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Daniel 8

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1 Nang ikatlong taon ng paghahari ng haring Belsasar, ang isang pangitain ay napakita sa akin, sa aking si Daniel, pagkatapos noong napakita sa akin nang una.

2 At ako'y may nakita sa pangitain: nangyari nga, na nang aking makita, nasa Susan ako na palacio, na nasa lalawigan ng Elam; at ako'y may nakita sa pangitain, at ako'y nasa tabi ng ilog Ulai.

3 Nang magkagayo'y itiningin ko ang aking mga mata, at ako'y may nakita, at narito, tumayo sa harap ng ilog ang isang lalaking tupa na may dalawang sungay: at ang dalawang sungay ay mataas; nguni't ang isa'y lalong mataas kay sa isa, at ang lalong mataas ay tumaas na huli.

4 Aking nakita ang lalaking tupa na nanunudlong sa dakong kalunuran, at sa dakong hilagaan, at sa dakong timugan; at walang hayop na makatayo sa harap niya, ni wala sinoman na makapagligtas mula sa kaniyang kamay; kundi kaniyang ginawa ang ayon sa kaniyang kalooban, at nagmalaking mainam.

5 At habang aking ginugunita, narito, isang kambing na lalake ay nagmula sa kalunuran sa ibabaw ng buong lupa, at hindi sumayad sa lupa: at ang lalaking kambing ay may nakagitaw na sungay sa pagitan ng kaniyang mga mata.

6 At siya'y naparoon sa lalaking tupa na may dalawang sungay na aking nakitang nakatayo sa harap ng ilog, at tinakbo niya siya sa kabangisan ng kaniyang kapangyarihan.

7 At aking nakitang siya'y lumapit sa lalaking tupa, at siya'y nakilos ng pagkagalit laban sa kaniya, at sinaktan ang tupa, at binali ang kaniyang dalawang sungay: at ang lalaking tupa ay walang kapangyarihang makatayo sa harap niya; kundi kaniyang ibinuwal sa lupa, at kaniyang niyapakan siya; at walang makapagligtas sa lalaking tupa mula sa kaniyang kamay.

8 At ang lalaking kambing ay nagmalaking mainam: at nang siya'y lumakas, ang malaking sungay ay nabali; at kahalili niyao'y lumitaw ang apat na marangal na sungay, sa dako ng apat na hangin ng langit.

9 At mula sa isa sa mga yaon ay lumitaw ang isang maliit na sungay na dumakilang totoo, sa dakong timugan, at sa dakong silanganan, at sa dakong maluwalhating lupain.

10 At lumaking mainam, hanggang sa hukbo sa langit; at ang ilan sa hukbo at sa mga bituin ay iniwaksi sa lupa, at mga niyapakan yaon.

11 Oo, nagmalaki, hanggang sa prinsipe ng hukbo; at inalis niya sa kaniya ang palaging handog na susunugin, at ang dako ng kaniyang santuario ay ibinagsak.

12 At ang hukbo ay nabigay sa kaniya na kasama ng palaging handog na susunugin dahil sa pagsalangsang; at kaniyang iniwaksi ang katotohanan sa lupa, at gumawa ng kaniyang maibigan at guminhawa.

13 Nang magkagayo'y narinig ko ang isang banal na nagsalita; at ibang banal ay nagsabi sa isang yaon na nagsalita, Hanggang kailan magtatagal ang pangitain tungkol sa palaging handog na susunugin, at ang pagsalangsang na sumisira, upang magbigay ng santuario at ng hukbo upang mayapakan ng paa?

14 At sinabi niya sa akin, Hanggang sa dalawang libo at tatlong daan na hapon at umaga; kung magkagayo'y malilinis ang santuario.

15 At nangyari, nang ako, sa makatuwid baga'y akong si Daniel, ay makakita ng pangitain, na aking pinagsikapang maunawaan; at, narito, nakatayo sa harap ko ang isang kawangis ng isang tao.

16 At narinig ko ang tinig ng isang tao sa pagitan ng mga pangpang ng Ulai, na tumatawag at nagsasabi, Gabriel, ipaaninaw mo sa taong ito ang pangitain.

17 Sa gayo'y lumapit siya sa kinatatayuan ko; at nang siya'y lumapit, ako'y natakot at napasubasob: nguni't sinabi niya sa akin, Talastasin mo, Oh anak ng tao; sapagka't ang pangitain ay ukol sa panahon ng kawakasan.

18 Samantalang siya nga'y nagsasalita sa akin, ako'y nagupiling sa isang mahimbing na pagkakatulog na padapa; nguni't hinipo niya ako, at itinayo ako.

19 At kaniyang sinabi, Narito, aking ipaaaninaw sa iyo kung ano ang mangyayari sa huling panahon ng pagkagalit; sapagka't ukol sa takdang panahon ng kawakasan.

20 Ang lalaking tupa na iyong nakita, na may dalawang sungay, ang mga yaon ang mga hari sa Media at Persia.

21 At ang may magaspang na balahibo na lalaking kambing ay siyang hari sa Grecia: at ang malaking sungay na nasa pagitan ng kaniyang mga mata ay siyang unang hari.

22 At tungkol sa nabali, sa dakong tinayuan ng apat, ay apat na kaharian ang magsisibangon mula sa bansa, nguni't hindi sa pamamagitan ng kaniyang kapangyarihan.

23 At sa huling panahon ng kanilang kaharian, pagka ang mananalangsang ay nagsidating sa kapuspusan, isang hari ay babangon na may mabagsik na pagmumukha, at nakaunawa ng malabong salita.

24 At ang kaniyang kapangyarihan ay magiging dakila, nguni't hindi sa pamamagitan ng kaniyang sariling kapangyarihan; at siya'y lilipol na kamanghamangha, at giginhawa, at gagawa ng kaniyang maibigan; at kaniyang lilipulin ang mga makapangyarihan at ang banal na bayan.

25 At sa kaniyang paraan ay kaniyang palulusugin ang pagdaraya sa kaniyang kamay; at siya'y magmamalaki ng kaniyang loob, at sa kanilang ikatitiwasay ay papatay ng marami: siya'y tatayo rin laban sa prinsipe ng mga prinsipe; nguni't siya'y mabubuwal hindi ng kamay.

26 At ang pangitain sa mga hapon at mga umaga na nasaysay ay tunay: nguni't ilihim mo ang pangitain; sapagka't ukol sa maraming araw na darating.

27 At akong si Daniel ay nanglupaypay, at nagkasakit na ilang araw; nang magkagayon ako'y nagbangon, at ginawa ko ang mga gawain ng hari: at ako'y natigilan sa pangitain, nguni't walang nakakaunawa.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4697

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4697. 'And the eleven stars' means cognitions of good and truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'stars' as cognitions of good and truth. The reason 'stars' in the Word means those cognitions is that they are tiny sources of light shining in the night, which send out flickers of light at that time into our sky, even as cognitions transmit glimmers of goodness and truth. This meaning of 'stars' as those cognitions may be seen from many places in the Word, as in Jeremiah,

[Thus] said Jehovah who gives the sun for light by day and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar. Jeremiah 31:35.

This refers to a new Church. 'Giving the sun for light by day' means good flowing from love and charity, and 'the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for light by night' means truth and cognitions.

[2] Similarly in David,

Jehovah who made the great lights, the sun to have dominion by day, the moon and stars to have dominion by night. Psalms 136:7-9.

Anyone unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word will presume that here 'the sun' is used to mean the sun of this world, and 'the moon and stars' to mean the moon and the stars, but no spiritual and heavenly meaning comes out of that presumption. Yet the Word in every individual part is heavenly. From this it is also evident that it is the goods of love and charity, and the truths of faith, together with cognitions of these, that are meant.

[3] This is similar to what occurs in Chapter 1 of Genesis, where the new creation of the heavenly man is the subject,

God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens, to make a distinction between the day and the night; and they will be for signs, and for set times, and for days and for years. And they will be for lights in the expanse of the heavens, to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to have dominion over the day, and the lesser light to have dominion over the night, and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth, and to have dominion over the day and the night, and to make a distinction between the light and the darkness. Genesis 1:14-18.

See [in Volume One, paragraphs] 30-38.

[4] In Matthew,

Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Matthew 24:29.

Here 'the sun' and 'the moon' mean love and charity, or good and truth, while 'stars' means cognitions - see 4060; and because the last day or last state of the Church is the subject here, 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light' means that at that time the good of love and charity will perish, and 'the stars will fall from heaven' means that the cognitions of good and truth will perish too. That these things are meant is evident from the prophetical parts of the Word where similar descriptions occur regarding the day or state of the Church.

[5] As in Isaiah,

Behold, the day of Jehovah will come, cruel, to make the earth a waste, and He will destroy sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not shine with their light. The sun will be obscured in its rising, and the moon will not give its light. Isaiah 13:9-10.

In Joel,

The day of Jehovah is near. The sun and the moon have been darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining. Joel 3:14-15.

In Ezekiel,

When I have blotted you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars, I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. All the bright lights in heaven I will make dark over you, and I will put darkness over your land. Ezekiel 32:7-8.

And in John,

The fourth angel sounded, and a third part of the sun was struck, and a third part of the moon, and a third part of the stars, so that a third part of them was darkened and the day did not shine for a third part of it; and the night likewise. Revelation 8:12.

[6] This meaning of 'stars' as cognitions of good and truth is in addition evident from the following places: In Daniel,

Out of one horn of the he-goat of the she-goats there grew one small-sized horn and it grew exceedingly towards the south, and towards the east, and towards the glorious [land]; and it grew even towards the hosts of heaven, and it cast down to the earth some of the host, and of the stars, and trampled on them. Daniel 8:9-10.

And in John,

The great dragon drew with his tail a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them down to the earth. Revelation 12:4.

Clearly the actual stars are not meant here, the subject in Daniel and John being the state of the Church in the last times.

[7] Similarly in David,

Jehovah counts the number of stars; He gives names to them all. Psalms 147:4.

In the same author,

Praise Jehovah, sun and moon; praise Him, all stars of light. Psalms 148:3.

In John,

A great sign was seen in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Revelation 12:1.

[8] Since cognitions of good and truth are meant by 'stars', the teachings of the Church are meant too, since these are cognitions. Teaching to do with faith separated from charity in the last times is described as 'a star' in the following verses in John,

The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and It fell onto a third part of the rivers, and onto the fountains of waters. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third part of the waters became wormwood, and many people died in the waters, because they were made bitter. Revelation 8:10-11.

'The waters' which were made bitter by that star are truths, and 'the rivers' and 'the fountains of waters' are intelligence imparted by those truths, and wisdom from the Word. For 'waters' meaning truths, see 2702, 3058, 3424; for 'rivers' intelligence, 3051; and for 'fountains' wisdom from the Word, 2702, 3424.

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