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Joel 4:3

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True Christian Religion #782

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782. 1 The reason why the new church is meant by the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven (Revelation 21), is that Jerusalem was the capital city in the land of Canaan. It was there that the temple was and the altar where sacrifices were made, and so the Divine worship to which three times a year every male in the whole land was commanded to come. It was also because Jerusalem is where the Lord was, and taught in its temple; and He afterwards there glorified His Human. These are the reasons why Jerusalem means the church. It is perfectly plain that Jerusalem means the church from the prophecies in the Old Testament about the new church to be founded by the Lord, since it is there called Jerusalem.

[2] It is only necessary to quote the passages themselves, for anyone possessed of inward reason to be able to see, that Jerusalem there means the church. Let the following passages suffice:

Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth; the former ones will not be remembered. Look, I shall make Jerusalem an exultation, and its people happiness, so that I may exult over Jerusalem and rejoice over my people. Then the wolf and the lamb will feed together. They will do no harm in all the mountain of my holiness, Isaiah 65:17-19, 25.

For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth like a beam of light, and her salvation burns like a lamp. Then the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. And you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah will utter, and you will be a crown of beauty [in the hand of Jehovah] 2 and a diadem of kingship in the hand of your God. Jehovah will be pleased in you, and your land will be married. Behold, your salvation will come, behold, His reward is with Him. And they will call them the people of holiness, the redeemed of Jehovah. And you will be called a city sought after, not abandoned, Isaiah 62:1-4, 11-12.

[3] Awake, awake, Zion, put on your strength. Put on the clothes of your beauty, Jerusalem, city of holiness; for no more will the uncircumcised and the unclean come into you. Shake off the dust, arise and take your seat, Jerusalem. The people will know my name on that day, for I am he that speaks, here I am. Jehovah has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem, Isaiah 52:1-2, 6, 9.

Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem. The king of Israel is in your midst. Fear evil no longer. He will rejoice over you with joy; he will be satisfied in his 3 love, he will exult over you with a shout of joy. I will make you a name and the object of praise to all the peoples of the earth, Zephaniah 3:14-17, 20.

Thus spoke Jehovah your Redeemer, telling Jerusalem, You will be dwelt in, Isaiah 44:24, 26.

Thus spoke Jehovah, I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Therefore Jerusalem will be called the city of truth, and the mountain of Jehovah Zebaoth the mountain of holiness, Zechariah 8:3, 20-23.

Then you will know that I am Jehovah your God, who dwell in Zion, the mountain of holiness; and Jerusalem will be holiness. And it will happen on that day that the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk. And Jerusalem will stay fixed from one generation to another, Joel 3:17-21.

[4] On that day the shoot of Jehovah will be an adornment and a glory; and it will come about that the one who is left in Zion, the one who remains in Jerusalem, will be called holy, everyone enrolled with a view to life in Jerusalem, Isaiah 4:2-3.

At the end of days the mountain of Jehovah's house will be established on the head of mountains; for from Zion will come forth teaching, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem, Micah 4:1-2, 8.

At that time they will call Jerusalem Jehovah's throne, and all nations will be gathered to Jerusalem for Jehovah's name's sake, and they will no longer follow the prompting of their evil hearts, Jeremiah 3:17.

Look to Zion, the city of our appointed feast, let you eyes behold Jerusalem, a tranquil dwelling, a tent which will not be blown away. Its pegs will never be removed, and its ropes will not be pulled up, Isaiah 33:20.

There are further passages such as Isaiah 24:23; 37:32; 66:10-14; Zechariah 12:3, 6-10; 14:8, 11-12, 21; Malachi 3:4; Psalms 122:1-7; 137:4-6.

[5] It is obvious from the details of the description of Jerusalem in the passages quoted that it means there the church to be founded by the Lord, and not the Jerusalem where the Jews lived. For instance, it is said Jehovah will create a new heaven and a new earth, and also at that time Jerusalem; that it will be a crown of beauty and a diadem of kingship; that it is to be called holiness and a city of truth, Jehovah's throne, a tranquil dwelling, a tent which will not be blown away. It is said that the wolf and the lamb will feed together there; that there the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills flow with milk, and it will stay fixed for one generation after another; and much more besides. It is also said of its people that they are holy, everyone enrolled with a view to life, and they are to be called Jehovah's redeemed. Moreover, all those passages deal with the Lord's coming, especially His second coming, when there will be a Jerusalem such as is there described; for it has not previously been married, that is, made the bride and wife of the Lamb, as the New Jerusalem is described in Revelation.

[6] The earlier, that is, the present-day church, is meant by Jerusalem in Daniel, and its beginnings are there described as follows:

Know and perceive, from the time the word went forth to restore and build Jerusalem, until the coming of the Messiah, the prince, will be seven weeks. Afterwards for sixty-two weeks the street and the moat will be restored and built, but at a time of distress, Daniel 9:25.

Its end is there described as follows:

At last upon the bird of abominations desolation, and it will drip upon devastation up to the point of ending and cutting off, Daniel 9:27.

It is this last passage which is meant by the Lord's words in Matthew:

When you see the abomination of desolation, foretold by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place - let him who reads take due note, Matthew 24:15.

It can be established that Jerusalem in the passages quoted above does not mean the Jerusalem inhabited by the Jews, from the passages in the Word which say that it has been utterly lost and is to be destroyed; for instance, Jeremiah 5:1; 6:6-7; 7:17ff; Jeremiah 8:6ff; Jeremiah 9:11-12, 14ff; Jeremiah 13:9-10, 14; 14:16; Lamentations 1:8-9, 17; Ezekiel 4:1 - end; Ezekiel 5:9- end; Ezekiel 12:18-19; 15:6-8; 16:1-63; 23; Matthew 23:37-38; Luke 19:41-44; 21:20-22; 23:28-30; and in many other passages. There are also passages where it is called Sodom: Isaiah 3:9; Jeremiah 23:14; Ezekiel 16:46, 48; and elsewhere.

Footnotes:

1. This section and 783 are repeated from Brief Exposition 100-101.

2. These words are missing from the printed text, but are added in the Author's copy.

3. The Latin has 'in your love', but this is corrected in the Author's copy.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

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Zechariah 14

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1 Behold, a day of Yahweh comes, when your spoil will be divided in your midst.

2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city will be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go out into captivity, and the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

3 Then Yahweh will go out and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

4 His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very great valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

5 You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with you.

6 It will happen in that day, that there will not be light, cold, or frost.

7 It will be a unique day which is known to Yahweh; not day, and not night; but it will come to pass, that at evening time there will be light.

8 It will happen in that day, that living waters will go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter will it be.

9 Yahweh will be King over all the earth. In that day Yahweh will be one, and his name one.

10 All the land will be made like the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and she will be lifted up, and will dwell in her place, from Benjamin's gate to the place of the first gate, to the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses.

11 Men will dwell therein, and there will be no more curse; but Jerusalem will dwell safely.

12 This will be the plague with which Yahweh will strike all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh will consume away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will consume away in their sockets, and their tongue will consume away in their mouth.

13 It will happen in that day, that a great panic from Yahweh will be among them; and they will lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will rise up against the hand of his neighbor.

14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered together: gold, and silver, and clothing, in great abundance.

15 So will be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the donkey, and of all the animals that will be in those camps, as that plague.

16 It will happen that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of Armies, and to keep the feast of tents.

17 It will be, that whoever of all the families of the earth doesn't go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of Armies, on them there will be no rain.

18 If the family of Egypt doesn't go up, and doesn't come, neither will it rain on them. This will be the plague with which Yahweh will strike the nations that don't go up to keep the feast of tents.

19 This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations that don't go up to keep the feast of tents.

20 In that day there will be on the bells of the horses, "HOLY TO YAHWEH;" and the pots in YAHWEH's house will be like the bowls before the altar.

21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to Yahweh of Armies; and all those who sacrifice will come and take of them, and cook in them. In that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of Yahweh of Armies.