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Ezekiel 47

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1 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.

2 Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.

3 And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles.

4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.

5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.

6 And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.

7 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.

8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.

9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

10 And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.

11 But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.

12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

13 Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.

14 And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance.

15 And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad;

16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-hatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran.

17 And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side.

18 And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side.

19 And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.

20 The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.

21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.

22 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.

23 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD.

   

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Apocalypse Explained #179

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179. (Verse 28) And I will give him the morning star. That this signifies intelligence and wisdom from the Divine Human of the Lord is evident from the signification of stars, as denoting the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth (concerning which see above, n. 72); and because they signify such knowledges, they also signify intelligence and wisdom; for all intelligence and wisdom are from the knowledges of good and truth; and from the signification of morning, as denoting the Lord as to His Divine Human, hence the morning star denotes intelligence and wisdom from Him. We often read of morning in the Word; and the signification of the term differs according to the series of things treated of in the internal sense: in the highest sense, it signifies the Lord, and also His coming: in the internal sense, it signifies His kingdom and church, and their state of peace. Moreover, it signifies the first state of a new church, and also a state of love, also a state of enlightenment, consequently a state of intelligence and wisdom, and also a state of the conjunction of good and truth, which is the state when the internal man is conjoined to the external. The reason why morning has such a variety of significations is, that, in the highest sense, it signifies the Lord's Divine Human, and hence it also signifies all those things that proceed from it; for the Lord is present in those things which proceed from Him, so that He Himself is there.

[2] The reason why the Lord's Divine Human, in the highest sense, is meant by morning is, that the Lord is the Sun of the angelic heaven; and the Sun of that heaven does not advance from morning to evening, or from rising to setting, as the sun of the world apparently does, but it remains stationary in its place, in front, above the heavens. This is why there is always morning and never evening there. And because all the intelligence and wisdom which the angels have exist with them from the Lord as a Sun, therefore also their state of love, wisdom and intelligence, and, in general, their state of enlightenment, is signified by morning; for those things proceed from the Lord as a Sun, and that which proceeds from Him is Himself; for from the Divine nothing proceeds but what is Divine, and everything Divine is Himself. (That the Lord is the Sun of the angelic heaven, and that from Him as a Sun exist all love, wisdom and intelligence, and, in general, all enlightenment as to Divine truths, from which wisdom is derived, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 116-125, 126-143, 155, 156.)

[3] From these considerations it is now evident why it is that morning is so often mentioned in the Word when it treats of Jehovah or the Lord, of His advent, kingdom and church, and of the goods thereof; as in the following passages, which shall be adduced by way of illustration. In the second Book of Samuel:

"The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spake to me. He is as the light of the morning; the sun riseth, a morning without clouds" (23:3, 4).

The God of Israel, and the Rock, is the Lord as to his Divine Human, and the Divine truth proceeding therefrom. He is called the God of Israel, because Israel denotes His spiritual church, and the Rock, because His Divine in the church is Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia 3720, 6426, 8581, 10580). Because the Lord in the angelic heaven is the Sun, and all the light of the angels is therefrom, and as the Sun there is continually in its morning, therefore it is said, "He is as the light of the morning, the sun riseth, a morning without clouds."

[4] In David:

"From the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth; thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek" (Psalms 110:3, 4).

This is said of the Lord, as about to come into the world. From the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth, denotes conception from the Divine itself, and hence the glorification of His Human: a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek, denotes that Divine good and Divine truth proceed from Him; for the Lord as a priest is Divine good, and as king of holiness, which is Melchizedek, is Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia 1725).

[5] In Ezekiel:

The cherubs "stood at the eastern door of the gate of the house; the glory of the God of Israel was over them above" (10:19).

Cherubs signify the Lord as to providence, and as to protection lest any should approach except by means of the good of love; the eastern door of the gate of the house signifies approach; the house of God is heaven and the church; the east is where the Lord appears as a Sun, thus where He is continually in the morning; hence it is said the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

[6] In the same:

The angel "led me to the gate which looketh towards the east. When, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and the earth was enlightened with his glory. And the glory of Jehovah came into the house by the way of the gate whose face is towards the east" (43:1, 2, 4).

In the internal sense here, is described the influx of the Lord into those who are in His kingdom and church; the God of Israel is the Lord as to the Divine Human and the Divine truth proceeding therefrom; the house of God is His kingdom and the church; glory is the Divine truth such as it is in heaven; to come by the way of the east into the house denotes from the sun where it is continually in its morning. (That glory is Divine truth such as it is in heaven, see Arcana Coelestia 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429; that the house of God denotes heaven and the church as to good, and temple the same as to truth, see n. 3720: and that the east, in the highest sense, is the Lord, because He is the Sun of heaven, which is always in its rising and morning, and that hence the east denotes the good of love from Him, see n. 3708, 5097, 9668.)

[7] In the same:

The angel "afterwards led me back to the door of the house, where, behold, waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house towards the east, will descend into the plain and come towards the sea, being sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed; whence it comes to pass that every living soul that creepeth, whithersoever the rivers come, shall live; whence there is exceeding much fish, because these waters shall come thither, and they are healed, that everything may live whither the river shall come" (47:1, 2, 8, 9).

Here also is described, by pure correspondences, the influx of the Lord from His Divine Human into those who belong to His kingdom and church. By the waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house eastward is described the Divine truth proceeding from Him, and flowing into those who are in the east, that is, who are in the good of love to Him. By the waters going down into the plain and into the sea, and the waters of the sea being thence healed is signified influx into the natural man and into the knowledges (cognitiones) which are there. That hence there would be a very great multitude of fish signifies scientific truths (scientifica vera) in the natural man; that everything should live whither the river should come, signifies, that they should have life from Divine truth. No one can see that such things are signified except from the internal sense of the Word; when, notwithstanding, every single expression involves arcana concerning the regeneration of man by the Lord. But what is involved in each expression will be made known when we come to treat of the twenty-second chapter of the Apocalypse, where similar things are mentioned.

[8] In David:

"I have waited for Jehovah; my soul doth wait, my soul waiteth for the Lord more than they who watch for the morning; they who watch for the morning, because with him is plenteous redemption, and he will redeem Israel" (Psalms 130:5-8).

The coming of the Lord into the world is here treated of, and the reception of Him by those who are in the good of love. The coming of the Lord is signified by I have waited for Jehovah, my soul waiteth for the Lord, because with Him is plenteous redemption, and He will redeem Israel; and the reception of Him by those who are in the good of love is signified by more than they who watch for the morning, they who watch for the morning. Here, morning, in the highest sense, signifies the Lord, and, in the internal sense, His kingdom and church; and they who watch for the morning signify those who wait for the coming of the Lord, who are such as are in the good of love, because to them the Lord is the morning.

[9] That morning signifies the coming of the Lord into the world, and, at such a time, a new church, is evident from the following passages; as in Daniel:

"Until the evening and the morning, two thousand and three hundred, then what is holy shall be justified. The vision of the evening and the morning which was told is truth" (8:14, 26).

The evening signifies the last time of the former church, and the morning the first time of the new church, thus the coming of the Lord. In Isaiah:

"Crying to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night" (21:11, 12).

Here also the coming of the Lord is treated of; the night is the last time of the former church, and the morning the first of the new (what is signified by calling out of Seir, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 4240, 4384). In Ezekiel:

"The end cometh, the end cometh, the morning cometh upon thee, O thou inhabitant of the land; behold the day cometh, the morning is gone forth" (7:6, 7, 10).

This passage equally treats of the coming of the Lord and the end of the former church and the beginning of a new one. In Zephaniah:

"Jehovah in the morning, in the morning he shall bring his judgment to the light, nor shall he fail" (3:5).

[10] Here similar things are meant. Because morning signifies the coming of the Lord, also His kingdom and church, and also the good of love which is from Him, it is therefore obvious what is meant by morning in the following passages. In David:

"Cause me to hear thy mercy in the morning" (Psalm 143:8).

Again:

"I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning" (59:16).

Again:

"O satisfy us in the morning with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (90:14).

Again:

"O Jehovah, my voice shalt thou hear in the morning; in the morning I will set myself in order for thee" (5:3).

Again:

"God is in the midst of her; God shall help her at the dawn of the morning" (46:5).

Again:

"O God, my God; in the morning will I seek thee" (63:1)

In Isaiah:

"In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to blossom" (17:11).

Again:

"Jehovah be thou their arm every morning" (33:2).

Again:

"Jehovah hath given me the tongue of the learned; he hath awakened me every morning" (50:4).

In Jeremiah:

"I spake unto you every morning" (7:13; 11:7 25:3, 4).

From the signification of morning it is evident what is meant by

The manna falling in the morning (Exodus 16:12, 13, 21).

Jehovah descending in the morning upon Mount Sinai (Exod, 19:16);

And the priest being commanded to burn wood upon the altar all night until the morning (Leviticus 6:12).

Also what is involved in the command respecting the sacrifice of the passover is evident:

"Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at the going down of the sun. Afterwards thou shalt eat it; and thou shalt look back in the morning, and go unto thy tents" (Deuteronomy 16:6, 7).

The reason why they should sacrifice the passover when the sun went down was, that the setting of the sun signified the last time of the church; that they should look back in the morning, signified the establishment of a new church, thus the coming of the Lord. These passages have been adduced in order that it may be known that by the morning star which the Son of man would give is signified wisdom and intelligence from His Divine Human. And because those who receive wisdom and intelligence from the Lord also receive Him; for the Lord is in the wisdom and intelligence which are from Him, so that, He is Himself the wisdom and intelligence which they possess, therefore the Lord Himself is also called the morning star in the Apocalypse:

"I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star" (22:16).

He is similarly called a star (Numbers 24:17).

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.