The Bible

 

Ezékiel 11

Study

   

1 És fölemelt engem a lélek, és bevive az Úr házának keleti kapujához, a mely néz keletnek, és ímé, a kapu bejáratánál huszonöt férfi vala, kik között látám Jaazanját, Azzur fiát, és Pelatjáhut, Benájáhu fiát, a nép fejedelmeit.

2 És mondá nékem: Embernek fia! ezek a férfiak, a kik gonoszt eszelnek ki és rossz tanácsot adnak ebben a városban,

3 Mondván: Nem egyhamar fogunk házakat építeni; ez [a város] a fazék, mi pedig a hús.

4 Azért prófétálj ellenök; prófétálj, embernek fia!

5 És esék reám az Úr lelke, és mondá nékem: Mondjad, így szól az Úr: Így szólottatok, Izráel háza! és a mi lelketekben készül, én tudom.

6 Sokakat öltetek meg ebben a városban, és utczáit megtöltöttétek megölettekkel.

7 Ezért, így szól az Úr Isten: Megöletteitek, kiket a város közepére vetettetek, ezek a hús, a város pedig a fazék, és titeket kivisznek belõle.

8 Fegyvertõl féltetek, fegyvert hozok reátok, azt mondja az Úr Isten.

9 És kiviszlek titeket belõle, és adlak titeket idegenek kezébe, és tartok ítéletet fölöttetek.

10 Fegyver miatt hulljatok el, Izráel határán ítéllek meg titeket, és megtudjátok, hogy én vagyok az Úr.

11 E [város] ne legyen fazekatok, hogy ti benne hús legyetek, Izráel határán ítéllek el titeket.

12 És megtudjátok, hogy én vagyok az Úr, mert az én végzéseimben nem jártatok, és rendeléseimet nem cselekedtétek, hanem a pogányok módja szerint cselekedtetek, a kik körültetek vannak.

13 És lõn, mikor prófétáltam, Pelatjáhu, Benájáhu fia meghala, én pedig orczámra esém és kiálték nagy felszóval, és mondék: Ah, ah, Uram Isten, te véget vetsz Izráel maradékának!

14 És lõn az Úrnak szava én hozzám, mondván:

15 Embernek fia! a te atyádfiai, atyádfiai, a te rokonaid és Izráel egész háza együtt azok, a kikrõl Jeruzsálem lakói ezt mondják: távozzatok el az Úrtól, nékünk adatott ez a föld örökségül.

16 Ezokáért mondjad: így szól az Úr Isten: Mivelhogy távol vetettem õket a pogányok közé, és szétszórtam õket a tartományokba, tehát én leszek nékik templomul rövid idõre a tartományokban, a melyekbe mentek.

17 Ennekokáért mondjad: Így szól az Úr Isten: Egybegyûjtelek titeket a népek közül és együvé hozlak titeket a tartományokból, a melyekben szétszórattatok, és adom néktek Izráel földjét.

18 És bemennek oda és eltávolítják minden õ fertelmességeit és minden útálatosságait õ belõle.

19 És adok nékik egy szívet, és új lelket adok belétek, és eltávolítom a kõszívet az õ testökbõl, és adok nékik hússzívet;

20 Hogy az én végzéseimben járjanak és rendeléseimet megõrizzék és cselekedjék azokat, és legyenek nékem népem és én leszek nékik Istenök.

21 De a kiknek szívök az õ fertelmességeik és útálatosságaik szíve szerint jár, azoknak útját fejökhöz verem, mondja az Úr Isten.

22 És fölemelék a Kérubok szárnyaikat s a kerekek mellettök, és Izráel Istenének dicsõsége rajtok felül vala.

23 És felszálla az Úrnak dicsõsége a város közepébõl, és álla a hegyre, mely a várostól keletre van.

24 A lélek pedig felvõn engem, és vive Káldeába a foglyokhoz látásban az Isten lelke által, és felszálla elõlem a látás, a melyet láttam.

25 És elbeszélém a foglyoknak az Úrnak minden beszédét, a melyet nékem megjelentetett.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #350

Study this Passage

  
/ 962  
  

350. Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed. (7:5) This symbolizes celestial love, which is love toward the Lord, and this in all those people who will be in the Lord's New Heaven and New Church.

In the highest sense Judah symbolizes the Lord in relation to celestial love; in the spiritual sense, the Lord's celestial kingdom and the Word; and in the natural sense, the doctrine of a celestial church drawn from the Word. Here, however, Judah symbolizes celestial love, which is love toward the Lord; and because it is named first in the series, it symbolizes that love in all those people who will be in the New Heaven and in the Lord's New Church. For the tribe named first is everything in the rest, being to them as though their head and serving as a universal property entering into all those that follow, tying them together, qualifying them and affecting them. This property is love toward the Lord.

To be shown that twelve thousand symbolizes all who possess that love, see no. 348 above.

[2] People know that after the death of Solomon the twelve tribes of Israel were divided into two kingdoms: the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel. The kingdom of Judah represented the celestial kingdom or the Lord's priestly kingdom, while the kingdom of Israel represented the spiritual kingdom or the Lord's royal kingdom. But the latter was destroyed when the people had nothing spiritual left in them, whereas the kingdom of Judah was preserved, for the sake of the Word, and because the Lord would be born there. However, when the people adulterated the Word completely, and thus could not recognize the Lord, then their kingdom was destroyed.

It can be seen from this that the tribe of Judah symbolizes celestial love, which is love toward the Lord. But because the people were of the character they were with respect to the Word and with respect to the Lord, the tribe of Judah symbolizes also the opposite love, which is love of self - properly speaking, a love of dominating springing from a love of self - a love which we call diabolical love.

[3] The fact that Judah and his tribe symbolize the celestial kingdom and its love, which is love toward the Lord, follows from these passages:

Judah, your brothers shall praise you... The scepter shall not be taken from Judah... until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding his donkey's foal to the vine, his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he washes his garment in wine... His eyes are redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. (Genesis 49:8-12)

...David shall be their prince forever, and I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them..., and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. (Ezekiel 37:25-26)

Exult and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! ...Jehovah will make Judah an inheritance for Himself, His portion on the holy land. (Zechariah 2:10-12)

O Judah, celebrate your feasts, perform your vows. For Belial 1 shall no more pass through you; he is utterly cut off. (Nahum 1:15)

The Lord... will suddenly come to His temple... Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be sweet to Jehovah as in the days of old... (Malachi 3:1, 4)

Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. (Joel 3:20)

Behold, the days are coming..., that I will raise to David a righteous Branch... In His days Judah will be saved... (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah an heir of My mountains, that My elect may possess it... (Isaiah 65:9)

Judah became His sanctuary, and Israel His dominion. (Psalms 114:2)

Behold, the days are coming..., when I will make a new covenant... with the house of Judah... ...this will be the covenant...: I will put My law within them, and write it on their heart... (Jeremiah 31:27, 31, 33-34)

In those days ten men... shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." (Zechariah 8:23)

...as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me..., so shall your offspring and your name remain.

Kings (of the nations) shall be your foster fathers, their princesses your nursing mothers. They shall bow down to you, their faces to the ground, and lick the dust of your feet. (Isaiah 66:22; 49:23)

[4] From these and many other passages, which we do not have the space to cite because of their number, it can be clearly seen that Judah means not Judah but the church. We are told, for example, that the Lord would make a new and eternal covenant with that nation, that He would make it His heir and His sanctuary forevermore, and that kings of the nations and their princesses would bow down to them, licking the dust of their feet, and so on.

[5] That the tribe of Judah, regarded in itself, means the diabolic kingdom, which is one of a love of dominating springing from a love of self, can be seen from the following passages:

I will hide My face from them, I will see what their posterity will be. ...they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faith... ...they are a nation void of counsel... ...their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah; its grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter. Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. Is this not laid up in store with Me, sealed up in My treasuries? (Deuteronomy 32:20-34)

(Know that) it is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart... that Jehovah... is... giving you (the land of Canaan)..., for you are a stiff-necked people. (Deuteronomy 9:5-6)

...according to the number of your cities have been your gods, O Judah... ...according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars... to burn incense to Baal. (Jeremiah 2:28; 11:13)

You are of your father the devil, and you choose to do the desires of your father. (John 8:44)

Jews are said to be full of hypocrisy, iniquity, and uncleanness (Matthew 23:27-28.

Footnotes:

1. In the Old Testament, the personification of wickedness and destruction, originally conceived perhaps as some sort of spirit demon.

  
/ 962  
  

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

The Bible

 

Zechariah 2:10-12

Study

      

10 Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for, behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you,' says Yahweh.

11 Many nations shall join themselves to Yahweh in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that Yahweh of Armies has sent me to you.

12 Yahweh will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.