The Bible

 

Joel 2:21

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


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From Swedenborg's Works

 

Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) #58

  
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58. The state of consummation of the Israelitish Church is described in both the historical parts of the Word, and its prophetic parts: in the prophetic, by the atrocious deeds of the kings, first of those of the Israelites, and afterwards of those of the Jews, by whom and under whom the land is said to have been profaned. But it is needless to recite them, because they are well known; only those passages from the prophetic parts shall be adduced in which the consummation and devastation of that Church are treated of. In these passages by "earth" and "land," "Zion," "Jerusalem," "cities," "mountains," "hills," "valleys," and "rivers," similar things are signified as above (n. 55). The following are from the prophetic parts of the Word:

[2] I saw the earth, and behold it was empty and void; and towards the heavens, and their light was not.... I saw, when, behold, Carmel 1 was a desert, and all the cities were desolated at the presence of Jehovah.... For thus hath Jehovah said, The whole land shall be wasteness, yet will I not make a consummation. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be blackened.

Thou, therefore, that art vastated, what wilt thou do? (Jer. 4:23-31; 5:10, 18).

The lion hath come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of nations... hath gone forth from his place, to reduce the land to a waste.... In that day... the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished (Jer. 4:7, 9).

In that day, every place where there were a thousand vines shall be... for thorns and briars,... because all the land shall be thorns and briars (Isa. 7:23-24).

A voice of the cry of the shepherds and... of the powerful ones of the flock, for Jehovah layeth waste their pastures: whence the sheepfolds of peace were devastated. Jehovah hath forsaken His tabernacle, for their land was reduced to a desolation (Jer. 25:36-38).

This house shall be like Shiloh, and Jerusalem shall be a devastation (Jer. 26:9; 27:17).

Jerusalem, and all the cities of Judah, shall be a desolation and a devastation in this day, because of the wickedness of your works; . . . your land is become a desolation, an astonishment and a curse (Jer. 44:2, 6, 22).

I will give the land to devastation, because they have committed transgression (Ezek. 15:8).

They shall be devastated in the midst of the devastated lands, and her cities in the midst of the desolated cities.... Then I will make the rivers drought,... the land into the hand of the evil, and I will vastate the land and the fulness thereof (Ezek. 30:7, 12).

When I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens, and will make the stars thereof black. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine;... and I will set darkness upon the land... when I shall bring on thy breaking up (Ezek. 32:7-9);

in like manner as the Lord foretold concerning the consummation of the present Christian Church (Matt. 24:29).

[3] I will give Mount Seir to wasteness and to devastation.... I will make thee the wastes of eternity... (Ezek. 35:3-4, 7, 9, 12, 14-15).

In that day they shall bring up a proverb against you... and say, In vastating we are vastated (Micah 2:4).

Fear and the pit have taken hold of us, devastation and breaking up (Lam. 3:47).

The mountain of Zion is vastated (Lam. 5:18).

Thine iniquity is consummated, O daughter of Zion (Lam. 4:22).

Woe to the sinful nation, heavy with iniquity;... they have provoked the Holy One of Israel.... From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness;... your land is a solitude.... The daughter of Zion is left as a tent in a vineyard, as a besieged city (Isa. 1:4-8, and following verses).

What will ye do in the day of visitation and devastation? Consummation is finished, justice is overwhelmed; for the Lord Jehovih is making a consummation and decision in the whole land (Isa. 10:3, etc., Isa. 10:22-23).

I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih of hosts in the whole land (Isa. 28:22).

The prophet fell upon his face, and said, Lord Jehovih! Thou art making a consummation with the remnants of Israel (Ezek. 11:13).

My sanctuary was profaned, and the land of Israel was devastated (Ezek. 25:3).

Were even Noah, Daniel and Job in the midst of it,... they only shall be delivered, but the land shall become a desolation (Ezek. 14:14, 16).

[4] The completion of the consummation of the Israelitish and Jewish Church was accomplished when the Lord our Saviour, after receiving the sponge of vinegar, cried out upon the cross,

It is consummated (John 19:29-30);

for it is said in David:

They gave gall for My meat, and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink:... let their habitation be devastated (Psalm 69:21, 25).

And in another place:

Without cause have they hid for Me the pit of the net; without cause have they digged for My soul. Let devastation come upon him before he is aware;... let him fall into devastation. Rescue My soul from their devastators, and My only one,-that is, the Church-from the lions' whelps (Psalm 35:7-8, 17).

I will make Jerusalem heaps, a habitation of dragons; I will reduce the cities of Judah to a waste;... behold, I am feeding them, even this people, with wormwood, and I will give them waters of gall to drink (Jer. 9:11-15).

Full consummation, after this, is described in Hosea thus:

The sons of Israel shall sit many days: no king, no prince, no sacrifice, no image, no ephod, and no teraphim (Hosea 3:4).

Such is their state at the present day. There is no need to adduce more passages. The passages in which the vastation, desolation and consummation of this Church are further mentioned, shall be only named: as, for example, Isa. 9:13-21; 22:4-14: Jer. 7:31-34; 25:33; 47:4: Ezek. 13:14-15; 14:8, 15; 19:7; 25:12-13; 26:2; 29:9-10, 12; 32:12, 15: Joel 1:15-20; 2:3; 3:19: Nahum 1:8-9: Zeph. 1:15; 2:9: Lam. 1:16: Psalm 73:17-19; 74:3.

The devastated are also called "thrust through" 2 (Ezek. 11:6-7; 21:30, 34; 26:6; 28:8, 23; 31:17-18; 32:20-24, 28-32; 35:8: Zeph. 2:12: Lam. 4:9: Psalm 69:27: and in other places). They are said to be "thrust through" because a "sword," by which this is done, signifies falsity destroying truth.

Footnotes:

1. See R.V. margin.

2. In most of these passages our ordinary Bibles have "slain"; but Young's Literal Translation of the Bible has "pierced," which, of course, is the same as "thrust through."

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

The Bible

 

Exodus 10

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1 Derpå sagde HE EN til Moses: "Gå til Farao! Thi jeg har forhærdet hans og hans Tjeneres Hjerte, at jeg kan komme til at gøre disse mine Tegn iblandt dem,

2 for at du må kunne fortælle din Søn og din Sønnesøn, hvorledes jeg handlede med Ægypterne, og om de Tegn, jeg gjorde iblandt dem; så skal I kende, at jeg er HE EN."

3 Da gik Moses og Aron til Farao og sagde til ham: "Så siger HE EN, Hebræernes Gud: Hvor længe vil du vægre dig ved at ydmyge dig for mig? Lad mit Folk rejse, at de kan dyrke mig!

4 Men hvis du vægrer dig ved at lade mit Folk rejse, se, da vil jeg i Morgen sende Græshopper over dine Landemærker,

5 og de skal skjule Landets Overflade, så man ikke kan se Jorden, og opæde esten af det, som er blevet tilovers for eder efter Haglen, og opæde alle eders Træer, som gror på Marken;

6 og de skal fylde dine Huse og alle dine Tjeneres og alle Ægypternes Huse således, at hverken dine Fædre eller dine Fædres Fædre nogen Sinde har oplevet Mage dertil, fra den Dag de kom til Verden og indtil denne Dag!" Dermed vendte han sig bort og forlod Farao.

7 Men Faraos Tjenere sagde til ham: "Hvor længe skal denne Mand styrte os i Ulykke? Lad dog disse Mennesker rejse og lad dem dyrke HE EN deres Gud! Har du endnu ikke indset, at Ægypten går til Grunde?"

8 Moses og Aron blev nu hentet tilbage til Farao, og han sagde til dem: "Drag af Sted og dyrk HE EN eders Gud! Men hvem er det nu, der vil af Sted?"

9 Moses svarede: "Med vore Børn og vore gamle vil vi drage af Sted, med vore Sønner og vore Døtre, vort Småkvæg og vort Hornkvæg vil vi drage af Sted, thi vi skal fejre HE ENs Højtid."

10 Da sagde han til dem: "HE EN være med eder, om jeg lader eder rejse sammen med eders Kvinder og Børn! Der ser man, at I har ondt i Sinde!

11 Nej men I Mænd kan drage bort og dyrke HE EN; det var jo det, I ønskede!" Derpå jog man dem bort fra Farao.

12 Da sagde HE EN til Moses: " æk din Hånd ud over Ægypten og få Græshopperne til at komme; de skal komme over Ægypten og opæde alt, hvad der vokser i Landet, alt, hvad Haglen har levnet!"

13 Moses rakte da sin Stav ud over Ægypten, og HE EN lod en Østenstorm blæse over Landet hele den Dag og den påfølgende Nat; og da det blev Morgen, førte Østenstormen Græshopperne med sig.

14 Da kom Græshopperne over hele Ægypten, og de slog sig ned i hele Ægyptens Område i uhyre Mængder; aldrig før havde der været så mange Græshopper, og ingen Sinde mere skal der komme så mange.

15 Og de skjulte hele Jordens Overflade, så Jorden blev sort af dem, og de opåd alt, hvad der voksede i Landet, og alle Træfrugter, alt, hvad Haglen havde levnet, og der blev intet grønt tilbage på Træerne eller på Markens Urter i hele Ægypten.

16 Da lod Farao skyndsomt Moses og Aron kalde til sig og sagde: "Jeg har syndet mod HE EN eders Gud og mod eder!

17 Men tilgiv mig nu min Synd denne ene Gang og gå i Forbøn hos eders Gud, at han dog blot vil tage denne dødbringende Plage fra mig!"

18 Da gik Moses bort fra Farao og bad til HE EN.

19 Og HE EN lod Vinden slå om til EN voldsom Vestenvind, som tog Græshopperne og drev dem ud i det røde Hav, så der ikke blev EN eneste Græshoppe tilbage i hele Ægyptens Område.

20 Men HE EN forhærdede Faraos Hjerte, så han ikke lod Israeliterne rejse.

21 Derpå sagde HE EN til Moses: " æk din Hånd op mod Himmelen, så skal der komme et Mørke over Ægypten, som man kan tage og føle på!"

22 Da rakte Moses sin Hånd op mod Himmelen, og der kom et tykt Mørke i hele Ægypten i tre Dage;

23 den ene kunde ikke se den anden, og ingen flyttede sig af Stedet i tre Dage; men overalt, hvor Israeliterne boede, var det lyst.

24 Da lod Farao Moses kalde og sagde: "Drag hen og dyrk HE EN. Dog skal eders Småkvæg og Hornkvæg blive tilbage, men eders Kvinder og Børn må I tage med."

25 Men Moses sagde: "Du må også overlade os Slagtofre og Brændofre, som vi kan bringe HE EN vor Gud;

26 også vore Hjorde må vi have med, ikke en Klov må blive tilbage, thi dem har vi Brug for, når vi skal dyrke HE EN vor Gud, og vi ved jo ikke,hvor meget vi behøver dertil, før vi kommer til Stedet."

27 Da forhærdede HE EN Faraos Hjerte, så han nægtede at lade dem rejse.

28 Og Farao sagde til ham: "Gå bort fra mig og vogt dig for at komme mig for Øje mere; thi den Dag du kommer mig for Øje, er du dødsens!"

29 Da sagde Moses: "Du har sagt det, jeg skal ikke mere komme dig for Øje!"

   


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