The Bible

 

Иезекииль 37

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1 Была на мне рука Господа, и Господь вывел меня духом и поставилменя среди поля, и оно было полно костей,

2 и обвел меня кругом около них, и вот весьма много их на поверхности поля, и вот они весьма сухи.

3 И сказал мне: сын человеческий! оживут ли кости сии? Я сказал: Господи Боже! Ты знаешь это.

4 И сказал мне: изреки пророчество на кости сии и скажи им: „кости сухие! слушайте слово Господне!"

5 Так говорит Господь Бог костям сим: вот, Я введу дух в вас, и оживете.

6 И обложу вас жилами, и выращу на вас плоть, и покрою вас кожею, и введу в вас дух, и оживете, и узнаете, что Я Господь.

7 Я изрек пророчество, как повелено было мне; и когда я пророчествовал, произошел шум, и вот движение, и сталисближаться кости, кость с костью своею.

8 И видел я: и вот, жилы были на них, и плоть выросла, и кожа покрыла их сверху, а духа не было в них.

9 Тогда сказал Он мне: изреки пророчество духу, изреки пророчество, сын человеческий, и скажи духу: так говорит Господь Бог: от четырех ветров приди, дух, и дохни на этих убитых, и они оживут.

10 И я изрек пророчество, как Он повелел мне, и вошел в них дух, и они ожили, и стали на ноги свои – весьма, весьма великое полчище.

11 И сказал Он мне: сын человеческий! кости сии - весь дом Израилев. Вот, они говорят: „иссохли кости наши, и погибла надежда наша, мы оторваны от корня".

12 Посему изреки пророчество и скажи им: так говорит Господь Бог: вот, Я открою гробы ваши и выведу вас, народ Мой, из гробов ваших и введу вас в землю Израилеву.

13 И узнаете, что Я Господь, когда открою гробы ваши и выведу вас,народ Мой, из гробов ваших,

14 и вложу в вас дух Мой, и оживете, и помещу вас на земле вашей, иузнаете, что Я, Господь, сказал это – и сделал, говорит Господь.

15 И было ко мне слово Господне:

16 ты же, сын человеческий, возьми себе один жезл и напиши на нем:„Иуде и сынам Израилевым, союзным с ним"; и еще возьми жезл и напиши на нем: „Иосифу"; это жезл Ефрема и всего дома Израилева, союзного с ним.

17 И сложи их у себя один с другим в один жезл, чтобы они в руке твоей были одно.

18 И когда спросят у тебя сыны народа твоего: „не объяснишь ли нам, что это у тебя?",

19 тогда скажи им: так говорит Господь Бог: вот, Я возьму жезл Иосифов, который в руке Ефрема и союзных с ним колен Израилевых, и приложуих к нему, к жезлу Иуды, и сделаю их одним жезлом, и будут одно в руке Моей.

20 Когда же оба жезла, на которых ты напишешь, будут в руке твоей перед глазами их,

21 то скажи им: так говорит Господь Бог: вот, Я возьму сынов Израилевых из среды народов, между которыми они находятся, и соберу их отовсюду и приведу их в землю их.

22 На этой земле, на горах Израиля Я сделаю их одним народом, и одинЦарь будет царем у всех их, и не будут более двумя народами, и уже не будут вперед разделяться на два царства.

23 И не будут уже осквернять себя идолами своими и мерзостями своими ивсякими пороками своими, и освобожу их из всех мест жительства их, где они грешили, и очищу их, и будут Моим народом, и Я буду их Богом.

24 А раб Мой Давид будет Царем над ними и Пастырем всех их, и они будут ходить в заповедях Моих, и уставы Мои будут соблюдать и выполнять их.

25 И будут жить на земле, которую Я дал рабу Моему Иакову, на которой жили отцы их; там будут жить они и дети их, и дети детей их во веки; и раб Мой Давид будет князем у них вечно.

26 И заключу с ними завет мира, завет вечный будет с ними. И устроюих, и размножу их, и поставлю среди них святилище Мое на веки.

27 И будет у них жилище Мое, и буду их Богом, а они будут Моим народом.

28 И узнают народы, что Я Господь, освящающий Израиля, когда святилище Мое будет среди них во веки.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #3

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3. Which God gave Him to show His servants. This symbolically means, for people who have faith arising from charity, or truths of wisdom arising from the goodness of love.

To show means, symbolically, to make evident, and servants here symbolize people who have faith arising from charity. The following things are made evident to them because they understand and accept.

Servants mean, in the spiritual sense, people who are governed by truths; and because truths spring from goodness, servants mean people who are governed by truths arising from goodness, thus also people governed by wisdom arising from love, because wisdom has to do with truth, and love with goodness. They also are people who have faith arising from charity, because faith, too, has to do with truth, and charity with goodness. And because the spiritual sense in reality is abstracted from person, therefore servants in that sense symbolize truths.

Now because truths, by teaching goodness, serve it, therefore in general, and properly speaking, by a servant in the Word is meant something serving, or someone or something that serves. In this sense not only were prophets called servants of God, but so, too, was the Lord in respect to His humanity.

That prophets were called servants of God is evident from the following passages:

Jehovah has sent to you all His servants the prophets... (Jeremiah 25:4)

...He has revealed His secret to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)

...He has set before us by the hand of His servants the prophets. (Daniel 9:10)

Moses, too, is called a servant of Jehovah (Malachi 4:4). That is because a prophet, in the spiritual sense, means doctrinal truth, as discussed below.

[2] Moreover, because the Lord was the very embodiment of Divine truth, which also is the Word, and for that reason was called the prophet, and because He served in the world and serves all people to eternity by teaching, therefore He, too, is here and there called the servant of Jehovah, as in the following passages:

Of the labor of His soul He shall see; He shall be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many... (Isaiah 53:11)

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. (Isaiah 52:13)

Behold! My Servant on whom I rest, My Elect. My soul has good pleasure! I have put My Spirit upon Him... (Isaiah 42:1, 19)

These things are said of the Lord. David is spoken of similarly, where by him is meant the Lord, as in the following:

I, Jehovah, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them... (Ezekiel 34:24)

David My servant shall be king over them, so that they all have one shepherd... (Ezekiel 37:24)

I will protect this city to save it, for My sake and for My servant David's sake. (Isaiah 37:35)

So, too, Psalms 78:70-72; 89:3-4, 20. (That by David in these places is meant the Lord, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord, nos. 43, 44.)

The Lord Himself speaks similarly of Himself:

...whoever desires to become great among you must be your attendant, and whoever desires to be first among you must be your servant, even as the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister... (Matthew 20:25-28. Cf. Mark 10:42-45, Luke 22:27. So, too, Luke 12:37)

The Lord says this, because by a servant and attendant are meant one who serves and ministers by teaching, and abstractly from person, Divine truth, which He embodied.

[3] Since a servant therefore means someone who teaches Divine truth, it is apparent that servants in this place in the book of Revelation mean people who possess truths arising from goodness, or faith arising from charity, because they are able to teach from the Lord, that is to say, because the Lord is able to teach and minister through them.

It is in this sense that they are called servants in Matthew:

(At the end of the age,) who... is the faithful and prudent servant, whom his lord set over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he comes, will find so doing. (Matthew 24:45-46)

And in Luke:

Blessed are those servants whom the lord, when he comes, will find watching. Truly I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will (himself) come and attend to them. (Luke 12:37)

In heaven, all people in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are called His servants, while those in His celestial kingdom are called His ministers. That is because people in His spiritual kingdom are governed by wisdom derived from Divine truth, and those in the celestial kingdom by love derived from Divine good. And good ministers, while truth serves.

In an opposite sense, however, by servants are meant people who serve the devil. These are in a real state of servitude, whereas people who serve the Lord are in a state of freedom - as the Lord also teaches in John 8:31-36. 1

Footnotes:

1. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:31-36)

  
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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.