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Daniel 12

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1 Zur selbigen Zeit wird der große Fürst Michael, der für dein Volk stehet, sich aufmachen. Denn es wird eine solche trübselige Zeit sein, als sie nicht gewesen ist, seit daß Leute gewesen sind, bis auf dieselbige Zeit. Zur selbigen Zeit wird dein Volk errettet werden, alle, die im Buch geschrieben stehen.

2 Und viele, so unter der Erde schlafen liegen, werden aufwachen, etliche zum ewigen Leben, etliche zur ewigen Schmach und Schande.

3 Die Lehrer aber werden leuchten wie des Himmels Glanz und die, so viele zur Gerechtigkeit weisen, wie die Sterne immer und ewiglich.

4 Und nun, Daniel, verbirg diese Worte und versiegele diese Schrift bis auf die letzte Zeit, so werden viele drüber kommen und großen Verstand finden.

5 Und ich, Daniel, sah, und siehe, es stunden zween andere da, einer an diesem Ufer des Wassers, der andere an jenem Ufer.

6 Und er sprach zu dem in leinenen Kleidern, der oben am Wasser stund: Wann will's denn ein Ende sein mit solchen Wundern?

7 Und ich hörete zu dem in leinenen Kleidern, der oben am Wasser stund; und er hub seine rechte und linke Hand auf gen Himmel und schwur bei dem, so ewiglich lebet, daß es eine Zeit und etliche Zeiten und eine halbe Zeit währen soll; und wenn die Zerstreuung des heiligen Volks ein Ende hat, soll solches alles geschehen.

8 Und ich hörete es: aber ich verstund es nicht und sprach: Mein HERR, was wird danach werden?

9 Er aber sprach: Gehe hin, Daniel; denn es ist verborgen und versiegelt bis auf die letzte Zeit.

10 Viele werden gereiniget, geläutert und bewähret werden; und die Gottlosen werden gottlos Wesen führen, und die Gottlosen werden's nicht achten; aber die Verständigen werden's achten.

11 Und von der Zeit an, wenn das tägliche Opfer abgetan und ein Greuel der Wüstung dargesetzt wird, sind tausend zweihundert und neunzig Tage:

12 Wohl dem, der da erwartet und erreichet tausend dreihundert und fünfunddreißig Tage!

13 Du aber, Daniel, gehe hin, bis das Ende komme, und ruhe, daß du aufstehest in deinem Teil am Ende der Tage!

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8620

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8620. 'Write this [for] a memorial in the book' means for everlasting remembrance. This is clear from the meaning of 'a memorial' as that which should serve to remind or bring to remembrance, dealt with in 8066, 8067; and from the meaning of 'writing in the book' as to serve as an everlasting reminder. This is the meaning of 'writing in a book in Isaiah,

Come, write on a tablet among them, and express it in a book, 1 so that it may be for time to come, forever even to eternity. 2 Isaiah 30:8.

Since remembrance is meant by 'writing in a book', true believers are therefore said to have been 'written in the book of life'; for salvation is meant by God's remembering, and damnation by His not remembering or His forgetting. 'The book of life' is referred to in Daniel as follows,

The Ancient of Days [was seated], the judgement sat down, and the books were opened. Daniel 7:9-10.

In the same prophet,

At that time Your people will be rescued, every one who is found written in the book. Daniel 12:1.

In David,

Add 3 iniquity onto their iniquity, and do not let them reach Your righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, 4 and not be written with the righteous. Psalms 69:27-28.

In John,

He who conquers will be clad in white garments; I will not blot his name out of the book of life. Revelation 3:5.

In the same book,

None will enter the new Jerusalem except those who have been written in the Lamb's book of life. Revelation 21:26-27.

In the same book,

I saw that the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by the things written in the books, according to their works. They were judged, all of them according to their works. And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12-15.

See in addition Revelation 13:8; 17:8.

[2] Anyone who does not know from the internal sense what 'the book of life' is, and also what is meant by 'the books' whose contents are to be used to judge the dead, can have no other idea than this - that such books exist in heaven, and that they contain written down in them everyone's deeds, the memory of which is thus preserved. However, by the books mentioned in the places quoted above one should not understand books but the remembrance of all the deeds they had performed. For each person takes with him into the next life the memory of all his deeds, that is, the book of his life, 2474. But judging someone according to his deeds can be done by no one except the Lord alone. For all deeds emanate from final causes, 5 which lie inwardly and deeply hidden; and it is according to those causes that a person is judged. These are known to no one except the Lord, which is why judgement belongs to Him alone. This is also what the following words in John are used to mean,

I saw on the right hand 6 of Him sitting on the throne a book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. After that I saw a strong angel crying out with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book and to loose its seals? One of the elders said to me, Behold, the Lion which is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the book and to loose its seals. And He took the book, and they sang a new song, You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals. Revelation 5:1-9

From all this it becomes clear that 'a book written' is used to mean the presence of someone's deeds. The book referred to in David has a similar meaning,

In Your book they all were written, the days that were assigned. Psalms 139:16.

Footnotes:

1. literally, on a book (i.e.. on a scroll)

2. literally, into a future day, into perpetuity even into eternity

3. literally, Give

4. literally, lives

5. i.e. ends in view

6. i.e. a scroll roll Lying on the open palm of the hand

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