The Bible

 

Genesis 11

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1 Kogu maailmas oli aga üks keel ja ühesugused sõnad.

2 Ja sündis, kui nad hommiku poolt teele läksid, et nad Sinearimaal leidsid oru ja jäid sinna elama.

3 Nad ütlesid üksteisele: 'Tehkem nüüd telliskive ja põletagem neid hästi.' Siis olid telliskivid neile ehituskivideks ja maapigi oli sideaineks.

4 Ja nad ütlesid: 'Tulge, ehitagem enestele linn ja torn, mille tipp oleks taevas, ja tehkem enestele nimi, et me ei hajuks üle kogu maailma!'

5 Aga Issand tuli alla vaatama linna ja torni, mida inimlapsed ehitasid.

6 Ja Issand ütles: 'Vaata, rahvas on üks ja neil kõigil on üks keel, ja see on alles nende tegude algus. Nüüd ei ole neil võimatu ükski asi, mida nad kavatsevad teha!

7 Mingem nüüd alla ja segagem seal nende keel, et nad üksteise keelt ei mõistaks!'

8 Ja Issand pillutas nad sealt üle kogu maailma ja nad jätsid linna ehitamata.

9 Seepärast pandi sellele nimeks Paabel, sest seal segas Issand ära kogu maailma keele ja sealt pillutas Issand nad üle kogu maailma.

10 Need olid Seemi järeltulijad: kui Seem oli sada aastat vana, siis sündis temale Arpaksad kaks aastat pärast veeuputust.

11 Ja Seem elas pärast Arpaksadi sündimist viissada aastat, ja temale sündis poegi ja tütreid.

12 Kui Arpaksad oli elanud kolmkümmend viis aastat, siis sündis temale Selah.

13 Ja Arpaksad elas pärast Selahi sündimist nelisada kolm aastat, ja temale sündis poegi ja tütreid.

14 Kui Selah oli elanud kolmkümmend aastat, siis sündis temale Eeber.

15 Ja Selah elas pärast Eeberi sündimist nelisada kolm aastat, ja temale sündis poegi ja tütreid.

16 Kui Eeber oli elanud kolmkümmend neli aastat, siis sündis temale Peleg.

17 Ja Eeber elas pärast Pelegi sündimist nelisada kolmkümmend aastat, ja temale sündis poegi ja tütreid.

18 Kui Peleg oli elanud kolmkümmend aastat, siis sündis temale Reu.

19 Ja Peleg elas pärast Reu sündimist kakssada üheksa aastat, ja temale sündis poegi ja tütreid.

20 Kui Reu oli elanud kolmkümmend kaks aastat, siis sündis temale Serug.

21 Ja Reu elas pärast Serugi sündimist kakssada seitse aastat, ja temale sündis poegi ja tütreid.

22 Kui Serug oli elanud kolmkümmend aastat, siis sündis temale Naahor.

23 Ja Serug elas pärast Naahori sündimist kakssada aastat, ja temale sündis poegi ja tütreid.

24 Kui Naahor oli elanud kakskümmend üheksa aastat, siis sündis temale Terah.

25 Ja Naahor elas pärast Terahi sündimist sada üheksateist aastat, ja temale sündis poegi ja tütreid.

26 Kui Terah oli elanud seitsekümmend aastat, siis sündisid temale Aabram, Naahor ja Haaran.

27 Ja need olid Terahi järeltulijad: Terahile sündisid Aabram, Naahor ja Haaran; ja Haaranile sündis Lott.

28 Aga Haaran suri enne kui ta isa Terah oma sünnimaal Kaldea Uuris.

29 Ja Aabram ja Naahor võtsid enestele naised; Aabrami naise nimi oli Saarai ja Naahori naise nimi oli Milka, Haarani tütar; Haaran oli Milka ja Jiska isa.

30 Aga Saarai oli viljatu, temal ei olnud last.

31 Ja Terah võttis oma poja Aabrami ja Haarani poja Loti, oma pojapoja, ja Saarai, oma minia, oma poja Aabrami naise, ja lahkus koos nendega Kaldea Uurist, et minna Kaananimaale; ja nad jõudsid Haaranini ning jäid sinna elama.

32 Ja Terahi elupäevi oli kakssada viis aastat, ja Terah suri Haaranis.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #754

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754. There are various ways in which a church comes to an end. It happens principally through circumstances which cause falsity to look like truth; and when this happens, the good which is inherently good, what is called spiritual good, can no longer exist. What is then believed to be good is only natural good, the product of a moral life. The reason for truth coming to an end, and good with it, is principally the two natural loves which are diametrically opposed to the two spiritual loves; these are called self-love and love of the world. When self-love is dominant, it is the opposite of love to God; and when the love of the world is dominant, it is the opposite of love towards the neighbour. Self-love is wishing well to no one but oneself, except for selfish reasons; and likewise the love of the world. Once those loves have got a grip, they spread like mortification through the body, and stage by stage destroy every part of it. It is clear that such a love attacked past churches from the description of Babylon (Genesis 11:1-9; Isaiah 13, 14, 47; Jeremiah 50; and in Daniel 2:31-47; 3:1-7ff; and Daniel 5; 6:8-end; Daniel 7:1-14; and in Revelation 17, 18, both from beginning to end). In the end, Babylon vaunted itself so much that it not only transferred to itself the Lord's Divine power, but also did its best to attract to itself all the riches of the world.

[2] Omens and far from misleading appearances allow us to conclude that outside Babylon similar loves would have broken out from many of the leaders of churches, had not their power been checked and so limited. What else might be expected but that such a person would look upon himself as God, the world as heaven, and pervert all the church's truth? For real truth, which is inherently true, cannot be known and acknowledged by a purely natural person; nor can God impart it to him, because it turns upside down and becomes falsity. As well as those two loves there are many more causes for truth and good coming to an end, and so causing the end of churches; but these are secondary causes, subordinate to the two mentioned.

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

The Bible

 

Revelation 17

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1 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,

2 with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality."

3 He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored animal, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.

4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth.

5 And on her forehead a name was written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

6 I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.

7 The angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

8 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.

9 Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.

10 They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while.

11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction.

12 The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.

13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

14 These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. They also will overcome who are with him, called and chosen and faithful."

15 He said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.

16 The ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute, and will make her desolate, and will make her naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire.

17 For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, and to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.

18 The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."