The Bible

 

Danilo 8

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1 Treće godine carovanja Valtasarovog pokaza se meni Danilu utvara posle one koja mi se pokazala pre.

2 I videh u utvari; a bejah u Susanu u gradu koji je u zemlji Elamu, kad videh, i videh u utvari i bejah na vodi Ulaju.

3 I podigoh oči svoje i videh, i gle, stajaše kraj vode ovan, koji imaše dva roga, a rogovi behu visoki, ali jedan viši od drugog, i viši naraste posle.

4 Videh ovna gde bode na zapad i na sever i na jug, i nijedna zver ne mogaše mu odoleti, i ne beše nikoga ko bi izbavio od njega, nego činjaše šta hoćaše, i osili.

5 A kad ja motrah, gle, iđaše jarac od zapada povrh sve zemlje, a ne doticaše se zemlje; i taj jarac imaše rog znamenit među očima svojim.

6 I dođe do ovna koji imaše dva roga, kog videh gde stoji kraj vode, i potrča na nj gnevno silom svojom.

7 I videh ga gde dođe do ovna, i razgnevivši se na nj udari ovna, te mu slomi oba roga i ne beše sile u ovnu da mu odoli, nego ga obori na zemlju i pogazi ga, i ne beše nikoga da izbavi ovna od njega.

8 I jarac posta vrlo velik; a kad osili, slomi se veliki rog, i mesto njega narastoše znamenita četiri roga prema četiri vetra nebeska.

9 I iz jednog od njih iziđe jedan rog malen i naraste vrlo velik prema jugu i istoku i prema krasnoj zemlji.

10 I naraste dori do vojske nebeske, i obori na zemlju neke od vojske i od zvezda, i pogazi ih.

11 I naraste dori do poglavara toj vojsci, i uze Mu svagdašnju žrtvu, i sveti stan Njegov obori.

12 I vojska bi dana u otpad od žrtve svagdašnje, i obori istinu na zemlju, i šta činjaše napredovaše mu.

13 Tada čuh jednog sveca gde govoraše; i jedan svetac reče nekome koji govoraše: Dokle će trajati ta utvara za svagdašnju žrtvu i za otpad pustošni da se gazi svetinja i vojska?

14 I reče mi: Do dve hiljade i tri stotine dana i noći; onda će se svetinja očistiti.

15 A kad videh ja Danilo ovu utvaru, i zaiskah da razumem, gle, stade preda me kao čovek.

16 I čuh glas čovečiji nasred Ulaja, koji povika i reče: Gavrilo, kaži ovome utvaru.

17 I dođe gde ja stajah; i kad dođe uplaših se, i padoh na lice svoje; a on mi reče: Pazi, sine čovečiji, jer je ova utvara za poslednje vreme.

18 A dok mi on govoraše, ja bejah izvan sebe ležeći ničice na zemlji; a on me se dotače, i ispravi me, te stadoh.

19 I reče: Evo, ja ću ti kazati šta će biti na kraju gneva; jer će u određeno vreme biti kraj.

20 Ovan što si ga video, koji ima dva roga, to su carevi midski i persijski.

21 A runjavi je jarac car grčki; i veliki rog što mu beše među očima, to je prvi car.

22 A šta se on slomi, i mesto njega narastoše četiri, to su četiri carstva, koja će nastati iza tog naroda, ali ne njegovom silom.

23 A na kraju carovanja njihovog, kad bezakonici navrše meru, nastaće car bestidan i lukav.

24 Sila će mu biti jaka, ali ne od njegove jačine, i čudesno će pustošiti, i biće srećan i svršivaće, i gubiće silne i narod sveti.

25 I lukavstvom njegovim napredovaće prevara u njegovoj ruci, i podignuće se u srcu svom, i u miru će pogubiti mnoge, i ustaće na Kneza nad knezovima, ali će se potrti bez ruke.

26 A rečena utvara o danu i noći istina je; zato ti zapečati utvaru, jer je za mnogo vremena.

27 Tada ja Danilo zanemogoh, i bolovah neko vreme; posle ustah i vrših poslove careve; i čudih se utvari, ali niko ne dozna.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #761

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761. The final period of the Christian church is absolute night, in which the previous churches ended, as can be established from the Lord's prediction about it in the Gospels and in Daniel. A passage from the Gospels states that they would see the abomination of desolation, and there would be great affliction such as had not been since the beginning of the world up to now, and would not be in the future; and that unless those days were shortened, no flesh could be saved; and finally the sun would be darkened, the moon would not give its light, and the stars would fall from the sky (Matthew 24:15, 21-22, 29). This period is also called night elsewhere in the Gospels, as in Luke:

On that night there will be two in one bed; one will be received, the other left behind, Luke 17:34.

And in John:

I must do the work of Him that sent me. The night will come, when no one will be able to work, John 9:4.

[2] Since all light departs in the middle of the night, and the Lord is the true light (John 1:4ff; John 8:12; 12:35-36, 46), He said to the disciples when He went up into heaven:

I am with you until the ending of the age, Matthew 28:20.

Then He leaves them for the new church. There is further proof in Daniel for this final period of the church being absolute night, in which the previous churches ended, in this passage:

Finally upon the bird of abominations desolation, to the point of ending and cutting off; it shall be poured drop by drop upon devastation, Daniel 9:27.

It is clear from the Lord's words in Matthew 24:15 that this is a prediction of the end of the Christian church. It is also clear from this passage of Daniel about the fourth kingdom, that is, the fourth church, represented by the statue Nebuchadnezzar saw:

As you saw iron mixed with common clay, so will people intermingle by means of human seed; but they will not hold together, one with another, just as iron does not with clay, Daniel 2:43.

Human seed there is the truth of the Word.

[3] It is also clear from this passage about the fourth church represented by the fourth beast coming up out of the sea:

I saw in visions of the night, and there was the fourth beast, dreadful and frightening; it will devour the whole earth and trample it and crush it, Daniel 7:7, 23.

This means that it would put an end to all the truth of the church. Then it would be night, because the truth of the church is light. There are many similar predictions about this church in Revelation, especially chapter 16, where it speaks of the bowls of God's wrath being poured out upon the earth. These mean the falsities which will then swamp and destroy the church. There are many similar passages in the Prophets, as for example:

Is not the day of Jehovah darkness and not light, thick darkness and no brilliance? Amos 5:18, 20; Zephaniah 1:15.

Also:

On that day Jehovah will look down on the earth, and behold, darkness, and the light will become dim in its ruins, Isaiah 5:30; 8:22.

The day of Jehovah is that of the Lord's coming.

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