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Amos 9

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1 Ειδον τον Κυριον ισταμενον επι του θυσιαστηριου, και ειπε, Παταξον το ανωφλιον της πυλης, δια να σεισθωσι τα προπυλαια, και συντριψον αυτα κατα της κεφαλης παντων τουτων· τους δε υπολοιπους αυτων θελω θανατωσει εν ρομφαια· ουδεις εξ αυτων φευγων θελει διαφυγει και ουδεις εξ αυτων σωζομενος θελει διασωθη.

2 Εαν σκαψωσιν εως αδου, εκειθεν η χειρ μου θελει ανασπασει αυτους· και εαν αναβωσιν εις τον ουρανον, εκειθεν θελω καταξει αυτους.

3 Και εαν κρυφθωσιν εν τη κορυφη του Καρμηλου, εκειθεν θελω εξερευνησει και συλλαβει αυτους· και εαν κρυφθωσιν απο των οφθαλμων μου εις τα βαθη της θαλασσης, εκει θελω προσταξει τον δρακοντα και θελει δαγκασει αυτους.

4 Και εαν υπαγωσιν εις αιχμαλωσιαν εμπροσθεν των εχθρων αυτων, εκειθεν θελω προσταξει την μαχαιραν και θελει θανατωσει αυτους· και θελω στησει τους οφθαλμους μου επ' αυτους δια κακον και ουχι δια καλον.

5 Διοτι Κυριος ο Θεος των δυναμεων ειναι, οστις εγγιζει την γην και τηκεται, και παντες οι κατοικουντες εν αυτη θελουσι πενθησει· και θελει υπερεκχειλισει ολη ως ποταμος και θελει καταποντισθη ως υπο του ποταμου της Αιγυπτου.

6 Αυτος ειναι ο οικοδομων τα υπερωα αυτου εν τω ουρανω και θεμελιων τον θολον αυτου επι της γης, ο προσκαλων τα υδατα της θαλασσης και εκχεων αυτα επι το προσωπον της γης· Κυριος το ονομα αυτου.

7 δεν εισθε εις εμε ως υιοι Αιθιοπων, σεις υιοι Ισραηλ; λεγει Κυριος· δεν ανεβιβασα τον Ισραηλ εκ γης Αιγυπτου και τους Φιλισταιους απο Καφθορ και τους Συριους απο Κιρ;

8 Ιδου, οι οφθαλμοι Κυριου του Θεου ειναι επι το βασιλειον το αμαρτωλον, και θελω αφανισει αυτο απο προσωπου της γης· πλην οτι δεν θελω αφανισει ολοτελως τον οικον Ιακωβ, λεγει Κυριος.

9 Διοτι ιδου, εγω θελω προσταξει και θελω λικμησει τον οικον Ισραηλ μεταξυ παντων των εθνων, καθως λικμαται ο σιτος εν τω κοσκινω, και δεν θελει πεσει κοκκος επι την γην.

10 Υπο ρομφαιας θελουσιν αποθανει παντες οι αμαρτωλοι του λαου μου, οι λεγοντες, Δεν θελει μας εγγισει ουδε μας καταφθασει το κακον.

11 Εν τη ημερα εκεινη θελω αναστησει την σκηνην του Δαβιδ την πεπτωκυιαν, και θελω φραξει τας χαλαστρας αυτης, και θελω ανεγειρει τα ερειπια αυτης, και θελω ανοικοδομησει αυτην ως εν ταις αρχαιαις ημεραις·

12 δια να κληρονομησωσι το υπολοιπον του Εδωμ και παντα τα εθνη, επι τα οποια καλειται το ονομα μου, λεγει Κυριος, ο ποιων ταυτα.

13 Ιδου, ερχονται ημεραι, λεγει Κυριος, και ο αροτρευς θελει φθασει τον θεριστην και ο ληνοβατης τον σπειροντα τον σπορον, και τα ορη θελουσι σταλαξει γλευκος και παντες οι βουνοι θελουσι ρεει αγαθα.

14 Και θελω επιστρεψει τους αιχμαλωτους του λαου μου Ισραηλ, και θελουσιν ανοικοδομησει τας πολεις τας ηρημωμενας και κατοικησει· και θελουσι φυτευσει αμπελωνας και πιει τον οινον αυτων, και θελουσι καμει κηπους και φαγει τον καρπον αυτων.

15 Και θελω φυτευσει αυτους επι την γην αυτων, και δεν θελουσιν εκσπασθη πλεον απο της γης αυτων, την οποιαν εδωκα εις αυτους, λεγει Κυριος ο Θεος σου.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #238

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238. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. (4:6) This symbolizes a new heaven formed of Christians who possessed general truths taken from the literal sense of the Word.

Atmospheres are seen in the spiritual world, and also bodies of water, as in our world - ethereal atmospheres seemingly where angels of the highest heaven dwell, airy atmospheres seemingly where angels of the intermediate heaven dwell, and watery ones seemingly where angels of the lowest heaven dwell. These watery atmospheres, moreover, are seas that are seen at the borders of heaven, and the inhabitants there are people who possess general truths taken from the literal sense of the Word. To be shown that waters symbolize truths, see no. 50 above.

As the place where waters terminate and are collected, a sea therefore symbolizes Divine truth in its terminal expressions.

Accordingly, since the One sitting on the throne means the Lord (no. 230), and since the seven lamps which are the seven spirits of God before the throne mean a new church which will possess Divine truth from the Lord (no. 237), it is apparent that the sea of glass that was before the throne means the church with people who are at its peripheries.

[2] Seas at the borders of the heavens are something I have been granted to see, and it has been given me to speak with the inhabitants there and so to learn the truth of this matter through personal experience. The inhabitants appeared to me to be living in a sea, but they said that they did not live in a sea but in an atmosphere. It was apparent to me from this that a sea is an appearance of the Divine truth emanating from the Lord in its terminal expressions.

The existence of seas in the spiritual world is clearly apparent from the fact that they were often seen by John, as in the present instance, and in 5:13 verses; 7:1-3; 8:8-9; 10:2, 8; 13:1; 14:7; 15:2; 16:3; 18:17, 19, 21; 20:13.

The sea is called a sea of glass like crystal owing to the translucence of the Divine truth emanating from the Lord.

[3] Since Divine truth in its terminal expressions produces the appearance of a sea in the spiritual world, therefore a sea elsewhere in the Word has a similar symbolic meaning, as in the following passages:

On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, part of them to the eastern sea and part of them to the western sea. (Zechariah 14:8)

Living waters from Jerusalem are the church's Divine truths from the Lord. The sea is consequently where they terminate.

(Jehovah,) Your way was in the sea, and Your path in many waters. (Psalms 77:19)

Thus said Jehovah, who made a way in the sea, and a path through the many waters... (Isaiah 43:16)

(Jehovah) has founded (the world) on the seas, and established it on the rivers. (Psalms 24:2)

(Jehovah) set the earth on its foundations, so that it should not be moved to eternity. You covered it with the deep (or sea) as with a garment. (Psalms 104:5-6)

The earth was "founded on the sea" because the church, which is meant by the earth, is founded on general truths. For these are its footings and foundations.

[4] I will dry up (Babylon's) sea and make her spring dry... The sea will come up over Babylon; she will be covered with the multitude of its waves. (Jeremiah 51:36, 42)

To dry up Babylon's sea and make her spring dry means, symbolically, to extinguish all the church's truth from the firsts to the lasts of it.

They shall walk after Jehovah..., and His sons shall come with honor from the sea. (Hosea 11:10)

The sons from the sea are people who possess general truths or truths in their terminal expressions.

(Jehovah,) who builds His ascents in the heavens..., who calls the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth... (Amos 9:6)

By the word of Jehovah the heavens were made... He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap, putting the depths in storehouses. (Psalms 33:6-7)

...by My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness. (Isaiah 50:2)

And so likewise in other places.

[5] Since a sea symbolizes Divine truth with people who live on the borders of heaven, therefore Tyre and Sidon, which were on the seacoast, symbolized the church in respect to its learned concepts of goodness and truth. And therefore "the islands of the sea" 1 likewise symbolize people engaged in a relatively remote Divine worship (no. 34).

For the same reason, too, the word used for the sea in Hebrew is "the west," that is, the direction in which the sun's light turns into its evening state, or truth into haziness.

We will see in subsequent discussions that a sea also symbolizes the natural component of a person divorced from his spiritual one, thus also hell.

Footnotes:

1. Also called "the isles of the sea" and "the coastlands of the sea." See Isaiah 11:11; 24:15

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

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