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Daniel 4

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4 ἔτους ὀκτωκαιδεκάτου τῆς βασιλείας ναβουχοδονοσορ εἶπεν εἰρηνεύων ἤμην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου καὶ εὐθηνῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου μου

5 ἐνύπνιον εἶδον καὶ εὐλαβήθην καὶ φόβος μοι ἐπέπεσεν

10 ἐκάθευδον καὶ ἰδοὺ δένδρον ὑψηλὸν φυόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἡ ὅρασις αὐτοῦ μεγάλη καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄλλο ὅμοιον αὐτῷ

12 οἱ κλάδοι αὐτοῦ τῷ μήκει ὡς σταδίων τριάκοντα καὶ ὑποκάτω αὐτοῦ ἐσκίαζον πάντα τὰ θηρία τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐνόσσευον ὁ καρπὸς αὐτοῦ πολὺς καὶ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ἐχορήγει πᾶσι τοῖς ζῴοις

11 καὶ ἡ ὅρασις αὐτοῦ μεγάλη ἡ κορυφὴ αὐτοῦ ἤγγιζεν ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τὸ κύτος αὐτοῦ ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν πληροῦν τὰ ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ἡ σελήνη ἐν αὐτῷ ὤ|κουν καὶ ἐφώτιζον πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν

13 ἐθεώρουν ἐν τῷ ὕπνῳ μου καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος ἀπεστάλη ἐν ἰσχύι ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ

14 καὶ ἐφώνησε καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἐκκόψατε αὐτὸ καὶ καταφθείρατε αὐτό προστέτακται γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑψίστου ἐκριζῶσαι καὶ ἀχρειῶσαι αὐτό

15 καὶ οὕτως εἶπε ῥίζαν μίαν ἄφετε αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ γῇ ὅπως μετὰ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι χόρτον ὡς βοῦς νέμηται

16 καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δρόσου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἀλλοιωθῇ καὶ ἑπτὰ ἔτη βοσκηθῇ σὺν αὐτοῖς

17 ἕως ἂν γνῷ τὸν κύριον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν πάντων τῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὅσα ἂν θέλῃ ποιεῖ ἐν αὐτοῖς

17a ἐνώπιόν μου ἐξεκόπη ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ καὶ ἡ καταφθορὰ αὐτοῦ ἐν ὥρᾳ μιᾷ τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ οἱ κλάδοι αὐτοῦ ἐδόθησαν εἰς πάντα ἄνεμον καὶ εἱλκύσθη καὶ ἐρρίφη καὶ τὸν χόρτον τῆς γῆς μετὰ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς ἤσθιε καὶ εἰς φυλακὴν παρεδόθη καὶ ἐν πέδαις καὶ ἐν χειροπέδαις χαλκαῖς ἐδέθη ὑπ' αὐτῶν σφόδρα ἐθαύμασα ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις καὶ ὁ ὕπνος μου ἀπέστη ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου

18 καὶ ἀναστὰς τὸ πρωὶ ἐκ τῆς κοίτης μου ἐκάλεσα τὸν δανιηλ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν σοφιστῶν καὶ τὸν ἡγούμενον τῶν κρινόντων τὰ ἐνύπνια καὶ διηγησάμην αὐτῷ τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ ὑπέδειξέ μοι πᾶσαν τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ

19 μεγάλως δὲ ἐθαύμασεν ὁ δανιηλ καὶ ὑπόνοια κατέσπευδεν αὐτόν καὶ φοβηθεὶς τρόμου λαβόντος αὐτὸν καὶ ἀλλοιωθείσης τῆς ὁράσεως αὐτοῦ κινήσας τὴν κεφαλὴν ὥραν μίαν ἀποθαυμάσας ἀπεκρίθη μοι φωνῇ πραείᾳ βασιλεῦ τὸ ἐνύπνιον τοῦτο τοῖς μισοῦσί σε καὶ ἡ σύγκρισις αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου ἐπέλθοι

20 τὸ δένδρον τὸ ἐν τῇ γῇ πεφυτευμένον οὗ ἡ ὅρασις μεγάλη σὺ εἶ βασιλεῦ

21 καὶ πάντα τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὰ νοσσεύοντα ἐν αὐτῷ ἡ ἰσχὺς τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τῶν γλωσσῶν πασῶν ἕως τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ χῶραι σοὶ δουλεύουσι

22 τὸ δὲ ἀνυψωθῆναι τὸ δένδρον ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἐγγίσαι τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ τὸ κύτος αὐτοῦ ἅψασθαι τῶν νεφελῶν σύ βασιλεῦ ὑψώθης ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς ὄντας ἐπὶ προσώπου πάσης τῆς γῆς ὑψώθη σου ἡ καρδία ὑπερηφανίᾳ καὶ ἰσχύι τὰ πρὸς τὸν ἅγιον καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα σου ὤφθη καθότι ἐξερήμωσας τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος ἐπὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ ἡγιασμένου

23 καὶ ἡ ὅρασις ἣν εἶδες ὅτι ἄγγελος ἐν ἰσχύι ἀπεστάλη παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ὅτι εἶπεν ἐξᾶραι τὸ δένδρον καὶ ἐκκόψαι ἡ κρίσις τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου ἥξει ἐπὶ σέ

24 καὶ ὁ ὕψιστος καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ σὲ κατατρέχουσιν

25 εἰς φυλακὴν ἀπάξουσί σε καὶ εἰς τόπον ἔρημον ἀποστελοῦσί σε

26 καὶ ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ δένδρου ἡ ἀφεθεῖσα ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐξερριζώθη ὁ τόπος τοῦ θρόνου σού σοι συντηρηθήσεται εἰς καιρὸν καὶ ὥραν ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ σὲ ἑτοιμάζονται καὶ μαστιγώσουσί σε καὶ ἐπάξουσι τὰ κεκριμένα ἐπὶ σέ

27 κύριος ζῇ ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ δεήθητι περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν σου καὶ πάσας τὰς ἀδικίας σου ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι ἵνα ἐπιείκεια δοθῇ σοι καὶ πολυήμερος γένῃ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς βασιλείας σου καὶ μὴ καταφθείρῃ σε τούτους τοὺς λόγους ἀγάπησον ἀκριβὴς γάρ μου ὁ λόγος καὶ πλήρης ὁ χρόνος σου

28 καὶ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν λόγων ναβουχοδονοσορ ὡς ἤκουσε τὴν κρίσιν τοῦ ὁράματος τοὺς λόγους ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ συνετήρησε

29 καὶ μετὰ μῆνας δώδεκα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν τῆς πόλεως μετὰ πάσης τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ περιεπάτει καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πύργων αὐτῆς διεπορεύετο

30 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὕτη ἐστὶ βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη ἣν ἐγὼ ᾠκοδόμησα καὶ οἶκος βασιλείας μου ἐν ἰσχύι κράτους μου κληθήσεται εἰς τιμὴν τῆς δόξης μου

31 καὶ ἐπὶ συντελείας τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἤκουσε σοὶ λέγεται ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλεῦ ἡ βασιλεία βαβυλῶνος ἀφῄρηταί σου καὶ ἑτέρῳ δίδοται ἐξουθενημένῳ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καθίστημι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας σου καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν σου καὶ τὴν δόξαν σου καὶ τὴν τρυφήν σου παραλήψεται ὅπως ἐπιγνῷς ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν βούληται δώσει αὐτήν ἕως δὲ ἡλίου ἀνατολῆς βασιλεὺς ἕτερος εὐφρανθήσεται ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου καὶ κρατήσει τῆς δόξης σου καὶ τῆς ἰσχύος σου καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας σου

32 καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι διώξονταί σε ἐπὶ ἔτη ἑπτά καὶ οὐ μὴ ὀφθῇς οὐδ' οὐ μὴ λαλήσῃς μετὰ παντὸς ἀνθρώπου χόρτον ὡς βοῦν σε ψωμίσουσι καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χλόης τῆς γῆς ἔσται ἡ νομή σου ἰδοὺ ἀντὶ τῆς δόξης σου δήσουσί σε καὶ τὸν οἶκον τῆς τρυφῆς σου καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν σου ἕτερος ἕξει

33 ἕως δὲ πρωὶ πάντα τελεσθήσεται ἐπὶ σέ ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλεῦ βαβυλῶνος καὶ οὐχ ὑστερήσει ἀπὸ πάντων τούτων οὐθέν

33a ἐγὼ ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλεὺς βαβυλῶνος ἑπτὰ ἔτη ἐπεδήθην χόρτον ὡς βοῦν ἐψώμισάν με καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χλόης τῆς γῆς ἤσθιον καὶ μετὰ ἔτη ἑπτὰ ἔδωκα τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς δέησιν καὶ ἠξίωσα περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου κατὰ πρόσωπον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀγνοιῶν μου τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν θεῶν τοῦ μεγάλου ἐδεήθην

33b καὶ αἱ τρίχες μου ἐγένοντο ὡς πτέρυγες ἀετοῦ οἱ ὄνυχές μου ὡσεὶ λέοντος ἠλλοιώθη ἡ σάρξ μου καὶ ἡ καρδία μου γυμνὸς περιεπάτουν μετὰ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς ἐνύπνιον εἶδον καὶ ὑπόνοιαί με εἰλήφασι καὶ διὰ χρόνου ὕπνος με ἔλαβε πολὺς καὶ νυσταγμὸς ἐπέπεσέ μοι

34 καὶ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἐτῶν ὁ χρόνος μου τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως ἦλθε καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι μου καὶ αἱ ἄγνοιαί μου ἐπληρώθησαν ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐδεήθην περὶ τῶν ἀγνοιῶν μου τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν θεῶν τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος εἷς ἐκάλεσέ με ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λέγων ναβουχοδονοσορ δούλευσον τῷ θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ δὸς δόξαν τῷ ὑψίστῳ τὸ βασίλειον τοῦ ἔθνους σού σοι ἀποδίδοται

36 ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ ἀποκατεστάθη ἡ βασιλεία μου ἐμοί καὶ ἡ δόξα μου ἀπεδόθη μοι

37 τῷ ὑψίστῳ ἀνθομολογοῦμαι καὶ αἰνῶ τῷ κτίσαντι τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰς θαλάσσας καὶ τοὺς ποταμοὺς καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐξομολογοῦμαι καὶ αἰνῶ ὅτι αὐτός ἐστι θεὸς τῶν θεῶν καὶ κύριος τῶν κυρίων καὶ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλέων ὅτι αὐτὸς ποιεῖ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα καὶ ἀλλοιοῖ καιροὺς καὶ χρόνους ἀφαιρῶν βασιλείαν βασιλέων καὶ καθιστῶν ἑτέρους ἀντ' αὐτῶν

37a ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν αὐτῷ λατρεύσω καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου αὐτοῦ τρόμος εἴληφέ με καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους αὐτοῦ αἰνῶ οἱ γὰρ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἰσχὺν ἀποστρέψαι βασιλείαν βασιλέως εἰς ἕτερον βασιλέα καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ ζῆν ποιῆσαι καὶ ποιῆσαι σημεῖα καὶ θαυμάσια μεγάλα καὶ φοβερὰ καὶ ἀλλοιῶσαι ὑπερμεγέθη πράγματα καθὼς ἐποίησεν ἐν ἐμοὶ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἠλλοίωσεν ἐπ' ἐμοὶ μεγάλα πράγματα ἐγὼ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς βασιλείας μου περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς μου τῷ ὑψίστῳ θυσίας προσοίσω εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιήσω ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ λαός μου τὸ ἔθνος μου καὶ αἱ χῶραί μου αἱ ἐν τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ μου καὶ ὅσοι ἐλάλησαν εἰς τὸν θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ὅσοι ἂν καταληφθῶσι λαλοῦντές τι τούτους κατακρινῶ θανάτῳ

37b ἔγραψε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ναβουχοδονοσορ ἐπιστολὴν ἐγκύκλιον πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ τόπον ἔθνεσι καὶ χώραις καὶ γλώσσαις πάσαις ταῖς οἰκούσαις ἐν πάσαις ταῖς χώραις ἐν γενεαῖς καὶ γενεαῖς κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ αἰνεῖτε καὶ θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν προσφέρετε αὐτῷ ἐνδόξως ἐγὼ βασιλεὺς βασιλέων ἀνθομολογοῦμαι αὐτῷ ἐνδόξως ὅτι οὕτως ἐποίησε μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκάθισέ με ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου μου καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας μου καὶ τῆς βασιλείας μου ἐν τῷ λαῷ μου ἐκράτησα καὶ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη μου ἀποκατεστάθη μοι

37c ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλεὺς πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι καὶ πάσαις ταῖς χώραις καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς οἰκοῦσιν ἐν αὐταῖς εἰρήνη ὑμῖν πληθυνθείη ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ καὶ νῦν ὑποδείξω ὑμῖν τὰς πράξεις ἃς ἐποίησε μετ' ἐμοῦ ὁ θεὸς ὁ μέγας ἔδοξε δέ μοι ἀποδεῖξαι ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς σοφισταῖς ὑμῶν ὅτι ἔστι θεός καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ μεγάλα τὸ βασίλειον αὐτοῦ βασίλειον εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ γενεῶν εἰς γενεάς καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἐπιστολὰς περὶ πάντων τῶν γενηθέντων αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τοῖς οὖσιν ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ

37d βαλτασαρ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐποίησε δοχὴν μεγάλην ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐγκαινισμοῦ τῶν βασιλείων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν μεγιστάνων αὐτοῦ ἐκάλεσεν ἄνδρας δισχιλίους ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ βαλτασαρ ἀνυψούμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴνου καὶ καυχώμενος ἐπῄνεσε πάντας τοὺς θεοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν τοὺς χωνευτοὺς καὶ γλυπτοὺς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ θεῷ τῷ ὑψίστῳ οὐκ ἔδωκεν αἴνεσιν ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐξῆλθον δάκτυλοι ὡσεὶ ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἐπέγραψαν ἐπὶ τοῦ τοίχου οἴκου αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ κονιάματος κατέναντι τοῦ λύχνους μανη φαρες θεκελ ἔστι δὲ ἡ ἑρμηνεία αὐτῶν μανη ἠρίθμηται φαρες ἐξῆρται θεκελ ἕσταται

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #716

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716. To this I will append the following account:

I spoke with several English bishops in the spiritual world about the short works I published in London in 1758, namely, Heaven and Hell, The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine, The Last Judgment, The White Horse, and The Earths in the Universe. I had sent these short works as a gift to all the Bishops and to a number of magnates or lords. The bishops said that they had received them and looked them over, but that they did not regard them as having any merit, even though artfully written. And they said, too, that they had persuaded as many as they could not to read them.

I asked why this was, since in fact the books contain secrets concerning heaven and hell, and concerning life after death, and many more worthy of much merit, having been revealed by the Lord for people who will belong to His New Church, which is the New Jerusalem.

But they said, "What is that to us?" And they poured out invectives against them as they had in the world. I heard them.

I then read in their presence these verses from the Apocalypse:

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. 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. 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... And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon. (Revelation 16:12-16)

Having explained these verses in their presence, I told the bishops that they, and others like them elsewhere, were the people meant by these depictions.

[2] A king, the grandfather of the king reigning today, 1 heard from heaven what I said to the bishops, and being somewhat annoyed, he said, "What is this?"

And then one of those bishops, who had not gone along with the others in the world, turned to the king and said, "These whom you now see with your own eyes, thought in the world, and so even now continue to think, of the Lord's Divine humanity as being that of an ordinary person, and they attribute all salvation and redemption to God the Father, and not to the Lord except as the occasioning cause. For they believe in God the Father, and not in His Son, even though they know from the Lord that it is the Father's will that they believe in the Son, that those who believe in the Son shall have eternal life, and that those who do not believe in the Son shall not see life. 2

"In addition, the charity done by the Lord through a person as though done by the person - this they cast out from having anything to do with salvation."

[3] Speaking further with the king, the bishop disclosed the hierarchy that many of the bishops continually aspire to and also take part in, which they establish by joining together and forming an alliance. They do this with all of their order through emissaries, messengers, letters and conversations, supported by their ecclesiastical and at the same time political authority. As a result they almost all cling together, like a single bundle of sticks. Moreover, it is in consequence of that hierarchy, too, that even though the aforementioned works for the New Jerusalem were published in London and sent to them as a gift, they have caused those works to be so shamefully rejected that they are regarded as not even worth a mention in their book catalogue.

Hearing this, the king was dumbfounded, especially on being told that the bishops thought as they did regarding the Lord, who nevertheless is God of heaven and earth, and regarding charity, which nevertheless is the essence of religion.

At that, by a shaft of light descending then from heaven, the interiors of their minds and faith were laid open; and when the king saw them, he said, "Depart! Alas, who can become so hardened against hearing anything relating to heaven and eternal life?"

[4] The king then asked why the clergy rendered the bishops such universal obedience, and the bishop said that it resulted from the power granted to every bishop in his diocese of nominating to the king only one man or candidate for a parish, and not three as in other kingdoms. Owing to that power, then, they have the ability to promote their supporters to higher positions of honor and larger incomes - each one according to the obedience that he renders.

The bishop disclosed also how far that hierarchy could go, and that it has progressed to the point that power is the essential goal and religion a formality.

He revealed, too, their passion for power, and when viewed by angels, they saw that it exceeded the passion for power of people in positions of secular authority.

Footnotes:

1. In 1766 when this work was published, the reigning monarch was George III, who in 1760 succeeded his grandfather, George II, as king of England.

2. John 6:40; 3:36

  
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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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