The Bible

 

Genesis 1

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1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first Day.

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

The Bible

 

Genesis 9:6

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6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #606

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606. 13:17 So that no one can buy or sell if he does not have the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of its name. This symbolically means that no one is allowed to teach from the Word, or consequently to be inaugurated into the priesthood, to be accorded the badge of the teaching office, to be granted the doctor's cap, and called orthodox, but one who acknowledges that doctrine and swears to a belief in it and love for it, and to such as is in conformity with it, or such as does not conflict with it.

To buy and to sell mean, symbolically, to acquire concepts, in this case concepts having to do with that doctrine, and to teach them, as shown below. The mark of the beast symbolizes an acknowledgment that one is a Reformed Christian, and a confession that one is such (no. 605). The name of the beast symbolizes the character of the doctrine, a name symbolizing character (nos. 81, 122, 165, 584), and the beast symbolizing the doctrine accepted by the laity, thus by the general populace (no. 567). Moreover, because the verse says "or the name of the beast," it symbolizes its character or such as is in conformity with it. A number symbolizes the character of a thing (no. 448), and because the verse says "or the number of its name," it symbolizes the character of the doctrine or such as does not conflict with it.

It is stated so, because the doctrine symbolized by the dragon and its beast is not the same throughout the kingdoms in which Reformed Protestants are found, though it is the same in respect to this postulate or principal tenet of the doctrine, that faith justifies and saves apart from works of the law.

[2] That to buy and to sell mean, symbolically, to acquire concepts for oneself and to teach them, and so likewise to market, trade, and make a profit, is clear from the following passages:

Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money... (Isaiah 55:1)

You have sold yourselves for nothing; (therefore) you shall not be redeemed with money. (Isaiah 52:3)

With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself...; by your great wisdom in your trading you have increased your riches... (Ezekiel 28:4-5)

Since Tyre symbolized the church in respect to its concepts of goodness and truth, therefore we are told the following concerning Tyre:

All the ships of the sea... were... to market your merchandise... Tarshish was your trader...(in) silver... Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. With human life... they carried on your trading... Syria was your trader... with chrysoprase... Your riches, your wares, and your merchandise..., ...those carrying on your trade..., will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin. (Ezekiel 27:9, 12-13, 16, 27)

Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For (Tyre) is laid waste..., whose merchants are princes, and whose traders are the honored of the earth? (Isaiah 23:1-8)

Trading has the same meaning in the Lord's parable about a man traveling to a far country, who gave his servants talents to trade with and make a profit (Matthew 25:14-30). In another parable about a man who gave his servants ten minas for them to do business with (Luke 19:12-26). In the parable regarding a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, who sold all that he had and bought the field (Matthew 13:44). And in the one about a man seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one precious one, sold all that he had and bought it (Matthew 13:45-46).

Such have they become..., your merchants from your youth; they shall wander each one from his region, not saving you. (Isaiah 47:15)

And so on elsewhere.

  
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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.