The Bible

 

Jóel 3

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1 Mert ímé, azokon a napokon és abban az idõben, a mikor meghozom Júda és Jeruzsálem fogságát:

2 Egybegyûjtöm akkor mind a pogányokat, és levezetem õket a Josafát völgyébe, és perbe szállok ott velök, az én népemért és örökségemért, az Izráelért, a melyet szétszórtak a pogányok közé, és megosztoztak az én földemen;

3 Népemre pedig sorsot vetettek; a fiút szajháért adták oda, a leányt pedig borért cserélték el, hogy ihassanak.

4 Sõt néktek is mi közötök velem, Tírus, Sidon és Filiszteának egész környéke?! Vajjon bosszút állani [jöttök-]é reám? Ha bosszút akarnátok rajtam állani, nagy hirtelen fejetekre fordítom vissza bosszútokat!

5 Mivelhogy elraboltátok ezüstömet és aranyomat, és legszebb kincsemet templomaitokba vittétek;

6 És a Júda fiait és Jeruzsálem fiait eladtátok a Jávánok fiainak, hogy messze vessétek õket határaiktól:

7 Ímé, kiindítom õket a helybõl, a hova eladtátok õket, és fejetekre fordítom vissza bosszútokat.

8 És adom a ti fiaitokat és leányaitokat a Júda fiainak kezébe; azok pedig eladják õket a Sabeusoknak, a messze lakó népnek; mert [ezt] végezte az Úr.

9 Hirdessétek ezt a pogányok között; készüljetek harczra; indítsátok fel a hõsöket. Járuljanak elé, jõjjenek fel mindnyájan a hadakozó férfiak!

10 Kovácsoljátok szántóvasaitokat kardokká, kaszáitokat dárdákká; mondja a beteg [is:] Hõs vagyok!

11 Siessetek és jõjjetek el ti népek mindenfelõl, és seregeljetek egybe! Ide vezesd Uram a te hõseidet!

12 Serkenjenek fel és jõjjenek fel a népek a Josafát völgyébe; mert ott ülök [törvényt,] hogy megítéljek minden népeket.

13 Ereszszétek néki a sarlót, mert megérett az aratni való! Jertek el, tapossatok, mert tetézve a kád, ömlenek a sajtók! Mert megsokasult az õ gonoszságuk!

14 Tömegek, tömegek! az ítélet völgyében! Mert közel van az Úrnak napja az ítélet völgyében!

15 A nap és hold elsötétednek; a csillagok bevonják fényöket;

16 Az Úr pedig megharsan a Sionról és megzendül Jeruzsálembõl, és megrendülnek az egek és a föld; de az Úr az õ népének oltalma és az Izráel fiainak erõssége!

17 És megtudjátok, hogy én vagyok az Úr, a ti Istenetek, a ki a Sionon lakozom, az én szent hegyemen. És szentté lészen Jeruzsálem, és idegenek nem vonulnak át többé rajta.

18 És majd azon a napon a hegyek musttal csepegnek és a halmok tejjel folynak, és a Júda minden medre bõ vízzel ömledez, és forrás fakad az Úrnak házából, és megöntözi a Sittimnek völgyét.

19 Égyiptom pusztasággá lészen, Edom pedig kietlen sivataggá; a Júda fiain való erõszakosságért, mert ártatlan vért ontottak azoknak földén.

20 De a Júda örökké megmarad; Jeruzsálem is nemzetségrõl nemzetségre.

21 És kitisztítom vérökbõl, a melybõl még ki nem tisztítottam, és a Sion lesz az Úr lakóhelye!

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #336

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336. And every mountain and island was moved out of its place. This symbolically means that all goodness of love and truth of faith vanished.

No one can see that this is the symbolic meaning except by recourse to the spiritual sense. It is the symbolic meaning because mountains mean people who possess the goodness of love, inasmuch as angels dwell upon mountains - those motivated by love toward the Lord on loftier mountains, and those motivated by love for the neighbor on less lofty ones. Consequently "every mountain" symbolizes all goodness of love. Islands mean people relatively removed from the worship of God, as may be seen in no. 34 above - here people who are impelled by faith, and not so much by the goodness of love. Therefore in an abstract sense "every island" means, symbolically, all truth of faith. To be moved out of their places means, symbolically, to go away.

It derives from the abodes of angels on mountains and hills, therefore, that mountains and hills in the Word symbolize heaven and the church where love toward the Lord and love for the neighbor are found, and in an opposite sense, hell where self-love and love of the world are found.

[2] It is apparent from the following passages that mountains and hills symbolize heaven and the church where love toward the Lord and love for the neighbor are found, thus where the Lord is present:

Lift up your eyes to the mountains, whence comes your help. (Psalms 121:1)

Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who proclaims... peace! (Nahum 1:15, cf. Isaiah 52:7)

Praise Jehovah..., you mountains and... hills...! (Psalms 148:7, 9)

A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan. Why do you leap, you mountains, you hills of the mountain? Jehovah has desired to inhabit them; (Jehovah) also will inhabit them forever. (Psalms 68:15-16)

The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like the young of the flock... You travail, O earth, at the presence of the Lord... (Psalms 114:4-7)

I will bring forth a seed from Jacob, and from Judah an heir of My mountains, that My elect may inherit them, and My servants dwell there. (Isaiah 65:9)

(In the consummation of the age:) then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:16)

(O Jehovah,) Your righteousness is as the mountains of God. (Psalms 36:6)

Jehovah will go forth and fight... In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, opposite Jerusalem on the east. (Zechariah 14:3-4)

[3] Since the Mount of Olives symbolized Divine love, therefore during the days the Lord preached in the Temple, but during the nights He went out and spent the night on the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37; 22:39, John 8:1). And therefore the Lord spoke upon that mountain with His disciples regarding His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3, Mark 13:3-4).

Since a mountain symbolized heaven and love, therefore Jehovah came down upon the top of Mount Sinai and proclaimed the Law (Exodus 19:20; 24:17). And therefore the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James and John on a high mountain (Matthew 17:1). Therefore Zion also was located on a mountain, and so, too, Jerusalem, and the two were called the mountain of Jehovah and the mountain of holiness in many places in the Word.

Mountains and hills have similar symbolic meanings elsewhere, as in Isaiah 7:25; 30:25; 40:9; 44:23; 49:11, 13; 55:12; Jeremiah 16:15-16; Psalms 65:6; 80:10; 104:5-10, 13.

[4] That mountains and hills symbolize these loves can be seen still more clearly from their opposite meaning, in which they symbolize hellish loves, namely, self-love and a love of the world, as is apparent from the following passages:

...the day of Jehovah... shall come... upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up... (Isaiah 2:12, 14)

Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low. (Isaiah 40:4)

The mountains shall be overthrown, and its ascents shall fall... (Ezekiel 38:20-21)

Behold, I am against you, O... mountain, that destroys all the earth... ...I will make you a burnt mountain. (Jeremiah 51:25)

I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they are shaken, and all the hills are overthrown. (Jeremiah 4:23-25)

...a fire is kindled in my anger..., and it will set on fire the foundations of the mountains. (Deuteronomy 32:22)

I will lay waste the mountains and hills... (Isaiah 42:15)

Behold, (O Jacob,) I will make you like a threshing sledge... that you may thresh the mountains and crush them, and make the hills like chaff..., that the wind may carry them away. (Isaiah 41:15-16)

Give glory to Jehovah... before your feet stumble on the dark mountains... (Jeremiah 13:16)

Nor is anything else meant by the seven mountains on which the woman - namely Babylon - sat (Revelation 17:9). And so also elsewhere, as in Isaiah 14:13; Jeremiah 50:6; 9:10; Ezekiel 6:2-3; 34:6.

It can now be seen from this what is meant by the statement that "every mountain and island was moved out of its place," and later by the statement that "every island fled away, and the mountains were not found" (Revelation 16:20, no. 714).

  
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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.