The Bible

 

Ezekiel 26

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1 και εγενηθη εν τω ενδεκατω ετει μια του μηνος εγενετο λογος κυριου προς με λεγων

2 υιε ανθρωπου ανθ' ων ειπεν σορ επι ιερουσαλημ ευγε συνετριβη απολωλεν τα εθνη επεστραφη προς με η πληρης ηρημωται

3 δια τουτο ταδε λεγει κυριος ιδου εγω επι σε σορ και αναξω επι σε εθνη πολλα ως αναβαινει η θαλασσα τοις κυμασιν αυτης

4 και καταβαλουσιν τα τειχη σορ και καταβαλουσι τους πυργους σου και λικμησω τον χουν αυτης απ' αυτης και δωσω αυτην εις λεωπετριαν

5 ψυγμος σαγηνων εσται εν μεσω θαλασσης οτι εγω λελαληκα λεγει κυριος και εσται εις προνομην τοις εθνεσιν

6 και αι θυγατερες αυτης αι εν τω πεδιω μαχαιρα αναιρεθησονται και γνωσονται οτι εγω κυριος

7 οτι ταδε λεγει κυριος ιδου εγω επαγω επι σε σορ τον ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλεα βαβυλωνος απο του βορρα βασιλευς βασιλεων εστιν μεθ' ιππων και αρματων και ιππεων και συναγωγης εθνων πολλων σφοδρα

8 ουτος τας θυγατερας σου τας εν τω πεδιω μαχαιρα ανελει και δωσει επι σε προφυλακην και περιοικοδομησει και ποιησει επι σε κυκλω χαρακα και περιστασιν οπλων και τας λογχας αυτου απεναντι σου δωσει

9 τα τειχη σου και τους πυργους σου καταβαλει εν ταις μαχαιραις αυτου

10 απο του πληθους των ιππων αυτου κατακαλυψει σε ο κονιορτος αυτων και απο της φωνης των ιππεων αυτου και των τροχων των αρματων αυτου σεισθησεται τα τειχη σου εισπορευομενου αυτου τας πυλας σου ως εισπορευομενος εις πολιν εκ πεδιου

11 εν ταις οπλαις των ιππων αυτου καταπατησουσιν σου πασας τας πλατειας τον λαον σου μαχαιρα ανελει και την υποστασιν σου της ισχυος επι την γην καταξει

12 και προνομευσει την δυναμιν σου και σκυλευσει τα υπαρχοντα σου και καταβαλει σου τα τειχη και τους οικους σου τους επιθυμητους καθελει και τους λιθους σου και τα ξυλα σου και τον χουν σου εις μεσον της θαλασσης εμβαλει

13 και καταλυσει το πληθος των μουσικων σου και η φωνη των ψαλτηριων σου ου μη ακουσθη ετι

14 και δωσω σε εις λεωπετριαν ψυγμος σαγηνων εση ου μη οικοδομηθης ετι οτι εγω ελαλησα λεγει κυριος

15 διοτι ταδε λεγει κυριος κυριος τη σορ ουκ απο φωνης της πτωσεως σου εν τω στεναξαι τραυματιας εν τω σπασαι μαχαιραν εν μεσω σου σεισθησονται αι νησοι

16 και καταβησονται απο των θρονων αυτων παντες οι αρχοντες εκ των εθνων της θαλασσης και αφελουνται τας μιτρας απο των κεφαλων αυτων και τον ιματισμον τον ποικιλον αυτων εκδυσονται εκστασει εκστησονται επι γην καθεδουνται και φοβηθησονται την απωλειαν αυτων και στεναξουσιν επι σε

17 και λημψονται επι σε θρηνον και ερουσιν σοι πως κατελυθης εκ θαλασσης η πολις η επαινεστη η δουσα τον φοβον αυτης πασι τοις κατοικουσιν αυτην

18 και φοβηθησονται αι νησοι αφ' ημερας πτωσεως σου

19 οτι ταδε λεγει κυριος κυριος οταν δω σε πολιν ηρημωμενην ως τας πολεις τας μη κατοικηθησομενας εν τω αναγαγειν με επι σε την αβυσσον και κατακαλυψη σε υδωρ πολυ

20 και καταβιβασω σε προς τους καταβαινοντας εις βοθρον προς λαον αιωνος και κατοικιω σε εις βαθη της γης ως ερημον αιωνιον μετα καταβαινοντων εις βοθρον οπως μη κατοικηθης μηδε ανασταθης επι γης ζωης

21 απωλειαν σε δωσω και ουχ υπαρξεις ετι εις τον αιωνα λεγει κυριος κυριος

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Heaven and Hell #365

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365. We may gather from this that rich people arrive in heaven just as much as poor people do, one as easily as the other. The reason people believe that it is easy for the poor and hard for the rich is that the Word is misunderstood when it talks about the rich and the poor. In the spiritual meaning of the Word, "the rich" means people who are amply supplied with understandings of what is true and good, that is, people in the church where the Word is. "The poor" means people who lack these understandings but who long for them, or people outside the church, where the Word is not found.

[2] The rich person dressed in purple and fine linen who was cast into hell means the Jewish nation. Because they had the Word and were therefore amply supplied with understandings of what is good and true, they are called "rich." The garments of purple actually mean understandings of what is good, and the fine linen means understandings of what is true. 1 The poor person who was lying in the gateway and who longed to feast on the crumbs that were falling from the rich person's table, who was carried up into heaven by angels, means the non-Jews who did not have understandings of what is good and true but who still longed for them (Luke 16:19, 31).

The rich who were invited to the great feast but who excused themselves also mean the Jewish nation, and the poor who were brought in to replace them mean the non-Jews who were outside the church (Luke 12:16-24, 14:16-24).

[3] We need also to explain who are meant by the rich of whom the Lord said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:24). "The rich person" here means the rich in both senses, natural and spiritual. Rich people in the natural sense are people who have abundant wealth and set their hearts on it, while in a spiritual sense they are people who are amply supplied with insights and knowledge (for these are spiritual wealth) and who want to use them to get themselves into heavenly and ecclesiastical circles by their own intellect. Since this is contrary to the divine design, it says that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle. On this level of meaning, a camel means our cognitive and informational level in general, and the eye of a needle means spiritual truth. 2

Nowadays people do not know that this is the meaning of the camel and the eye of a needle because there has not yet been any access to the knowledge that teaches what is meant spiritually by the things that the Word says literally. There is spiritual meaning in the details of the Word, and natural meaning as well; because the Word was written in pure correspondences of natural realities with spiritual ones in order to effect a union of heaven and the world, or of angels with us, once the direct union had ceased. We can see from this exactly who are meant by the rich in the Word.

[4] We may gather from a number of passages that on the spiritual level "the rich" in the Word refers to people who enjoy insights into what is good and true and that wealth means those insights themselves, which are spiritual riches: see Isaiah 10:12-14; 30:6-7; 45:3, Jeremiah 17:3; 47:7 [Jeremiah 48:7?], Jeremiah 50:36-37; 51:13, Daniel 5:2-4, Ezekiel 26:7, 12; 27:1-36; Zechariah 9:3-4; Psalms 45:12; Hosea 12:9; Revelation 3:17-18, Luke 14:33, and elsewhere. On the poor in the spiritual sense as people who do not have insights into what is good and true but who long for them, see Matthew 11:5; Luke 6:20-21; 14:21; Isaiah 14:30; 29:19; 41:17-18; Zephaniah 3:12, 18 [13]. An explanation of the spiritual meaning of all these passages may be found in 10227 of Secrets of Heaven.

Footnotes:

1. [Swedenborg's footnote] Garments mean things that are true, and therefore insights: 1033 [1073?], 2576, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216, 9952, 10536. Purple means heavenly good: 9467. Linen means truth of a heavenly origin: 5319, 9469, 9744.

2. [Swedenborg's footnote] A camel in the Word means our cognitive and informational level in general: 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145. What embroidery, embroidering, and therefore needles Arcana Coelestia 9688. To start from outward facts in order to gain access to truths of faith is contrary to the divine design: 10236. People who do this become insane in matters of heaven and the church: 128-130, 232-233, 6047; and in the other life, when they think about spiritual things, they become virtually drunk: 1072. More about their nature: 196. Examples to illustrate the fact that spiritual things cannot be grasped if they are approached on this basis: 233, 2094, 2196, 2203, 2209. It is all right to go from spiritual truth into the knowledge appropriate to our natural level, but not the other way around, because there is an inflow of the spiritual into the natural but not an inflow of the natural into the spiritual: 3219, 5119, 5259, 5427-5428, 5478, 6322, 9110-9111 [10199?]. We need first to acknowledge the truths of the Word and the church, and then it is all right to take our secular learning into account; but not the other way around: 6047.

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

The Bible

 

Revelation 19

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1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory belong to our God:

2 for true and righteous are his judgments. For he has judged the great prostitute, who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand."

3 A second said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever."

4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, "Amen! Hallelujah!"

5 A voice came forth from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!"

6 I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!

7 Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready."

8 It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9 He said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" He said to me, "These are true words of God."

10 I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, "Look! Don't do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy."

11 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.

12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself.

13 He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called "The Word of God."

14 The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen.

15 Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.

16 He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, "Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God,

18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, and small and great."

19 I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army.

20 The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came forth out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.