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Joel 2

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1 Stød i horn på Zion, blæs alarm på mit hellige Bjerg! Alle i landet skal bæve, thi HE ENs Dag, den kommer;

2 ja, nær er Mulms og Mørkes Dag, Skyers og Tåges Dag. Et stort, et vældigt Folk er bredt som Gry over Bjerge. Dets Lige har aldrig været, skal aldrig komme herefter til fjerneste Slægters År.

3 Foran det æder Ild, og bag det flammer Lue; foran det er Landet som Eden og bag det en øde Ørk; fra det slipper ingen bort.

4 At se til er de som Heste, som Hingste farer de frem;

5 det lyder som raslende Vogne, når de hopper på Bjergenes Tinder, som knitrende Lue, der æder Strå, som en vældig Hær, der er rustet til Strid.

6 Folkeslag skælver for dem, alle Ansigter blusser.

7 Som Helte haster de frem, som Stridsmænd stormer de Mure; enhver går lige ud, de bøjer ej af fra vejen.

8 De trænger ikke hverandre, hver følger sin egen Sti. Trods Våbenmagt styrter de frem uden at lade sig standse, de kaster sig over Byen,

9 stormer Mulen i Løb; i Husene trænger de ind, gennem Vinduer kommer de som Tyve.

10 Foran dem skælver Jorden, Himlen bæver; Sol og Måne sortner, Stjernerne mister deres Glans.

11 Foran sin Stridsmagt løfter HE EN sin øst, thi såre stor er hans Hær, ja, hans Ords Fuldbyrder er vældig; thi stor er HE ENs Dag og såre frygtelig; hvem holder den ud?

12 Selv nu, så lyder det fra HE EN, vend om til mig af ganske Hjerte, med Faste og Gråd og Klage!

13 Sønderriv Hjerterne, ej eders Klæder, vend om til HE EN eders Gud! Thi nådig og barmhjertig er han, langmodig og rig på Miskundhed, han angrer det onde.

14 Måske slår han om og angrer og levner Velsignelse efter sig, Afgrødeoffer og Drikoffer til HE EN eders Gud.

15 Stød i Horn på Zion, helliger Faste, udråb festlig Samling,

16 kald Folket sammen, helliger et Stævne, lad de gamle samles, kald Børnene sammen, også dem, som dier Bryst; lad Brudgom gå ud af sit Kammer, Brud af sit Telt!

17 Imellem Forhal og Alter skal Præsterne, HE ENs Tjenere, græde og sige: "HE E, spar dog dit Folk! Overgiv ej din Arv til Skændsel, til Hedningers Spot! Hvi skal man sige blandt Folkene: Hvor er deres Gud?"

18 Og HE EN blev nidkær for sit Land og fik Medynk med sit Folk.

19 Og HE EN svarede sit Folk: Se, jeg sender eder korn, Most og Olie, så I kan mættes deraf; og jeg vil ikke længer gøre eder til Skændsel iblandt Hedningerne.

20 Fjenden fra Nord driver jeg langt bort fra eder og støder ham ud i et tørt og øde Land, hans Fortrop ud i Havet i Øst og hans Bagtrop i Havet i Vest, og han skal udsprede Stank og ilde Lugt; thi han udførte store Ting.

21 Frygt ikke, Jord, fryd dig, vær glad! Thi HE EN har udført store Ting.

22 Frygt ikke, I Markens Dyr! Thi Ørkenens Græsmarker grønnes, og Træerne bærer Frugt; Figentræ og Vinstok giver alt, hvad de kan.

23 Og I, Zions Sønner, fryd eder, vær glade i HE EN eders Gud! Thi han giver eder Føde til Frelse, idet han sender eder egn, Tidligregn og Sildigregn, som før.

24 Tærskepladserne skal fyldes med Korn, Persekummerne løbe over med Most og Olie.

25 Og jeg godtgør eder de År, da Græshoppen, Springeren, Æderen og Gnaveren hærgede, min store Hær, som jeg sendte imod eder.

26 I skal spise og mættes og love HE EN eders Guds Navn, fordi han handler underfuldt med eder; og mit Folk skal i Evighed ikke blive til Skamme.

27 Og I skal kende, at jeg er i Israels Midte, og at jeg, og ingen anden er HE EN eders Gud; og mit Folk skal i Evighed ikke blive til Skamme.

28 Og det skal ske derefter, at jeg vil udgyde min ånd over alt kød, eders Sønner og eders Døtre skal profetere, eders gamle skal drømme drømme og eders unge skue Syner;

29 også over Trælle og Trælkvinder vil jeg udgyde min Ånd i de Dage.

30 Og jeg lader ske Tegn på Himmelen og på Jorden, Blod, Ild og øgstøtter.

31 Solen skal vendes til Mørke og Månen til Blod, før HE ENs store og frygtelige Dag kommer.

32 Men enhver, som påkalder HE ENs Navn, skal frelses; thi på Zions Bjerg og i Jerusalem skal der være Frelse, som HE EN har sagt; og til de undslupne skal hver den høre, som HE EN kalder.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

The Bible

 

Habakkuk 3:18

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18 Men jeg vil frydes i HE EN, juble i min Frelses Gud.


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #955

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955. Verse 8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, signifies the Divine truth or the Word in the natural sense, in light and power from the Divine truth in the spiritual sense. This is evident from the signification of the "temple," as being the Divine truth or the Word in the natural sense enlightened from the Divine truth in the spiritual sense (See above, n. 948); also from the signification of "smoke," as being the understanding of the Word in the natural sense (of which presently); also from the signification of "the glory of God," as being the light of heaven, which is the Divine truth in the spiritual sense (See n. 33, 288, 345, 874); also from the signification of "the power of God," as being the Divine power; for in the natural sense of the Word there are glory and power [virtus] or light and power [potentia] from its spiritual sense, but not apart from that sense. Those are without that sense who do not regard the Word as holy, and to whom therefore the Divine truth therein is without light and power; while those who regard the Word as holy have that light and power. The reason is that such are conjoined with heaven through the spiritual sense, although they are not conscious of it. From this it is clear that the words "the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power" signify that the Word in the natural sense is in light and power from the Divine truth in the spiritual sense.

[2] "Smoke" signifies the understanding of the Word in the natural sense, because "smoke" has the same signification as "cloud;" and that "cloud" signifies the Word in the natural sense may be seen (n. 36, 504, 594, 906); also because "smoke" here has a like signification as "the smoke of the incense;" and that "the smoke of the incense" signifies the Word in the natural sense may be seen (n. 494, 539 at the end). "Smoke" has this signification because smoke is from fire, and "fire" signifies love in both senses, and "holy fire" celestial love. The same is true of the Word in the sense of the letter when it is enlightened and as it were enkindled by the spiritual sense, namely, that the truth there, as to the understanding of it, is in obscurity as if from smoke, until the falsities and evils that pour darkness over the light and cause blindness are dissipated; and this is what is meant by "no one was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be consummated."

[3] The Divine truth in the natural sense is signified also by "smoke" in Isaiah:

Jehovah will create over every dwelling of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud by day and a smoke and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a covering (Isaiah 4:5).

In the same:

The posts of the threshold were moved at the voice of the seraphim crying, and the house was filled with smoke (Isaiah 6:4).

Also by the "smoke" seen upon Mount Sinai when the law was promulgated; and elsewhere in the Word, by "the smoking of the mountains" when Jehovah comes down. Also by:

The smoking flax (Isaiah 42:3);

And by the smoke of the incense-offerings ascending with the prayers of the saints (Revelation 8:4).

(Continuation respecting the First Commandment)

[4] When a man shuns and turns away from evils because they are sins, he not only sees from the light of heaven that God is and that God is one, but also that God is Man. For he wishes to see his God, and he is incapable of seeing Him otherwise than as Man. Thus did the ancients before Abraham and after him see God; thus do the nations in countries outside the church see God from an interior perception, especially those who are interiorly wise although not from knowledges; thus do all little children and youths and simple well-disposed adults see God; and thus do the inhabitants of all earths see God; for they declare that what is invisible, since it does not come into an idea, does not come into faith. The reason of this is that the man who shuns and turns away from evils as sins thinks from heaven; and the whole heaven, and everyone there, has no other idea of God than as that of Man; nor can he have any other idea, since the whole heaven is a man in the largest form, and the Divine that proceeds from the Lord is what makes heaven; consequently to think otherwise of God than according to that Divine form, which is the human form, is impossible to angels, since angelic thoughts pervade heaven. (That the whole heaven in the complex answers to one Man may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 51-86 ; and that the angels think according to the form of heaven, n. 200-212.)

[5] This idea of God flows in from heaven with all in the world, and has its seat in their spirit; but it seems to be rooted out with those in the church who are in intelligence from what is their own [proprium], indeed so rooted out as to be no longer a possible idea; and this for the reason that they think of God from space. But when these become spirits they think otherwise, as has been made evident to me by much experience. For in the spiritual world an indeterminate idea of God is no idea of Him; consequently the idea there is determined to someone who has his seat either on high or elsewhere, and who gives answers. From the general influx which is from the spiritual world men have received ideas of God as Man variously according to the state of perception; and for this reason the triune God is with us called Persons; and in paintings in churches God the Father is represented as Man, the Ancient of Days. It is also from a general influx that men, both living and dead, who are called saints, are adored as gods by the common people in Christian Gentilism, and their sculptured images are loved. The same is true of many nations elsewhere, of the ancient peoples in Greece, in Rome, and in Asia, who had many gods, all of whom were regarded by them as men. This has been said to make known that there is an intuition, namely, in man's spirit, to see God as Man. That is called an intuition which is from general influx.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.