The Bible

 

Daniel 11

Study

   

1 Y en el año primero de Darío el de Media, yo estuve para animarlo y fortalecerlo.

2 Y ahora yo te mostraré la verdad. He aquí que aún habrá tres reyes en Persia, y el cuarto se hará de grandes riquezas más que todos; y fortificándose con sus riquezas, despertará a todos contra el reino de Grecia.

3 Y se levantará un rey valiente, el cual se enseñoreará sobre gran dominio, y hará a su voluntad.

4 Pero cuando esté enseñoreado, será quebrantado su reino, y será partido por los cuatro vientos del cielo; y no a su descendiente, ni según el señorío con que él se enseñoreó; porque su reino será arrancado, y para otros fuera de éstos.

5 Y se hará fuerte el rey del mediodía y de sus principados y le sobrepujará, y se hará poderoso, y su señorío será grande señorío.

6 Mas al cabo de algunos años se concertarán, y la hija del rey del mediodía vendrá al rey del norte para hacer los conciertos; mas no tendrá fuerza de brazo; ni permanecerá él, ni su brazo; porque ella será entregada, y los que la habían traído, y su padre, y los que estaban de su parte en aquel tiempo.

7 Mas del renuevo de sus raíces se levantará uno sobre su silla, y vendrá al ejército, y entrará en la fortaleza del rey del norte, y hará en ellos a su voluntad , y predominará.

8 Y aun los dioses de ellos, con sus príncipes, con sus vasos preciosos de plata y de oro, llevará cautivos en Egipto; y por algunos años se mantendrá él contra el rey del norte.

9 Así entrará en el reino el rey del mediodía, y volverá a su tierra.

10 Mas los hijos de aquél se airarán y reunirán multitud de grandes ejércitos: y vendrá a gran prisa, e inundará, y pasará, y tornará, y llegará con ira hasta su fortaleza.

11 Por lo cual se enfurecerá el rey del mediodía, y saldrá, y peleará con el mismo rey del norte; y pondrá en campo gran multitud, y toda aquella multitud será entregada en su mano.

12 Por lo cual la multitud se ensoberbecerá, se elevará su corazón, y derribará muchos millares; mas no prevalecerá.

13 Y el rey del norte volverá a poner en campo mayor multitud que la primera, y al cabo del tiempo de algunos años vendrá a gran prisa con gran ejército y con muchas riquezas.

14 Mas en aquellos tiempos se levantarán muchos contra el rey del mediodía; e hijos de disipadores de tu pueblo se levantarán para confirmar la profecía, y caerán.

15 Vendrá, pues, el rey del norte, y fundará baluartes, y tomará ciudades fuertes; y los brazos del mediodía no podrán permanecer, ni su pueblo escogido, ni habrá fortaleza que pueda resistir.

16 Y el que vendrá contra él, hará a su voluntad, ni habrá quien se le pueda parar delante; y estará en la tierra deseable, la cual será consumida en su poder.

17 Pondrá luego su rostro para venir con la potencia de todo su reino; y hará con aquél cosas rectas, y le dará una hija de sus mujeres para trastornarla; mas no estará ni será por él.

18 Volverá después su rostro a las islas, y tomará muchas; mas un príncipe le hará parar su afrenta, y aun tornará sobre él su oprobio.

19 Luego volverá su rostro a las fortalezas de su tierra; mas tropezará y caerá, y no aparecerá más.

20 Entonces sucederá en su silla quien quitará las exacciones, el cual será Gloria del Reino; mas en pocos días será quebrantado, no en enojo, ni en batalla.

21 Y sucederá en su lugar un vil, al cual no darán la honra del Reino: vendrá empero con paz, y tomará el reino con halagos.

22 Y con los brazos serán inundados de inundación delante de él, y serán quebrantados; y aun también el príncipe del pacto.

23 Y después de la unión con él, él hará engaño, y subirá, y saldrá vencedor con poca gente.

24 Estando la provincia en paz y en abundancia, entrará y hará lo que nunca hicieron sus padres, ni los padres de sus padres; presa, despojos, y riquezas repartirá a sus soldados; y contra las fortalezas formará sus designios; y esto por un tiempo.

25 Y despertará sus fuerzas y su corazón contra el rey del mediodía con gran ejército; y el rey del mediodía se moverá a la guerra con grande y muy fuerte ejército; mas no prevalecerá, porque le harán traición.

26 Aun los que comerán su pan, le quebrantarán; y su ejército será destruido, y caerán muchos muertos.

27 Y el corazón de estos dos reyes será para hacerse mal, y en una misma mesa tratarán mentira; mas no servirá de nada, porque el plazo aún no es llegado.

28 Y se volverá a su tierra con gran riqueza, y su corazón será contra el santo pacto; hará pues, y se volverá a su tierra.

29 Al tiempo señalado tornará al mediodía; mas no será la postrera venida como la primera.

30 Porque vendrán contra él naves de Quitim, y él se contristará, y se volverá, y se enojará contra el santo pacto, y hará; se volverá pues, y pensará en los que habrán desamparado el santo pacto.

31 Y serán puestos brazos de su parte; y contaminarán el santuario de fortaleza, y quitarán el continuo sacrificio , y pondrán la abominación de asolamiento.

32 Y con lisonjas hará pecar a los violadores del pacto: mas el pueblo que conoce a su Dios, se esforzará, y hará.

33 Y los sabios del pueblo darán sabiduría a muchos; y caerán a cuchillo y a fuego, en cautividad y despojo, por algunos días.

34 Y en su caer serán ayudados de pequeño socorro; y muchos se juntarán a ellos con lisonjas.

35 Y algunos de los sabios caerán para ser purgados, y limpiados, y emblanquecidos, hasta el tiempo del fin, porque aun para esto hay plazo.

36 Y el rey hará a su voluntad; y se ensoberbecerá, y se engrandecerá sobre todo dios; y contra el Dios de los dioses hablará maravillas, y será prosperado, hasta que la ira sea acabada, porque hecha está la determinación.

37 Y del Dios de sus padres no se cuidará, ni del amor de las mujeres; ni se cuidará de Dios alguno, porque sobre todo se engrandecerá.

38 Mas honrará en su lugar al dios Mauzim, dios que sus padres no conocieron; lo honrará con oro, y plata, y piedras preciosas, y con cosas de gran precio.

39 Y con el pueblo del dios ajeno que conocerá, hará fortalezas fuertes, ensanchará su gloria; y los hará señores sobre muchos, y repartirá la tierra por precio.

40 Pero al cabo del tiempo el rey del mediodía se acorneará con él; y el rey del norte levantará contra él tempestad, con carros y gente de a caballo, y muchos navíos; y entrará por las tierras, e inundará, y pasará.

41 Y vendrá a la tierra deseable, y muchas provincias caerán; mas éstas escaparán de su mano: Edom, y Moab, y lo primero de los hijos de Amón.

42 Extenderá su mano a las tierras, y la tierra de Egipto no escapará.

43 Y se apoderará de los tesoros de oro y plata, y de todas las cosas preciosas de Egipto, de Libia, y Etiopía por donde pasará.

44 Mas nuevas del oriente y del norte lo espantarán; y saldrá con gran ira para destruir y matar a muchos.

45 Y plantará las tiendas de su palacio entre los mares, en el monte deseable del Santuario; y vendrá hasta su fin, y no tendrá quien le ayude.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #418

Study this Passage

  
/ 1232  
  

418. Holding the four winds of the earth.- That this signifies the modification of its influx, is evident from the signification of the four winds of the earth, as denoting all the Divine in heaven, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of holding them as meaning to modify its influx. But what the modification of the influx of the Divine in heaven means, no one can know but him to whom it is revealed, and consequently in regard to the signification of holding the four winds of the earth. Without revelation, who would not suppose that by the winds are meant winds which the angels held back, for it is said, "that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree." But by the winds of the earth, here as elsewhere in the Word, is signified all the Divine from the Lord in heaven, specifically the Divine Truth, and for the reason that it flows from the Lord as the Sun into the whole heaven, and thence into the whole earth. Therefore, by holding the winds is signified to modify influx. But, in order that these things may be more clearly understood, the operation of that influx shall also be explained.

The Lord is the Sun of the angelic heaven, and from Him, as the Sun, proceed all the light and all the heat there. The light which proceeds is in its essence Divine Truth, because it is spiritual light; and the heat which proceeds is in its essence Divine Good, because it is spiritual heat. These flow forth from the Lord as the Sun into all the heavens, adapted for reception by the angels there, sometimes therefore somewhat gently, and sometimes more powerfully; when gently, then the good are separated from the evil; but when powerfully, then the evil are rejected. When, therefore, a last judgment is at hand, then the Lord first flows in gently, in order that the good may be separated from the evil. Since this separation is treated of in this chapter, therefore it is said "holding the four winds of the earth," by which is signified the modification of the influx of Divine Good and Divine Truth from the Lord. That the separation of the good from the evil is the subject treated of, is evident from what follows in this chapter; for it is said, "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of God on their foreheads" (verse 3); and afterwards to the close of the chapter, those who were sealed, or the good separated from the evil, is the subject treated of. Further reference will be made to this separation, and also to the casting down of the evil into the hells, which afterwards takes place.

[2] The four winds signify all the proceeding Divine, because the winds of heaven signify the quarters of heaven, for the whole heaven is divided into four quarters - the eastern, western, southern, and northern. Into the two quarters, the eastern and the western, the influx of Divine Good from the Lord is more powerful than that of Divine Truth; and into the southern and northern quarters, the influx of Divine Truth is more powerful than that of Divine Good; therefore the latter are more in wisdom and intelligence, but the former more in love and charity. And because the whole heaven is divided into four quarters, signified by the four winds, therefore, by the four winds is signified all the proceeding Divine. The reason why they are called the four winds of the earth is, that by the earth is meant all the earth in the spiritual world, but in the spiritual sense earth (terra) signifies heaven and the church, upon which subject the preceding article may be consulted.

[3] It is evident from these facts what is meant by the four winds in other passages of the Word; as in Ezekiel:

The Lord Jehovih said unto me, "Prophesy unto the spirit, prophesy, and say to the spirit, Thus saith the Lord Jehovih, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. And when I prophesied, the spirit came into them, and they lived again" (37:9, 10).

This is said of the dry bones seen by the prophet, which mean the children of Israel, as is evident from the 11th verse, and by that vision is described the reformation and establishment of a new church from those who had not before been in any spiritual life. The dry bones denote those who are void of spiritual life. The spiritual life given them by the Lord from the church which exists in them is described by these words. By the spirit unto which he prophesied, and from which they lived again, is signified spiritual life, which is a life according to the truths of the Word. "Come from the four winds, O spirit," signifies from the Divine of the Lord in heaven, the four winds denoting the four quarters in heaven, and the four quarters denoting all the Divine there, as stated above. In the sense of the letter, by spirit is there meant the breath of respiration, which is wind. It is therefore said, "Come and breathe upon these slain;" and by the breath of respiration is equally signified spiritual life, as will be seen from what follows. Those who have no spiritual life are signified both by the slain and by dry bones.

[4] In Zechariah:

There were seen "four chariots coming out from between two mountains of brass. There were horses in them. And the angel said, "These are the four winds of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth" (6:1, 5).

The subject here is the church which was to be made known amongst those who were not yet in any light of the truth of the church, because they were not in possession of the Word. What the four chariots and the four horses signify, and the things related concerning them, and what the mountains of brass signify, may be seen above (n. 355, 364, 405), where they are explained. By the four winds is there signified all the proceeding Divine, or the Divine Good and Divine Truth, from which the church exists; it is therefore said, "The four winds of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth." To go forth from before Him means to proceed. Those winds are called chariots and horses, because chariots signify doctrinals of good and truth, and horses the understanding of these, and both the latter and the former proceed from the Divine of the Lord.

[5] In the gospels, it is said the Son of man "shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other" (Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27).

All the successive states of the church, even to its end, when a last judgment takes place, are here predicted by the Lord. By the "angels with a great sound of a trumpet," is signified evangelization concerning the Lord; and by gathering together the elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other, is signified the establishment of a new church. The elect are those who are in the good of love and faith; the four winds denote all states of good and truth; "one end of the heavens to the other," denotes the interior and exterior things of the church. These things are more clearly explained in the Arcana Coelestia 4060).

[6] In Daniel:

"The he-goat of the goats magnified himself exceedingly; but when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and in its place came up four notable ones toward the four winds of the heavens" (8:8).

What is meant by the he-goat of the goats and by the ram in that chapter may be seen above (n. 316), namely, that by the he-goat of the goats is signified faith separated from charity, consequently, those who imagine that they are saved because they know the doctrinals and truths of the Word, and yet care nothing for a life according to them. Horns signify truths, and in the opposite sense, as here, falsities; the great horn signifies the dominant falsity, that merely knowing and thence believing is salvation. That the great horn was broken, and in its place four notable ones came up toward the four winds of the heavens signifies, that from that one source of faith alone many falsities conjoined with evils arise; the great horn denoting the dominant falsity that faith alone saves, and its being broken, signifies division into the many falsities which arise therefrom. "In its place, four" signifies, their conjunction with evils; "toward the four winds of the heavens" signifies, in regard to every detail pertaining to falsity and evil; for the four winds of the heavens signify every good and truth of heaven and the church, and their conjunction, but in the opposite sense, every evil and falsity and their conjunction. The reason why the four winds of the heavens signify also every evil and falsity is, that not only those who are in the good of love, and in truths thence, dwell in the four quarters of the spiritual world, but also those who are in evils and falsities thence, the hells being in the same quarters, but deep under the heavens, for the most part in caverns, dens, and vaults. Concerning which, see above (n. 410).

[7] In this same sense the winds of the heavens are mentioned in Jeremiah:

"And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of the heavens, and will scatter them toward all those winds; so that there is no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come" (49:36).

Here, by Elam are signified those who are in the knowledges of faith, but not at the same time in any charity; by "the four winds from the four quarters of the heavens," are signified falsities conjoined with evils; and by scattering them into all those winds, is signified into falsities of evil of every kind. "That there is no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come," signifies that there is no evil to which falsity cannot be adapted, nation denoting evil; for knowledges alone without the life of charity bring forth falsities of evil without number.

[8] In Daniel:

"I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heavens broke forth upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea" (7:2, 3).

The four winds also, here, signify falsities conjoined with evils: the great sea signifies hell, where they originate, and the four beasts signify evils of every kind; but more will be said upon this subject in what follows. The same is meant by the "four winds" mentioned in Daniel (11:4); and also in Zech. (2:6, 7). That the four winds signify the four quarters, is fully evident in Ezekiel (42:16-19), where the subject is the measure of the house according to the four winds, that is, the quarters. In Hebrew the same word is used for quarter as for wind and breath. More will be seen concerning winds in the following article.

  
/ 1232  
  

Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.