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 19

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1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory belong to our God:

2 for true and righteous are his judgments. For he has judged the great prostitute, who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand."

3 A second said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever."

4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, "Amen! Hallelujah!"

5 A voice came forth from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!"

6 I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!

7 Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready."

8 It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9 He said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" He said to me, "These are true words of God."

10 I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, "Look! Don't do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy."

11 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.

12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself.

13 He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called "The Word of God."

14 The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen.

15 Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.

16 He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, "Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God,

18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, and small and great."

19 I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army.

20 The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came forth out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.