Apocalypse Explained #526
526. And the third part of them was darkened.- That this signifies that all those things were changed into falsities of evil, and into the evils of falsity, is evident from the signification of darkness which denotes falsities, and hence of being darkened which denotes to be changed into falsities. The reason why it denotes to be changed into the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity is, that it is said the third part of the sun was darkened, the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; and the sun signifies the good of love, the moon, the good and truth of faith, and the stars, the cognitions of good and truth. Therefore the third part of the sun being darkened, signifies that the good of love was changed into evil, and the falsity thence, which is the falsity of evil. For good is changed into evil, and thence falsity, but the truth of faith, signified by the moon, is changed into falsity, and thence evil, which is the evil of falsity. The evil of falsity is the falsity of doctrine, from which proceeds evil of life, and the falsity of evil is evil of life, from which proceeds falsity of doctrine.
[2] The reason why darkness signifies falsity, is, that light signifies truth, and falsity is the opposite of truth, as darkness is of light. Moreover, when a man does not possess the light of life, which is the Divine Truth, the shadow of death is then in him, which is falsity. For man, from his proprium, is in every evil, and the falsity therefrom, and he can be removed from them only by means of the truths of the church; where therefore there are no truths, there the falsities of evil are. That truths are the only means by which man can be removed from evils, purified and reformed, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 24).
[3] That darkness in the Word, signifies falsities of various kinds, is evident from the following passages.
In Joel:
"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come" (2:31).
By the sun being turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, is signified the same as by the third part of the sun and the third part of the moon being darkened, namely, that at the end of the church the falsity of evil will be in the place of the good of love, and the evil of falsity in the place of the truth of faith. Similar things are signified elsewhere also in the Word, where mention is made of the darkening of the sun and moon.
[4] Thus in Isaiah:
"For the stars of the heavens, and the constellations thereof, shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his rising, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine" (13:10; 24:21, 23).
In Ezekiel:
"When I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens; and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine. All the luminaries of light in the heavens will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land" (32:7, 8).
Again, in Joel:
"The day of Jehovah is near in the valley cut off. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining" (3:14, 15).
In the same:
"The day of Jehovah cometh, a day of darkness and thick darkness, a day of cloud, and obscurity, the earth quaketh before him, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining" (2:1, 2, 10).
And in the Evangelists:
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven" (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24, 25).
These things are said concerning the last time of the church, when there are no longer any spiritual good and truth, or good and truth of heaven and the church, but only evil and falsity. That the goods and truths of the church, which are called the goods of love and the truths of faith, are changed into evils and falsities, is signified by the sun and moon being obscured and darkened, and the stars not giving their light. The last judgment, which then follows, is signified by the day of Jehovah great and terrible; and because this takes place when the church is in darkness and thick darkness, therefore it is also called a day of darkness, and of thick darkness, and also a day of cloud and obscurity, as also in the following passages.
[5] In Amos:
"Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! what to you is the day of Jehovah? It is a day of darkness and not light. Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even thick darkness, and no brightness in it?" (5:18, 20).
And in Zephaniah:
"The day of Jehovah, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and thick darkness, a day of clouds and gloominess" (1:14, 15).
And in Isaiah:
"In that day he shall look into the land, which behold is darkness and sorrow, and the light becomes darkened in the ruins thereof" (5:30).
And again:
"He shall look unto the earth; and, behold, distress and thick darkness, the gloom of straitness; and driven with thick darkness" (8:22).
And again:
"Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the people" (60:2).
So in Jeremiah:
"Give glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight, then shall we look for light, but he will turn it into the shadow of death, and make it thick darkness" (13:16).
These passages also relate to the last time of the church, when the Lord shall come into the world, and judgment be accomplished; because at that time there is no longer any good of love, or truth of faith, but evil of falsity, and the falsity of evil, that day is therefore called a day of darkness and of thick darkness.
[6] The same is signified by the darkness over all the land from the sixth hour to the ninth, when the Lord was crucified (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-49). By the darkness over all the land was represented, that in the entire church there was nothing but evil and the falsity thence and the falsity and the evil thence. The three hours also signify what is full and absolute; for all the details related in the Evangelists concerning the passion of the Lord, contain in them interior things of heaven, and signify celestial Divine things, and these can be made evident only by means of the internal spiritual sense.
[7] That falsity is signified by darkness, is still further evident from the following passages.
Thus in Isaiah:
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness" (5:20).
To put darkness for light, and light for darkness, signifies to call falsity truth, and truth falsity; that darkness denotes falsity and light truth, is clear, for good and evil are first mentioned, afterwards therefore, truth and falsity.
[8] So in John:
"And this is the judgment, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, for their works were evil" (3:19).
The Lord here calls Himself the light because He was the Divine Truth itself when in the world; therefore light signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth, and also Divine Truth from the Lord; and because darkness is opposed to light, therefore the darkness which men loved rather than the light, signifies the infernal falsity, which is the falsity of evil. That the falsity of evil is here meant by darkness, is evident from the words, for their works were evil. The falsity of evil exists from evil works or evils of the life; for as good conjoins to itself truth, so evil conjoins to itself falsity, the one is from the other.
[9] Similar things are signified by light and by darkness in the following passages in John:
"In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not" (1:4, 5).
Again:
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (8:12).
And again:
Jesus said, "Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in darkness" (12:35, 46).
In these passages darkness signifies infernal falsity. For light of which darkness is the opposite, signifies Divine truth. Light signifies Divine Truth, because light in the heavens in its essence, is the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord; see in the Heaven and Hell 126-140). Since the Divine Truth is the light in the heavens, it follows that the falsity of evil, which is the falsity in the hells, is darkness; it does not indeed appear as darkness to those who are in the hells, for they do see one another, but the light (lumen) by which they see is like that from ignited charcoal, and such light, when the light of heaven flows into it, becomes complete darkness. For this reason the caverns and dens in which [the infernals] are, appear, to those who are in the heavens, like gloomy caves.
[10] From these considerations it is evident why darkness signifies the falsities of evil, and why the Lord said that those who are cast into hell should be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).
So in David:
"The enemy persecuteth my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to sit in darkness, as the dead of the world" (Psalm 143:3).
Here, by the enemy who persecuteth his soul, is signified, in the spiritual sense, evil; therefore his being made to sit in darkness, signifies to be in falsities.
[11] So in Isaiah:
"Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us; we look for light, but, behold darkness; for brightness, but we walk in thick darkness" (59:9).
By judgment is far from us, is signified that there is no understanding of truth; neither doth justice overtake us, signifies that there is no good of life; we look for light, but, behold, darkness, signifies expectation of truth, but behold falsity; and for brightness, but we walk in thick darkness, signifies the expectation of goods by truths, but behold the life of falsity from evils. For brightness signifies the goods of truth, because light signifies truth, and truth is resplendent from good; thick darkness signifies the falsities of evil, and to walk signifies to live.
[12] So in Luke:
"But this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (22:53).
This the Lord said to the chief priests, the rulers of the temple, and the elders who took Him by means of Judas. The power to do this wickedness the Lord calls the power of darkness, because they were in the falsities of evil, in falsities concerning the Lord, and in evils against Him; by darkness is here also meant hell, because such falsities of evil are there.
[13] So again:
The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye is clear, thy whole body also shall be full of light; but if thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp doth give thee light" (11:34, 35, 36; Matthew 6:22, 23).
The eye here signifies the understanding, and the pure or single eye, the understanding of truth from good; but the evil eye signifies the understanding of falsity from evil; the body which is said to be either full of light or darkness, signifies the whole man. It may then be concluded that the signification of these words in their series, is, that the whole man is of such a nature as the quality of his understanding from the will. For every man is his own good and his own truth, because he is his own love or his own affection, therefore his nature is entirely such as that of his understanding from the will. For all truth is of the understanding, and all good of the will; the body being only obedience, because it is the effect from an efficient cause, and the efficient cause is the understanding from the will; the quality therefore of the one is according to the quality of the other, since every effect derives all that it has from the efficient cause. That care must be taken, lest truth once perceived in the understanding and received into the will, be turned into falsity, which is done from evil, is meant by, "Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness," for falsities consequently become worse; therefore it is said in Matthew in the passage already quoted, "If, therefore, the light which is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness."
[14] Darkness also signifies the falsities of evil in the prophet Isaiah:
"Sit thou silent, and enter into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for they shall call thee no more the mistress of kingdoms" (47:5).
Here, the daughter of the Chaldeans signifies the falsification of truth, and hence darkness signifies the falsities of evil, since evil falsifies truth. The falsity of evil was also signified by the thick darkness, which was over all the land of Egypt, during three days, while the children of Israel had light in their dwellings (Exodus 10:21, 22, 23); also by the darkness in Genesis 15:12, 17, and in many other passages.
[15] It has been shown so far, that darkness, in the Word, signifies the falsities of evil; that darkness also signifies falsities not of evil, such as were the falsities of religion with the upright Gentiles, originating in ignorance of the truth [shall now be shown]. That these falsities are also called darkness, is clear from the following passages:
In Isaiah:
"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined" (9:2).
And in Matthew:
"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up" (4:16).
And in Luke:
The dayspring from on high hath appeared "to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" (1:78, 79).
Again, in Isaiah:
"And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thy thick darkness be as the noon day (58:10).
Again:
"He shall say to the bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves" (49:9).
Again, in the same prophet:
"And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness and out of darkness" (29:18).
And again:
"And I will bring the blind by a way that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight (42:16).
And in Micah:
"When I sit in darkness, Jehovah shall be a light unto me" (7:8).
In these passages, darkness signifies the falsities of ignorance, such as formerly existed, and at this day exist, with the upright Gentiles. These falsities are altogether distinct from the falsities of evil, for the latter contain in themselves evil, because they are from evil, while the former contain in themselves good, for they have good for an end. Those therefore who are in those falsities can be instructed in truths, and also when instructed they receive truths in the heart, because the good, which is in their falsities, loves the truth, and also conjoins itself with the truth when it is heard. The case is different with the falsities of evil; these are averse to, and reject all truth, because it is truth, and does not therefore agree with evil.
[16] In the Word, darkness also signifies mere ignorance arising from the deprivation of truth; as in David (Psalm 18:29; Psalm 139:11, 12). Darkness also signifies natural light (lumen naturale), for this, in comparison with spiritual light, is like darkness; wherefore also the angels, when they look down into the natural light of man, such as is in the natural cognition of men, regard it as darkness, and the things which are in it, as in darkness; this light (lumen), is signified by the darkness mentioned in Genesis (Micah 1:2-5). And because the sense of the letter of the Word is natural, therefore this also in the Word is called a cloud, and also darkness, in comparison with the internal sense, which is the light of heaven, and is called glory.
Luke 1
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Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
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Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
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It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
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That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
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There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
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And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
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And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
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And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
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According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
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And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
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And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
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And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
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But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
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And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
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For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
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And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
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And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
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And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
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And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
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And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
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And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
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And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
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And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
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And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
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Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
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And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
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To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
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And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
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And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
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And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
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And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
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He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
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And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
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Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
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And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
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And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
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For with God nothing shall be impossible.
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And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
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And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
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And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
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And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
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And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
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And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
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For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
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And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
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And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
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And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
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For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
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For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
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And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
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He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
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He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
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He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
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He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
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As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
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And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
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Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
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And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
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And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
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And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
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And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
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And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
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And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
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And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
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And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
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And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
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And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
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Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
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And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
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As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
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That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
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To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
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The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
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That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
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In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
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And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
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To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
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Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
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To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
