The Bible

 

Danilo 11

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1 I ja prve godine Darija Midijanina stadoh da Mu pomognem, i da Ga potkrepim.

2 A sada ću ti kazati istinu. Evo, još će tri cara nastati u Persiji; i četvrti će biti bogatiji od svih, i kad se ukrepi bogatstvom svojim, sve će podignuti na grčko carstvo.

3 Potom će nastati silan car, i vladaće velikom državom i radiće šta hoće.

4 A kako nestane, rasuće se carstvo njegovo i razdeliće se u četiri vetra nebeska, ne među natražje njegovo niti s vlašću s kojom je on vladao, jer će se carstvo njegovo ukinuti i dopasti drugima, a ne njima.

5 I car južni osiliće, i jedan od knezova njegovih, i biće silniji od njega, i vladaće, i država će njegova biti velika.

6 I posle nekoliko godina oni će se oprijateljiti, i kći južnog cara doći će k caru severnom da učini pogodbu; ali ona neće sačuvati sile mišici, niti će se on održati mišicom svojom, nego će biti predana i ona i oni koji je dovedu i sin njen i onaj koji joj bude pomagao u to vreme.

7 Potom će od izdanka iz korena njenog nastati jedan na mesto njegovo, koji će doći s vojskom svojom i udariti na gradove cara severnog, i biće ih i osvojiće ih.

8 I bogove će njihove i knezove njihove sa zakladama njihovim dragocenim zlatnim i srebrnim odneti u ropstvo u Misir, i ostaće nekoliko godina jači od cara severnog.

9 I tako će car južni doći u svoje carstvo, i vratiće se u svoju zemlju.

10 Ali će sinovi njegovi zaratiti, i skupiće veliku vojsku; i jedan će doći iznenada, i poplaviti i proći; i vrativši se ratovaće do grada njegovog.

11 Tada će se razljutiti car južni, i izaći će i ratovaće s njim, s carem severnim, i podignuće veliku vojsku, te će mu biti data u ruke vojska.

12 I kad razbije vojsku, poneće se srce njegovo, i pobiće hiljade, ali se neće ukrepiti.

13 Jer će car severni opet dignuti vojsku veću od prve; i posle nekoliko godina doći će s velikom vojskom i s velikim blagom.

14 I u to će vreme mnogi ustati na cara južnog; i zlikovci od tvog naroda podignuće se da se potvrdi utvara, i popadaće.

15 I doći će car severni, i načiniće opkope, i uzeće tvrde gradove, i mišice južnog cara neće odoleti ni izabrani narod njegov, niti će biti sile da se opre.

16 I onaj došav na nj činiće šta hoće, i neće biti nikoga da mu se opre; i zaustaviće se u krasnoj zemlji, koju će potrti svojom rukom.

17 Potom će okrenuti da dođe sa silom svega carstva svog, ali će se pogoditi s njim, i daće mu kćer za ženu da bi ga upropastio, ali se ona neće držati, niti će biti s njim.

18 Potom će se okrenuti na ostrva, i osvojiće mnoga; ali će jedan vojvoda prekinuti sramotu koju čini, i oboriće na nj sramotu njegovu.

19 Potom će se okrenuti ka gradovima svoje zemlje, i spotaknuće se i pašće, i neće se više naći.

20 I na njegovo će mesto nastati koji će poslati nastojnika u slavi carskoj; ali će za malo dana poginuti bez gneva i bez boja.

21 A na njegovo će mesto doći neznatan čovek, kome nije namenjena čast carska; ali će doći mirno i osvojiće carstvo laskanjem.

22 I mišice koje plave on će poplaviti i polomiti, pa i kneza s kojim je učinio veru.

23 Jer udruživši se s njim učiniće prevaru, i došavši nadvladaće s malo naroda.

24 I doći će mirno u rodna mesta u zemlji, i učiniće šta ni očevi njegovi ni očevi otaca njegovih ne učiniše, razdeliće im plen i grabež i blago, i smišljaće misli na gradove, za neko vreme.

25 Potom će podignuti silu svoju i srce svoje na cara južnog s velikom vojskom; i car će južni doći u boj s velikom i vrlo silnom vojskom; ali neće odoleti, jer će mu se činiti nevera.

26 I koji jedu hleb njegov satrće ga; vojska će njegova poplaviti, i mnogi će pasti pobijeni.

27 I srce će obojice careva raditi o zlu, i za jednim će stolom lagati; ali se neće izvršiti; jer će kraj još biti u određeno vreme.

28 I tako će se vratiti u svoju zemlju s velikim blagom; i srce će se njegovo obratiti na sveti zavet, i kad izvrši, vratiće se u svoju zemlju.

29 U određeno će vreme opet doći na jug; ali drugi put neće biti kao prvi put.

30 Jer će doći na nj lađe kitejske, i on će se ojaditi, te će se vratiti; i razljutiće se na sveti zavet, i izvršiće; i vrativši se složiće se s onima koji ostavljaju sveti zavet.

31 I vojska će stajati uza nj, i oskvrniće svetinju u gradu, i ukinuti žrtvu svagdašnju i postaviće gnusobu pustošnu.

32 I koji su bezbožni prema zavetu, on će ih laskanjem otpaditi; ali narod koji poznaje Boga svog ohrabriće se i izvršiće.

33 I razumni u narodu naučiće mnoge, i padaće od mača i ognja, ropstva i grabeža mnogo vremena.

34 Ali padajući dobiće malu pomoć; i mnogi će pristati s njima dvoličeći.

35 I od razumnih će pasti neki da bi se okušali i očistili i ubelili do roka, jer će još biti rok.

36 I taj će car činiti šta hoće, i podignuće se i uzvisiće se iznad svakog boga, i čudno će govoriti na Boga nad bogovima, i biće srećan dokle se ne svrši gnev, jer će se izvršiti šta je određeno.

37 Neće mariti ni za bogove svojih otaca ni za ljubav žensku, niti će za kog boga mariti, nego će se uzvišavati nada sve.

38 I na mesto Boga Najsilnijeg slaviće boga kog oci njegovi ne znaše, slaviće zlatom i srebrom i dragim kamenjem i zakladama.

39 I učiniće da gradovi Boga Najsilnijeg budu boga tuđeg; koje pozna umnožiće im slavu i učiniće ih gospodarima nad mnogima i razdeliće zemlju mesto plate.

40 A u poslednje vreme južni će se car pobiti s njim; i car će severni udariti na nj kao vihor s kolima i konjicima i s mnogim lađama, i ušavši u zemlje poplaviće i proći.

41 I doći će u krasnu zemlju, i mnogi će propasti, a ovi će se izbaviti od njegovih ruku: edomska, moavska i glavni deo sinova Amonovih.

42 I posegnuće rukom svojom na zemlje, i zemlja misirska neće umaknuti.

43 I osvojiće blago u zlatu i u srebru i sve zaklade misirske; i Livijani i Etiopljani ići će za njim.

44 Ali će ga glasovi sa istoka i sa severa smesti, te će izaći sa velikim gnevom da pogubi i zatre mnoge.

45 I razapeće šatore dvora svog među morima na krasnoj svetoj gori; i kad dođe k svom kraju, niko mu neće pomoći.

   

Commentary

 

251 - The Stengthening of the Prophets

By Jonathan S. Rose

Title: The Stengthening of the Prophets

Topic: Salvation

Summary: Part of the process of becoming a prophet is to experience in a deep way one's own utter weakness, sinfulness, and ill-suitedness to the call. Then the Lord gives a new strength and something to say.

Use the reference links below to follow along in the Bible as you watch.

References:
Exodus 3:1-end
Exodus 4:1, 10, 12, 16; 6:12
Joshua 10:20
Isaiah 6:1, 5-6, 8
Ezekiel 1:26; 2:1, 6; 3:7, 9, 14
Daniel 10:1, 4-10, 16, 18
Jonah 1:1
Luke 5:1, 8
Acts of the Apostles 9:1, 5-6, 19
Revelation 1:10, 12, 17

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Spirit and Life Bible Study broadcast from 2/3/2016. The complete series is available at: www.spiritandlifebiblestudy.com

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4599

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4599. 'And pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder' means more interior aspects of this. This is clear from the meaning of 'pitching a tent' as an advance in holiness, in this case towards more interior aspects - 'a tent' meaning holiness, see 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3312, 4391; from the meaning of 'beyond the tower' as into more interior aspects, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'Eder' as the nature of the state, that is to say, the nature of the advance made in holiness towards more interior aspects. This tower possessed that meaning from of old, but because there is no further reference to it in the Word apart from Joshua 15:21, this cannot be proved from parallel passages in the way other names can. The reason 'beyond the tower' means towards more interior aspects is that things which are more interior are expressed as objects that are lofty and high - as mountains, hills, towers, housetops, and the like. The reason for this is that minds which form their ideas from natural objects in the world as perceived through the external senses see things of an interior nature as objects that are higher than others, 2148.

[2] That 'towers' means interior things may also be seen from other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill, 1 which he surrounded [with an enclosure] and gathered out the stones, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it. Isaiah 5:1-2.

'A vineyard' stands for the spiritual Church, 'the choicest vine' for spiritual good, 'he built a tower in the midst of it' for the interior aspects of truth. Similarly also in the Lord's parable in Matthew,

A householder planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants. Matthew 21:33; Mark 12:1.

[3] In Ezekiel,

The sons of Arvad, and your army, were on your walls round about, and Gammadim were in your towers; they hung their shields on your walls round about; they made perfect your beauty. Ezekiel 27:11.

This refers to Tyre, by which are meant cognitions of good and truth, or people who possess these cognitions. 'Gammadim in its tower' stands for cognitions of interior truth.

[4] In Micah,

Jehovah will reign over them in Mount Zion, from now on and for ever. And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you will it come, and the former kingdom will return, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Micah 4:7-8.

This describes the Lord's celestial kingdom. 'Mount Zion' describes the inmost part of it, which is love to the Lord; 'hill of the daughter of Zion' its immediate derivative, which is mutual love, called in the spiritual sense charity towards the neighbour; 'tower of the flock' describes its interior truths of good. The existence of a spiritual-celestial kingdom from this is meant by 'the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem'. In David,

Mount Zion will be glad, the daughters of Judah will be exultant, because of Your judgements. Encompass Zion, and go around her; count up her towers. Psalms 48:11-12.

Here 'towers' stands for interior truths which defend the things that constitute love and charity.

[5] In Luke,

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For who of you, when he wishes to build a tower, does not first sit down and work out the cost, whether he has the means to complete it? Or what king going to encounter another king in war does not first sit down and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? So every one of you who does not renounce all that is his own cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27-28, 31, 33.

Anyone who is not acquainted with the internal sense of the Word can only suppose that here the Lord was using comparisons, and that the expressions 'building a tower' and 'going to war' were not used to mean anything more. He does not know that each comparison in the Word has a spiritual meaning, and is representative, and that 'building a tower' means acquiring interior truths to oneself and 'going to war' fighting from those truths. For the subject in this quotation is the temptations undergone by those who belong to the Church and are here called the Lord's disciples. Those temptations are meant by 'his own cross' which each of them has to carry; and the truth that they do not in any way conquer of themselves and from what is their own but from the Lord is meant by 'he who does not renounce all that is his own cannot be My disciple'. This is how these expressions hang together; but if the references to a tower and to war are understood to be simply comparisons without a more interior sense they do not hang together. From this one may see what light flows from the internal sense.

[6] The interiors of those who are governed by self-love and love of the world, and so the falsities from which they fight and from which they reinforce their kind of religion, are also expressed as 'towers' in the contrary sense, as in Isaiah,

The height of men (vir) will be brought low, and Jehovah alone will be exalted on that day, for the day of Jehovah Zebaoth will be against everyone that is lofty and high, and against everyone that is lifted up, and he will be humbled; and against all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up and against all the oaks of Bashan, and against all high mountains, and against all hills that are lifted up, and against every lofty tower and against every fortified wall. Isaiah 2:11-18.

Here the interior and exterior aspects of those loves are described by cedars, oaks, mountains, hills, a tower, and a wall - interior falsities being described by 'a tower'. Thus interior things are again described by objects that are 'high'. The difference however is this: People who are governed by these - by evils and falsities - believe that they themselves are high and above others, whereas those who are governed by goods and truths believe that they themselves are least and below others, Matthew 20:26-27; Mark 10:44. All the same, goods and truths are described as things that are 'high' because in heaven they are closer to the Most High, that is, to the Lord. Furthermore 'towers' is used in the Word in reference to truths, but 'mountains' to forms of good.

Footnotes:

1. literally, on a horn of a son of oil

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