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Luke 19

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1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.

17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.

19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.

20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:

21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.

22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?

24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.

25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)

26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

28 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.

29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,

30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.

31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.

33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?

34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him.

35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.

36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.

37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,

44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;

46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,

48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.

   

Commentary

 

Explanation of Luke 19

By Rev. John Clowes M.A.

Verses 1-10. That the Gentiles, who are out of the Church, are accepted of the Lord, and have conjunction with Him in charity and the good of life.

Verses 3-4. Because, notwithstanding their deficiency in the knowledges of truth from the Word, they are desirous to know the truth, and by that desire are elevated into the truths and goods of the external Church.

Verses 5-6. And are thus acknowledged by the Lord, and declared to be the members of His Church and kingdom, which declaration they receive with joy.

Verse 7. Still it appears contrary to order, that the Divine Truth should be imparted to those who are in disorder of life.

Verses 8-9. Until it is seen, that the Gentiles, who are out of the Church, are principled in charity, and that by charity they are capable of being saved, and thus of being received within the Church.

Verse 10. Since the Lord operates charity, faith, freewill, repentance and regeneration with every one, inasmuch as He wills the salvation of all.

Verses 11-13. For the Lord is willing to communicate to all the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, with the faculty of perceiving them.

Verse 14. And this, notwithstanding the force of hereditary and actual evil on the part of man, which is opposed to the Divine Love and Wisdom.

Verse 15. Every one therefore, sooner or later, must give an account of his application of those knowledges.

Verses 16-21. On which occasion it becomes manifest, that some procure, to themselves much intelligence and wisdom, and others procure some, and others none.

Verses 20-27. And that they who procure none are deprived of the truths which they possessed in the memory only, and not in the life.

Verse 21. Since they think harshly of the Divine mercy, and accuse it of expecting more from man than he has the ability to perform.

Verses 22-23. Whereas this their idea of the Divine mercy ought to have led them to exert themselves the more in procuring charity and the good of life.

Verses 24-26. And inasmuch as they have not made the use of the knowledges which they possessed, therefore those knowledges are taken away from them, since it is an eternal law, that they who are in the good of charity shall sooner or later be enriched with truths, whereas they who are in falsities derived from evil in the other life are deprived of all truths.

Verse 27. At the same time they are deprived of all spiritual life.

Verses 28-30. That the Lord from His Divine love, and by His Divine truth, explores the principles of the natural man as to truth, requiring them to be separated from all that is evil and false, and to receive influx of life from Himself.

Verse 31. And if the persuasions of the natural man oppose, they are to be overcome by teaching the necessity of such an influx to restore order.

Verses 32-34. Which necessity is accordingly taught, and is acknowledged by the natural man.

Verses 35-36. So that truths in every complex are submitted to the Lord.

Verses 37-38. And all, who are principled in what is good and true, exalt the Divine Human principle of the Lord, and His Divine operation, as the source of every blessing.

Verses 39-40. Which doctrine is taught, not only in the spiritual and internal sense of the Word, but also in its natural and literal sense.

Verses 41-42. The rejection therefore of this doctrine by the Jewish nation excites the tenderness of the Lord's love, that, if possible, they might receive it, but reception is now become impossible.

Verses 43-44. Inasmuch as through rejection of the Lord at his advent, they were immersed in evils and falsities of every kind, so that the representatives of a Church no longer existed amongst them.

Verses 45-46. For they made gain of holy things, and thus defiled all worship by perversion of what is holy.

Verses 47-48. And when the Lord would have instructed them in the things concerning himself and his kingdom, they opposed all his love and wisdom, yet not without caution, since there were still some remains of the affection of truth in the lower principles.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #676

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676. REVELATION: CHAPTER 16

1. Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God onto the earth."

2. So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and an evil and noxious sore formed in people who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image.

3. Then the second angel poured out his bowl onto the sea, and it became blood as though of a dead man, and every living creature in the sea died.

4. Then the third angel poured out his bowl onto the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.

5. And I heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was, and holy, Because You have judged these things.

6. For they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For they are deserving."

7. And I heard another from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and just are Your judgments."

8. Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl onto the sun, and it was given to him to scorch people with fire.

9. And people were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.

10. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of their suffering.

11. And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings and because of their sores, and did not repent of their works.

12. Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be made ready.

13. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.

14. For they are spirits of demons that perform signs to go away to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15. "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and preserves his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."

16. And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon.

17. Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, "It is done!"

18. And there were voices and lightnings and thunderings; and there was a great earthquake, such as had not occurred since people were on the earth, so great was the earthquake.

19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.

20. Then every island fled away, and mountains were not found.

21. And great hail from heaven about the weight of a talent fell upon people. And people blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, as the plague was exceedingly great.

THE SPIRITUAL MEANING

The Contents of the Whole Chapter

In this chapter the evils and falsities in the church of the Protestant Reformed are exposed by influx from heaven (verse 1) - by influx into the clergy (verse 2), into the laity (verse 3), into the understanding of the Word in them (verses 4-7), into the love in them (verses 8, 9), into the faith in them (verses 10, 11), into the interior reasonings in them (verses 12-15), and into all of these at the same time (verses 17-21).

The Contents of the Individual Verses:

Verse ContentsSpiritual Meaning
1. Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God onto the earth."An influx from the Lord from the inmost of heaven into the church of the Protestant Reformed, where those people are found who are caught up in a faith divorced from charity, as to faith and as to life,
2. So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth,into those taken up with the interior tenets of the church of the Protestant Reformed, who study the doctrine of justification by faith alone and are called the clergy.
and an evil and noxious sore formedInterior evils and falsities destructive of every good and truth in the church,
in people who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image.in those clergy who live faith alone and accept the doctrine teaching it.
3. Then the second angel poured out his bowl upon the sea,Influx into those people in the church who are concerned with its external elements and are caught up in that faith, and are called the laity.
and it became blood as though of a dead man, and every living creature in the sea died.The infernal falsity in them by which every truth in the Word was extinguished, and so also every truth in the church and in faith.
4. Then the third angel poured out his bowl onto the rivers and springs of water,Influx into the understanding of the Word in them.
and they became blood.The Word's truths falsified.
5. And I heard the angel of the waters saying:The Word's Divine truth.
"You are righteous, O Lord,The One who is and who was, and holy,
Because You have judged these things.This judgment is of the Divine providence of the Lord, who is and was the Word, which otherwise would be profaned,
6. For they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets,And this because when just the one tenet is accepted, that faith alone saves apart from works of the law, it corrupts all doctrinal truths from the Word.
And You have given them blood to drink.For they are deserving."
Those who have confirmed themselves in faith alone in doctrine and life have been permitted to falsify the Word's truths and to infuse their life with those falsified truths.7. And I heard another from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and just are Your judgments."
The Divine goodness in the Word supporting that Divine truth.8. Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl onto the sun,
Influx into the people's love.and it was given to him to scorch people with fire.
Love toward the Lord tormented them, because they were caught up in lusts for evils emanating from the delight of their love.9. And people were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues;
Owing to the delight of the love of self arising from their grievous lusts for evils, they did not acknowledge the Divinity of the Lord's humanity, even though from it flows every goodness of love and truth of faith.and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.
Because of this they cannot accept with any faith that the Lord is God of heaven and earth, even in respect to His humanity, even though it is what the Word teaches.10. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast,
Influx into the people's faith.and his kingdom became full of darkness;
Nothing but falsities appeared.and they gnawed their tongues because of their suffering.
They could not endure truths.11. And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings and because of their sores,
They could not acknowledge the Lord alone to be God of heaven and earth, owing to feelings of repugnance springing from interior falsities and evils.and did not repent of their works.
Despite being instructed from the Word, they still did not turn away from the falsities of their faith or their consequent evil practices.12. Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates,
Influx into the people's interior reasonings by which they defend justification by faith alone.and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be made ready.
The falsities in those reasonings removed in the case of people who possess truths from the Lord that spring from goodness, and who are to be introduced into the New Church.13. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet,
A perception that from a theology founded on the doctrine of a trinity of persons in the Godhead and on the doctrine of justification by faith alone apart from works of the lawthree unclean spirits like frogs.
there arose nothing but reasonings and lusts to falsify truths.14. For they are spirits of demons
They were lusts to falsify truths and to reason on the basis of falsities.that perform signs to go away to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Assertions that their falsities are true, and efforts to stir up all those throughout the church who are caught up in the same falsities to attack the truths of the New Church.15. "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and preserves his garments,
The Lord's advent and heaven then for people who look to Him and remain steadfast in a life in accordance with His precepts, which are the Word's truths,lest he walk naked and they see his shame."
so as not to be associated with people who are without any truths, and have their hellish loves appear.16. And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon.
A state of combat, of falsities against truths, and, arising from a love of dominion and preeminence, a mind to destroy the New Church.17. Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,
Influx into all of these things in them at the same time.and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, "It is done!"
It was thus made manifest by the Lord that every element of the church was destroyed, and that the Last Judgment was now imminent.18. And there were voices and lightnings and thunderings;
Reasonings, falsifications of truth, and arguments in consequence of the falsities accompanying evil.and there was a great earthquake, such as had not occurred since people were on the earth, so great was the earthquake.
Seeming shocks, convulsions, upsets and drawings down from heaven of every element of the church.19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.
By these events that church was utterly destroyed as regards its doctrine, and so too all the heresies that emanated from it.And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.
The destruction also at that time of the dogmas of the Roman Catholic religion.20. Then every island fled away, and mountains were not found.
There was no longer any truth of faith, nor any goodness of love.21. And great hail from heaven about the weight of a talent fell upon people.
Dreadful and atrocious falsities, by which every truth in the Word and so in the church was destroyed.And people blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, as the plague was exceedingly great.
Because the people entrenched such falsities in themselves, they denied truths to the extent that they could not recognize them, owing to feelings of repugnance springing from their interior falsities and evils.

THE EXPOSITION

16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God onto the earth." This symbolizes an influx from the Lord from the inmost of heaven into the church of the Protestant Reformed, where those people are found who are caught up in a faith divorced from charity, as to faith and as to life, to take truths and goods from them and reveal the falsities and evils in which they are caught up, and in this way to separate them from people who believe in the Lord and who possess charity from Him and its accompanying faith.

This in brief is what is contained in this chapter. The temple means the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony previously spoken of in chapter 15:5, and it symbolizes the inmost of heaven where the Lord is present in His holiness in the Word and in the Law contained in the Ten Commandments (no. 669). The loud voice from it symbolizes a Divine command for the seven angels to go and pour out the bowls. The seven angels mean the Lord, as in no. 657 above. Pouring out the bowls containing plagues onto the earth symbolizes an influx into the church of the Protestant Reformed. Pouring out the bowls symbolizes influx, and the earth symbolizes the church (no. 285).

[2] The subject continues to be the church among the Protestant Reformed. In the following chapter it will be the church among Roman Catholics; after that it will be the Last Judgment; and finally the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, as may be seen in the Preface and in no. 2.

Chapters 8, 9 above described seven angels who had seven trumpets, which they sounded, and because many similar things occur there, we will say here what those seven angels symbolized and what these do here. The seven trumpets which the seven angels sounded symbolize an examination and exposure of the falsities and evils possessed by people who are caught up in a faith divorced from charity. But the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues symbolize the purging and ultimate end of these people, since the Last Judgment cannot be executed upon them until they have been purged.

[3] The purging and ultimate end of them is brought about in the spiritual world in the following way: People caught up in falsities as to doctrine and so in evils as to life have taken from them all the goods and truths that they possessed merely in their natural self, by which they put on the appearance of being Christian people. When these goods and truths have been taken away, the people are separated from heaven and joined to hell. And then in the world of spirits they are arranged in accordance with the varieties of their lusts into societies, which later sink down.

[4] They have goods and truths taken from them by influx from heaven. The influx originates from genuine truths and goods by which they are tormented and tortured, much like a snake placed near a fire or cast upon an anthill. Therefore they reject the goods and truths of heaven, which are also the goods and truths of the church, and finally condemn them, because these cause them what feels like the torment of hell. When this happens they retreat into their evils and falsities and are separated from people who are good.

These are the things described in this chapter and symbolized by the emptying out of the bowls containing the seven last plagues.

The bowls did not contain these evils and falsities symbolized by the plagues, but had in them genuine truths and goods, whose effect was as described. For the angels came from the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony, which means the inmost of heaven, where nothing but truths and goods in a Divine and holy state are found (Revelation 15:6).

[5] This is the purging and ultimate end spoken of by the Lord when He said:

...whoever has, to him more will be given, that he may have greater abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. (Matthew 13:12, Mark 4:25)

...take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, that he may have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. (Matthew 25:28-29, cf. Luke 19:24-26)

  
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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.

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