The Bible

 

Jezekilj 37

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1 Ruka Gospodnja dođe nada me, i Gospod me izvede u duhu, i postavi me usred polja, koje beše puno kosti.

2 I provede me pokraj njih unaokolo, i gle, beše ih vrlo mnogo u polju, i gle, behu vrlo suve.

3 I reče mi: Sine čovečji, hoće li oživeti ove kosti? A ja rekoh: Gospode Gospode, Ti znaš.

4 Tada mi reče: Prorokuj za te kosti, i kaži im: Suhe kosti, čujte reč Gospodnju.

5 Ovako govori Gospod Gospod ovim kostima: Gle, ja ću metnuti u vas duh, i oživećete.

6 I metnuću na vas žile, i obložiću vas mesom, i navući ću na vas kožu, i metnuću u vas duh, i oživećete, i poznaćete da sam ja Gospod.

7 Tada stadoh prorokovati, kako mi se zapovedi; a kad prorokovah, nasta glas, i gle potres, i kosti se pribirahu svaka ka svojoj kosti.

8 I pogledah, i gle, po njima iziđoše žile i meso, i ozgo se koža navuče; ali duha ne beše u njima.

9 Tada mi reče: Prorokuj duhu, prorokuj, sine čovečji, i reci duhu: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Od četiri vetra dođi, duše, i duni na ove pobijene da ožive.

10 I prorokovah, kako mi se zapovedi, i uđe u njih duh, i oživeše, i stadoše na noge, beše vojska vrlo velika.

11 Tada mi reče: Sine čovečji, ove su kosti sav dom Izrailjev; gle, govore: Posahnuše kosti naše i prođe nadanje naše, propadosmo.

12 Zato prorokuj, i kaži im: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Evo, ja ću otvoriti grobove vaše, i izvešću vas iz grobova vaših, narode moj, i dovešću vas u zemlju Izrailjevu.

13 I poznaćete da sam ja Gospod, kad otvorim grobove vaše, i izvedem vas iz grobova vaših, narode moj.

14 I metnuću duh svoj u vas da oživite, i naseliću vas u vašoj zemlji, i poznaćete da ja govorim i činim, govori Gospod.

15 Opet mi dođe reč Gospodnja govoreći:

16 Ti, sine čovečji, uzmi jedno drvo, i napiši na njemu: Judi i sinovima Izrailjevim, drugovima njegovim. Pa onda uzmi drugo drvo, i na njemu napiši: Josifu drvo Jefremovo i svega doma Izrailjevog, drugova njegovih.

17 I sastavi ih jedno s drugim da budu kao jedno u tvojoj ruci.

18 I kad ti kažu sinovi tvog naroda govoreći: Hoćeš li nam kazati šta ti je to?

19 Reci im: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Evo, ja ću uzeti drvo Josifovo, što je u Jefremovoj ruci, i plemena Izrailjevih, drugova njegovih, i sastaviću ga s drvetom Judinim, i načiniću od njih jedno drvo, i biće jedno u mojoj ruci.

20 I drveta, na kojima napišeš, neka ti budu u ruci pred njima.

21 I reci im: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Evo, ja ću uzeti sinove Izrailjeve iz naroda u koje otidoše, i sabraću ih odsvuda, i dovešću ih u zemlju njihovu.

22 I načiniću od njih jedan narod u zemlji, na gorama Izrailjevim, i jedan će car biti car svima njima, niti će više biti dva naroda, niti će više biti razdeljeni u dva carstva.

23 I neće se više skvrniti gadnim bogovima svojim ni gnusobama svojim niti kakvim prestupima svojim, i izbaviću ih iz svih stanova njihovih u kojima grešiše, i očistiću ih, i oni će mi biti narod i ja ću im biti Bog.

24 I sluga moj David biće im car, i svi će imati jednog pastira, i hodiće po mojim zakonima, i uredbe će moje držati i izvršavati.

25 I sediće u zemlji koju dadoh sluzi svom Jakovu, u kojoj sedeše oci vaši; u njoj će sedeti oni i sinovi njihovi i sinovi sinova njihovih doveka, i David sluga moj biće im knez do veka.

26 I učiniću s njima zavet mirni, biće večan zavet s njima, i utvrdiću ih i umnožiću ih, i namestiću svetinju svoju usred njih navek.

27 I šator će moj biti kod njih, i ja ću im biti Bog i oni će mi biti narod.

28 I narod će poznati da sam ja Gospod koji posvećujem Izrailja, kad svetinja moja bude usred njih do veka.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #343

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343. Holding back the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. This symbolizes the Lord's holding back and restraining a closer and thus stronger influx into the lower regions where good people were attached to evil ones.

It must be known that a last judgment takes place when evil people multiply below the heavens in the world of spirits, and this to such a degree that angels in the heavens cannot continue in the state of their love and wisdom, as they are then without a support and foundation. Since this results from a multiplication of evil people below, therefore in order to preserve the angels' state, the Lord flows in more and more strongly with His Divinity, and this continually until no influx can preserve them unless the evil people below are separated from the good. This is accomplished by a subsidence and closing in of the heavens, with a consequently stronger influx, until the evil cannot bear it. And at that point the evil flee away and cast themselves into hell.

This, too, is what is symbolized in the preceding chapter by the statement, "They said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" (Revelation 6:16-17)

[2] Now for the exposition:

The four winds symbolize an influx of the heavens. The earth, the sea, and every tree symbolize all the lower regions and all that they contain - the earth and sea symbolizing all the lower regions, and every tree all that they contain.

That a wind symbolizes influx - properly speaking, the influx of truth into the intellect - can be seen from the following passages:

Thus says the Lord Jehovih, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." (Ezekiel 37:9-10)

(There appeared four chariots to which were harnessed four horses.) These are the four winds of the heavens... (Zechariah 6:1-5)

You must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and... cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. (John 3:7-8)

The Maker of the earth... prepares the world by His wisdom... He brings the wind out of His treasuries. (Jeremiah 10:12-13; 51:15-16, cf. Psalms 135:7)

He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow. He declares His Word..., His statutes and His judgments... (Psalms 147:18-19)

It praises Jehovah..., the stormy wind, doing His Word... (Psalms 148:7-8)

(Jehovah) makes His angels winds... (Psalms 104:4)

(Jehovah) rode... upon the wings of the wind. (Psalms 18:10, cf. 104:3)

The wings of the wind are Divine truths that flow in. The Lord is therefore called "the breath of our nostrils" (Lamentations 4:20), and we are told that He "breathed into (Adam's) nostrils the breath of life" (Genesis 2:7); moreover, that "He breathed on (the Disciples) and said..., "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:21-22). The Holy Spirit is the Divine truth emanating from the Lord, the influx of which into the Disciples was represented and thus symbolized by the Lord's breathing on them.

[3] A wind and breathing symbolize the influx of Divine truth into the intellect, owing to the correspondence of the lungs with the intellect, a treatment of which may be seen in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom, nos. 371-429.

Since a closer and stronger Divine influx through the heavens dispels truths in the case of evil people, therefore a wind symbolizes the dispersion of truth in them, and thus their conjunction with hell and perishing - as may be seen from the following passages:

I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four ends of heaven and scatter him. (Jeremiah 49:36)

You shall scatter them, that the wind may carry them away and the storm disperse them. (Isaiah 41:16)

The breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, sets them on fire. (Isaiah 30:33)

The workers of iniquity... perish by the breathing of God, and by the breath of His nostrils they are consumed. (Job 4:8-9)

...the foundations of the world were uncovered at the rebuke (of Jehovah), at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. (Psalms 18:15)

I saw in my vision..., and behold, the four winds... were rushing upon the Great Sea. And four beasts came up... (Daniel 7:2-3ff.)

...from a storm of Jehovah has gone forth fury... It will rush upon the head of the wicked. (Jeremiah 23:19; 30:23)

O my God..., ...pursue them with Your storm, ...frighten them with Your tempest. (Psalms 83:13, 15)

(Jehovah's) way in the storm and in the tempest... (Nahum 1:3)

And so also elsewhere, as in Jeremiah 25:32, Ezekiel 13:13, Hosea 8:7, Amos 1:14, Zechariah 9:14, Psalms 11:6; 50:3; 55:8, and Psalms 107, where we read:

...He commands the stormy wind to blow... (God) causes the storm to subside, so that its waves are still. (Psalms 107:25, 29)

[4] It is apparent from this what is symbolically meant in the spiritual sense by the following:

(Jesus in the boat) rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ."..be still!" And... there was a... calm. (Mark 4:39, cf. Luke 8:23-24)

The sea here symbolizes hell, and the wind an influx from it.

A strong influx, too, is symbolically meant by the east wind in Ezekiel 17:10, Jeremiah 18:17, Ezekiel 19:12, Hosea 13:15, Psalms 48:7. And by that same wind which dried up the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21), regarding which Moses said:

At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were heaped up... You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them. (Exodus 15:8, 10)

It can now be seen from this that holding back the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, symbolizes the holding back and restraining of a closer and thus stronger influx into the lower regions.

  
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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.