translated by Giovanni Diodati are an important part of their history. Diodati’s first Italian Bible edition was printed in 1607, and his second in 1641. He died in 1649. Throughout the 1800s two editions of Diodati’s text were printed by the British Foreign Bible Society. This is the more recent 1894 edition, translated by Claudiana.
7
E quando avranno finita la loro testimonianza, la bestia che sale dall’abisso farà guerra con loro, e li vincerà, e li ucciderà.
To many Protestant and Evangelical Italians, the Bibles translated by Giovanni Diodati are an important part of their history. Diodati’s first Italian Bible edition was printed in 1607, and his second in 1641. He died in 1649. Throughout the 1800s two editions of Diodati’s text were printed by the British Foreign Bible Society. This is the more recent 1894 edition, translated by Claudiana.
79. "'And you have explored those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars.'" This symbolically means that they have examined what in the church are called goods and truths, which nevertheless are evils and falsities.
That this is the symbolic meaning can be seen only by recourse to the spiritual sense, and only if one knows from that sense what apostles and liars mean. Apostles do not mean apostles, but all who teach the church's goods and truths, and in an abstract sense, its doctrinal goods and truths themselves.
That apostles do not mean apostles is clearly apparent from this declaration to them:
...when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you... will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28; cf. Luke 22:30)
Who does not see that the apostles would not judge anyone, and cannot judge anyone, much less the twelve tribes of Israel, but that the Lord alone would do so in accordance with the goods and truths of the church's doctrine that it has from the Word?
The same is clearly apparent also from the following:
The wall of the city (of the New Jerusalem) had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:14)
The same is clearly apparent from this since the New Jerusalem symbolizes the New Church (nos. 880, 881), and its foundations all the goods and truths of its doctrine (nos. 902ff.)
[2] The same is apparent as well from this:
Rejoice..., O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets... (Revelation 18:20)
What is the rejoicing of apostles and prophets, unless apostles and prophets mean all those people who possess doctrinal goods and truths in the church?
The Lord's disciples mean people who are instructed by the Lord in doctrinal goods and truths, while apostles mean those who, after having been instructed, teach them. For we are told,
(Jesus) sent (His twelve disciples) to preach the kingdom of God..., and when the apostles had returned, they told Him whatever they had done. (Luke 9:1-2, 10; cf. Mark 6:7, 30)
Liars mean people who are caught up in falsities, and abstractly the falsities themselves, as can be seen from many passages in the Word where liars and lies are mentioned - so many that if we were to cite them they would fill pages. In the spiritual sense lies are nothing else than falsities.
It can be seen from this now that the statement, "You have explored those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars," means, symbolically, that they have examined what in the church are called goods and truths, which nevertheless are evils and falsities.
Dare:
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