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Hosea 6

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1 Komt en laat ons wederkeren tot den HEERE, want Hij heeft verscheurd, en Hij zal ons genezen; Hij heeft geslagen, en Hij zal ons verbinden.

2 Hij zal ons na twee dagen levend maken; op den derden dag zal Hij ons doen verrijzen, en wij zullen voor Zijn aangezicht leven.

3 Dan zullen wij kennen, wij zullen vervolgen, om den HEERE te kennen; Zijn uitgang is bereid als de dageraad; en Hij zal tot ons komen als een regen, als de spade regen en vroege regen des lands.

4 Wat zal Ik u doen, o Efraim! wat zal Ik u doen, o Juda! dewijl uw weldadigheid is als een morgenwolk, en als een vroegkomende dauw, die henengaat.

5 Daarom heb Ik hen behouwen door de profeten; Ik heb ze gedood door de redenen Mijns monds; en uw oordelen zullen voortkomen aan het licht.

6 Want Ik heb lust tot weldadigheid, en niet tot offer; en tot de kennis Gods, meer dan tot brandofferen.

7 Maar zij hebben het verbond overtreden als Adam; daar hebben zij trouwelooslijk tegen Mij gehandeld.

8 Gilead is een stad van werkers der ongerechtigheid; zij is betreden van bloed.

9 Gelijk de benden der straatschenders op iemand wachten, alzo is het gezelschap der priesteren; zij moorden op den weg naar Sichem, waarlijk, zij doen schandelijke daden.

10 Ik zie een afschuwelijke zaak in het huis Israels; aldaar is Efraims hoererij, Israel is verontreinigd.

11 Ook heeft hij u, o Juda! een oogst gezet, als Ik de gevangenen Mijns volks wederbracht.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #812

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812. If any one killeth with the sword, he must be killed with the sword. This signifies that those who imbue others with falsities shall be imbued with falsities from hell, is evident from the signification of a sword (gladius) and a sword (machaera), as denoting truth combating against falsity, and, in the opposite sense, falsity combating against truth; in the present case falsity combating against truth. Hence to kill with a sword denotes to destroy truths by falsities, and also to imbue with falsities; and from the signification of, he must be killed with the sword, as denoting to be imbued with falsities from hell.

The reason why these are imbued with falsities from hell is, that they have shut heaven against themselves by falsities. And when heaven is shut against any one, then hell is open to him; for a man must be either in heaven or hell. He cannot be between both. Consequently, when any one shuts heaven against himself, he opens hell to himself; and from hell nothing but falsities of evil can arise, with which he becomes imbued. No other falsities, however, shut heaven, but those that are from evil. For there are falsities of various kinds - falsities of ignorance, falsities of religion, and falsities from a non-understanding of the Word. In short, falsities that lead to a life of evil, and proceed from a life of evil, because they are from hell, close heaven. From these it is evident, that if any one killeth with the sword, he must be killed with the sword, signifies that those who imbue others with falsities will be imbued with falsities from hell.

[2] The signification of the words which the Lord spoke to Peter is similar:

"All those that take the sword, must perish with the sword" (Matthew 26:52).

This was said to Peter, because he represented the truth of faith, and also the falsity of faith. Therefore by taking the sword and perishing with it, was signified to receive the falsity of faith, and to perish thereby.

The reason why those signified by this beast, that is, those who by reasonings confirm the separation of faith from life, are those who kill with a sword, and are killed with a sword, that is, imbue others with falsities, and are themselves imbued with falsities from hell, is, that the dogma concerning faith alone excludes all truths and rejects all goods. That faith alone excludes all truths is evident, for they insist that we are saved by this merely, "That the Lord endured the cross for our sins, and thereby took away the condemnation of the law, and so redeemed us." And because it is their desire that this single principle, which they call faith itself, should be saving, they do not take any pains to learn truths, although it is truths that teach man how he must live; and consequently they are many. That faith alone also rejects goods, follows from the dogma itself, which is that faith alone justifies without good works; so that the essential goods of love to God, and the goods of charity towards the neighbour, are regarded as of no account.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

The Bible

 

Jeremiah 46:27

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27 But don't you be afraid, Jacob my servant, neither be dismayed, Israel: for, behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.