The Bible

 

Daniel 8

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1 ετους τριτου βασιλευοντος βαλτασαρ ορασις ην ειδον εγω δανιηλ μετα το ιδειν με την πρωτην

2 και ειδον εν τω οραματι του ενυπνιου μου εμου οντος εν σουσοις τη πολει ητις εστιν εν ελυμαιδι χωρα ετι οντος μου προς τη πυλη αιλαμ

3 αναβλεψας ειδον κριον ενα μεγαν εστωτα απεναντι της πυλης και ειχε κερατα και το εν υψηλοτερον του ετερου και το υψηλοτερον ανεβαινε

4 μετα δε ταυτα ειδον τον κριον κερατιζοντα προς ανατολας και προς βορραν και προς δυσμας και μεσημβριαν και παντα τα θηρια ουκ εστησαν ενωπιον αυτου και ουκ ην ο ρυομενος εκ των χειρων αυτου και εποιει ως ηθελε και υψωθη

5 και εγω διενοουμην και ιδου τραγος αιγων ηρχετο απο δυσμων επι προσωπου της γης και ουχ ηπτετο της γης και ην του τραγου κερας εν ανα μεσον των οφθαλμων αυτου

6 και ηλθεν επι τον κριον τον τα κερατα εχοντα ον ειδον εστωτα προς τη πυλη και εδραμε προς αυτον εν θυμω οργης

7 και ειδον αυτον προσαγοντα προς τον κριον και εθυμωθη επ' αυτον και επαταξε και συνετριψε τα δυο κερατα αυτου και ουκετι ην ισχυς εν τω κριω στηναι κατεναντι του τραγου και εσπαραξεν αυτον επι την γην και συνετριψεν αυτον και ουκ ην ο ρυομενος τον κριον απο του τραγου

8 και ο τραγος των αιγων κατισχυσε σφοδρα και οτε κατισχυσε συνετριβη αυτου το κερας το μεγα και ανεβη ετερα τεσσαρα κερατα κατοπισθεν αυτου εις τους τεσσαρας ανεμους του ουρανου

9 και εξ ενος αυτων ανεφυη κερας ισχυρον εν και κατισχυσε και επαταξεν επι μεσημβριαν και επ' ανατολας και επι βορραν

10 και υψωθη εως των αστερων του ουρανου και ερραχθη επι την γην απο των αστερων και απο αυτων κατεπατηθη

11 εως ο αρχιστρατηγος ρυσεται την αιχμαλωσιαν και δι' αυτον τα ορη τα απ' αιωνος ερραχθη και εξηρθη ο τοπος αυτων και θυσια και εθηκεν αυτην εως χαμαι επι την γην και ευωδωθη και εγενηθη και το αγιον ερημωθησεται

12 και εγενηθησαν επι τη θυσια αι αμαρτιαι και ερριφη χαμαι η δικαιοσυνη και εποιησε και ευωδωθη

13 και ηκουον ετερου αγιου λαλουντος και ειπεν ο ετερος τω φελμουνι τω λαλουντι εως τινος το οραμα στησεται και η θυσια η αρθεισα και η αμαρτια ερημωσεως η δοθεισα και τα αγια ερημωθησεται εις καταπατημα

14 και ειπεν αυτω εως εσπερας και πρωι ημεραι δισχιλιαι τριακοσιαι και καθαρισθησεται το αγιον

15 και εγενετο εν τω θεωρειν με εγω δανιηλ το οραμα εζητουν διανοηθηναι και ιδου εστη κατεναντιον μου ως ορασις ανθρωπου

16 και ηκουσα φωνην ανθρωπου ανα μεσον του ουλαι και εκαλεσε και ειπεν γαβριηλ συνετισον εκεινον την ορασιν και αναβοησας ειπεν ο ανθρωπος επι το προσταγμα εκεινο η ορασις

17 και ηλθε και εστη εχομενος μου της στασεως και εν τω ερχεσθαι αυτον εθορυβηθην και επεσα επι προσωπον μου και ειπεν μοι διανοηθητι υιε ανθρωπου ετι γαρ εις ωραν καιρου τουτο το οραμα

18 και λαλουντος αυτου μετ' εμου εκοιμηθην επι προσωπον χαμαι και αψαμενος μου ηγειρε με επι του τοπου

19 και ειπε μοι ιδου εγω απαγγελλω σοι α εσται επ' εσχατου της οργης τοις υιοις του λαου σου ετι γαρ εις ωρας καιρου συντελειας μενει

20 τον κριον ον ειδες τον εχοντα τα κερατα βασιλευς μηδων και περσων εστι

21 και ο τραγος των αιγων βασιλευς των ελληνων εστι και το κερας το μεγα το ανα μεσον των οφθαλμων αυτου αυτος ο βασιλευς ο πρωτος

22 και τα συντριβεντα και αναβαντα οπισω αυτου τεσσαρα κερατα τεσσαρες βασιλεις του εθνους αυτου αναστησονται ου κατα την ισχυν αυτου

23 και επ' εσχατου της βασιλειας αυτων πληρουμενων των αμαρτιων αυτων αναστησεται βασιλευς αναιδης προσωπω διανοουμενος αινιγματα

24 και στερεωθησεται η ισχυς αυτου και ουκ εν τη ισχυι αυτου και θαυμαστως φθερει και ευοδωθησεται και ποιησει και φθερει δυναστας και δημον αγιων

25 και επι τους αγιους το διανοημα αυτου και ευοδωθησεται το ψευδος εν ταις χερσιν αυτου και η καρδια αυτου υψωθησεται και δολω αφανιει πολλους και επι απωλειας ανδρων στησεται και ποιησει συναγωγην χειρος και αποδωσεται

26 το οραμα το εσπερας και πρωι ηυρεθη επ' αληθειας και νυν πεφραγμενον το οραμα ετι γαρ εις ημερας πολλας

27 εγω δανιηλ ασθενησας ημερας πολλας και αναστας επραγματευομην παλιν βασιλικα και εξελυομην επι τω οραματι και ουδεις ην ο διανοουμενος

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #10135

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10135. 'And you shall offer the other lamb between the evenings' means a similar removal of evils in a state of light and love in the external man. This is clear from the meaning of 'offering a lamb', or sacrificing it, as being removed from evils by means of the good of innocence from the Lord, as immediately above in 10134; and from the meaning of 'between the evenings' as in a state of light and love in the external man. In the Word 'evening' means a state involving interior things when the truths of faith are set in obscurity, and forms of the good of love are in some coldness; for angels experience different states of love and light, just as in the world different times of day - morning, midday, evening, night or twilight prior to morning, and morning again - give way to one another. When the angels experience a state of love, to them it is morning, and the Lord appears before them as the rising Sun. When they experience a state of light, to them it is midday. When however they experience a state of light set in obscurity, to them it is evening; and when after this they experience a state of love set in obscurity or some coldness, for them it is night, or rather the twilight before morning.

[2] Such states experienced by the angels follow unceasingly one after another, and serve unceasingly to make them more perfect. But those changes are not due to the Sun there, to its rising and setting, but to the state of the interiors within the angels themselves; for as with people in the world they have a desire at one time to turn towards their internal interests, at another towards their external ones. When they turn towards internal interests they experience a state of love and consequently of light in clearness, and when they turn towards external interests they experience a state of love and consequently of light set in obscurity; for what is external is such, compared with what is internal. This is the origin of the changes of state experienced by angels. The reason why they have such states and such changes is that the Sun of heaven, which in that world is the Lord, is the Divine Love itself. Therefore the heat radiating from it is the good of love, and the light from it is the truth of faith. For everything radiating from that Sun has life, unlike the things radiating from the sun in the world, which are dead.

[3] From this it becomes clear what heavenly heat is and what heavenly light is, also why it is that 'heat', 'flame', and 'fire' in the Word mean the good of love, 'light' and its 'brightness' the truth of faith, and 'the sun' the Lord Himself in respect of Divine Love.

The Lord in heaven is the Sun, see 3636, 3643, 4321(end), 5097, 7078, 7083, 7171, 7173, 8812.

The heat from it is the good of love, 3338, 3339, 3636, 3693, 4018, 5215, 6032, 6314.

The light from that Sun is Divine Truth, the source of faith, intelligence, and wisdom, see the places referred to in 9548, 9684.

From all this it now becomes clear what 'morning' and what 'evening' mean.

[4] But it should be recognized that in the present verse 'the morning' implies midday as well, and evening early morning twilight as well; for when the words 'morning and evening' are used in the Word an entire day is meant, so that 'morning' includes midday, and 'evening' night or twilight. This explains why 'the morning' in the present verse means a state of love and also of light in clearness, that is, in the internal man, and 'the evening' a state of light, as well as of love in obscurity, that is, in the external man.

[5] The fact that 'between the evenings' is not used to mean the period of time between the evening of one day and the evening of the next day, but the time between evening and morning, thus all of the night or twilight, is evident from the consideration that the continual burnt offering of a lamb was presented not only in the evening but also in the morning. From this it becomes clear that something similar is meant elsewhere by 'between the evenings', for example, where it says that the Passover should be kept between the evenings, Exodus 12:6; Numbers 9:5, 11, which is explained in yet another place by the following words,

You shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening when the sun goes down, at the fixed time of the departure from Egypt. After that you shall cook and eat it in the place which Jehovah your God will have chosen; and in the morning you shall turn 1 and go into your tents. Deuteronomy 16:6-7.

[6] The fact that 'evening' in general means a state of light shining in obscurity is clear in Jeremiah,

Arise, and let us go up into the south. Woe to us, for the day goes away, for the shadows of evening are set at an angle! Arise, and let us go up at night, and let us destroy the palaces. Jeremiah 6:4-5.

Here 'evening' and 'night' mean the last times of the Church, when all matters of faith and love have been destroyed. In Zechariah,

There will be one day, which is known to Jehovah, when around evening time there will be light. On that day living waters will go out from Jerusalem. And Jehovah will be King over all the earth. Zechariah 14:7-9.

This refers to the Lord's Coming. The end of the Church is meant by 'evening time'; 'light' is the Lord's Divine Truth. A similar example occurs in Daniel,

The holy one said to me, Up to the evening, [when it is becoming] the morning, two thousand three hundred times. Daniel 8:13-14.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3056

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3056. 'At evening time' means a more obscure state at that time. This is clear from the meaning of 'time' as state, dealt with in 2625, 2788, 2837, and from the meaning of 'evening' as obscurity. For in the Word evening means the state which precedes the final period of a declining Church, the period called night, or else it means the initial state of a rising Church, the state called morning, see 2323. In both cases evening means that which is obscure, but here it is the obscurity which precedes the morning.

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