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Ezekiel 17

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1 At ang salita ng Panginoon ay dumating sa akin, na nagsasabi,

2 Anak ng tao, magbugtong ka, at magsalita ka ng talinhaga sa sangbahayan ni Israel;

3 At iyong sabihin, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios, Isang malaking aguila na may mga malaki at mahabang pakpak na puno ng mga balahibo, na may sarisaring kulay, naparoon sa Libano, at kinuha ang dulo ng cedro:

4 Kaniyang binali ang pinakamataas na sariwang mga sanga niyaon, at dinala sa isang lupain na kalakalan; inilagay niya sa isang bayan ng mga mangangalakal.

5 Kumuha rin siya sa binhi ng lupain, at itinanim sa isang mainam na lupa; itinanim niya sa tabi ng maraming tubig; kaniyang itinanim na parang puno ng kahoy na sauce.

6 At tumubo, at naging mayabong, na puno ng baging na mababa, na ang mga sanga ay patungo sa dako niya, at ang mga ugat niyao'y nasa ilalim niya; sa gayo'y naging isang puno ng baging, at nagsanga, at nagsupling.

7 May iba namang malaking aguila na may mga malaking pakpak at maraming balahibo: at, narito, ang puno ng baging na ito ay pumihit ang mga ugat niyaon, sa dako niya, at isinupling ang kaniyang mga sanga sa dako niya mula sa mga pitak na kinatatamanan, upang kaniyang madilig.

8 Natanim sa isang mabuting lupa sa siping ng maraming tubig, upang makapagsanga, at makapagbunga, upang maging mabuting puno ng baging.

9 Sabihin mo, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios, Giginhawa baga yaon? hindi baga niya bubunutin ang mga ugat niyaon, at kikitlin ang bunga niyaon, upang matuyo; upang ang lahat na sariwang ladlad na mga dahon niyaon ay mangatuyo? at hindi sa pamamagitan ng malakas na bisig o maraming tao ay ito'y mabubunot sa mga ugat.

10 Oo, narito, yamang natanim ay giginhawa baga? hindi baga lubos na matutuyo pagka nahipan siya ng hanging silanganan? matutuyo sa mga pitak na tinubuan niya.

11 Bukod dito'y ang salita ng Panginoon ay dumating sa akin, na nagsasabi:

12 Sabihin mo nga sa mapanghimagsik na sangbahayan, Hindi baga ninyo nalalaman ang kahulugan ng mga bagay na ito? saysayin mo sa kanila, Narito, ang hari sa Babilonia ay dumating sa Jerusalem, at kinuha ang hari niyaon, at ang mga prinsipe niyaon, at dinala niya sa Babilonia.

13 At siya'y kumuha sa lahing hari, at nakipagtipan siya sa kaniya: isinailalim din niya siya sa panunumpa, at dinala ang mga dakila sa lupain;

14 Upang ang kaharian ay mababa, upang huwag makataas, kundi sa pagiingat ng kaniyang tipan ay mapatayo.

15 Nguni't siya'y nanghimagsik laban sa kaniya sa pagpapadala ng kaniyang mga sugo sa Egipto, upang mabigyan nila siya ng mga kabayo at maraming tao. Giginhawa baga siya? makatatanan baga siya na gumagawa ng ganyang mga bagay? makatatahan kaya siya na sumira ng tipan?

16 Buhay ako, sabi ng Panginoong Dios, tunay na sa dakong tinatahanan ng hari na pinaggawaan sa kaniyang hari, na ang sumpa ay hinamak niya, at ang tipan ay sinira niya, siya nga'y mamamatay sa gitna ng Babilonia na kasama niya.

17 Kahit si Faraon man sangpu ng kaniyang makapangyarihang hukbo at malaking pulutong sa pakikidigma ay walang magagawa, pagka sila'y mangagtitindig ng mga bunton; at mangagtatayo ng mga katibayan, upang pumatay ng maraming mga tao.

18 Sapagka't kaniyang hinamak ang sumpa sa pagsira ng tipan; at narito, naiabot na niya ang kaniyang kamay, at gayon ma'y ginawa ang lahat na bagay na ito; siya'y hindi makatatanan.

19 Kaya't ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios, Buhay ako, walang pagsalang ang panunumpa sa akin na kaniyang hinamak, at ang tipan sa akin na kaniyang sinira, aking pararatingin sa kaniyang sariling ulo.

20 At aking ilalagay ang aking panilo sa kaniya, at siya'y mahuhuli sa aking silo, at dadalhin ko siya sa Babilonia, at siya'y aking hahatulan doon dahil sa kaniyang pagsalangsang na kaniyang isinalangsang laban sa akin.

21 At ang lahat niyang mga tanan sa lahat niyang pulutong ay mangabubuwal sa pamamagitan ng tabak, at ang nalabi ay mangangalat sa bawa't dako: at inyong malalaman na akong Panginoon ang nagsalita niyaon.

22 Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios, Kukuha naman ako sa dulo ng mataas na cedro, at aking itatanim; sa pinakamataas ng kaniyang sariwang sanga ay puputol ako ng supling, at aking itatanim sa isang mataas na bundok at matayog:

23 Sa bundok na kaitaasan ng Israel ay aking itatanim: at magsasanga at magbubunga, at magiging mainam na cedro: at sa lilim niyao'y tatahan ang lahat na ibon na ma'y iba't ibang uri; sa lilim ng mga sanga niyaon magsisitahan sila.

24 At ang lahat na punong kahoy sa parang ay makakaalam na akong Panginoon ang nagbaba sa mataas na punong kahoy, nagtaas sa mababang punong kahoy, tumuyo sa sariwang punong kahoy, at nagpanariwa sa tuyong punong kahoy: akong Panginoon ang nagsalita at gumawa niyaon.

   

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.