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Ezekiel 38

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

2 Anak ng tao, iharap mo ang iyong mukha sa dako ni Gog, sa lupain ng Magog, na prinsipe sa Ros, sa Mesech, at sa Tubal, at manghula ka laban sa kaniya,

3 At iyong sabihin, ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Narito, ako'y laban sa iyo, Oh Gog, na pangulo sa Ros, sa Mesech, at sa Tubal:

4 At aking ipipihit ka sa palibot, at kakawitan ko ng mga pangbingwit ang iyong mga panga, at ilalabas kita, at ang iyong buong kawal, mga kabayo at mga mangangabayo, na nasusuutan silang lahat ng buong kasakbatan, na malaking pulutong na may longki at kalasag, silang lahat ay nangagtatangan ng mga tabak:

5 Ang Persia, ang Cus, at ang Phut ay kasama nila; silang lahat na may kalasag at turbante;

6 Ang Gomer at ang lahat niyang mga pulutong; ang sangbahayan ni Togarma sa mga pinakahuling bahagi ng hilagaan, at lahat niyang mga pulutong; maraming bayan na kasama mo.

7 Humanda ka, oo, humanda ka, ikaw, at ang lahat ng iyong mga pulutong na napisan ko sa iyo, at maging bantay ka sa kanila.

8 Pagkatapos ng maraming araw ay dadalawin ka: sa mga huling taon ay papasok ka sa lupain na ibinalik na mula sa paghabol ng tabak na napisan mula sa maraming bayan, sa mga bundok ng Israel, na naging laging giba; nguni't nalabas sa mga bayan, at sila'y magsisitahang tiwasay, silang lahat.

9 At ikaw ay sasampa, ikaw ay darating na parang bagyo, ikaw ay magiging parang ulap na tatakip sa lupain, ikaw, at ang lahat mong mga pulutong, at ang maraming tao na kasama mo.

10 Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Mangyayari sa araw na yaon, na mga bagay ay darating sa iyong pagiisip, at ikaw ay magpapanukala ng masamang panukala:

11 At iyong sasabihin, Ako'y sasampa sa lupaing may mga nayong walang kuta; sasampahin ko sila na nasa katahimikan, na nagsisitahang tiwasay, silang lahat na nagsisitahang walang kuta, at wala kahit mga halang o mga pintuang-bayan man;

12 Upang kumuha ng samsam, at upang kumuha ng huli; upang ibalik ang iyong kamay laban sa mga gibang dako na tinatahanan ngayon, at laban sa bayan na napisan mula sa mga bansa, na nagtangkilik ng mga hayop at mga pag-aari, na nagsisitahan sa gitna ng lupa.

13 Ang Seba, at ang Dedan, at ang mga mangangalakal sa Tarsis, sangpu ng lahat ng batang leon niyaon, ay magsasabi sa iyo, Naparito ka baga upang kumuha ng samsam? pinisan mo baga ang iyong pulutong upang kumuha ng samsam? upang magdala ng pilak at ginto, upang magdala ng mga hayop at mga pag-aari, upang kumuha ng malaking samsam?

14 Kaya't, anak ng tao, ikaw ay manghula, at sabihin mo kay Gog, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Sa araw na ang aking bayang Israel ay tatahang tiwasay, hindi mo baga malalaman?

15 At ikaw ay darating na mula sa iyong dako, mula sa mga kahulihulihang bahagi ng hilagaan, ikaw, at ang maraming tao na kasama mo, silang lahat na nangakasakay sa mga kabayo, malaking pulutong at makapangyarihang hukbo;

16 At ikaw ay sasampa laban sa aking bayang Israel, na parang ulap na tatakip sa lupain: mangyayari sa mga huling araw, na dadalhin kita laban sa aking lupain, upang makilala ako ng mga bansa, pagka ako'y aariing banal sa iyo, Oh Gog, sa harap ng kanilang mga mata.

17 Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Ikaw baga yaong aking sinalita nang una sa pamamagitan ng aking mga lingkod na mga propeta ng Israel, na nagsipanghula nang mga araw na yaon, ng tungkol sa malaong panahon, na aking dadalhin ka laban sa kanila?

18 At mangyayari sa araw na yaon, pagka si Gog ay paroroon laban sa lupain ng Israel, sabi ng Panginoong Dios, na ang aking kapusukan ay sasampa sa aking mga butas ng ilong.

19 Sapagka't sa aking paninibugho at sa sigalbo ng aking poot ay nagsalita ako, Tunay na sa araw na yaon ay magkakaroon ng malaking panginginig sa lupain ng Israel;

20 Na anopa't ang mga isda sa dagat, at ang mga ibon sa himpapawid, at ang mga hayop sa parang, at lahat na nagsisiusad na bagay na nagsisiusad sa ibabaw ng lupa, at lahat ng tao na nangasa ibabaw ng lupa, magsisipanginig sa aking harapan, at ang mga bundok ay mangaguguho at ang mga matarik na dako ay mangabababa, at bawa't kuta ay mangababagsak sa lupa.

21 At aking tatawagin sa lahat ng aking mga bundok ang tabak laban sa kaniya, sabi ng Panginoong Dios: ang tabak ng bawa't lalake ay magiging laban sa kaniyang kapatid.

22 At ako'y makikipaglaban sa kaniya sa pamamagitan ng salot at ng dugo; at pauulanan ko siya, at ang kaniyang mga pulutong, at ang maraming bayan na kasama niya, ng napakalakas na ulan, at ng mga malaking granizo, ng apoy, at ng azufre.

23 At ako'y pakikitang dakila at banal, at ako'y pakikilala sa harap ng mga mata ng maraming bansa; at kanilang malalaman na ako ang Panginoon.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #7553

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7553. 'Behold, about this time tomorrow I am causing it to rain an extremely heavy hail' means falsities destroying all things of the Church among them. This is clear from the meaning of 'rain in the form of hail' as falsities arising from evil that destroy forms of the truth and good of faith, thus things of the Church. Those falsities are meant by 'rain in the form of hail' because then the raindrops are like stones and can destroy both men and beasts, as well as crops in the field, and also because they are pieces of ice. In general 'rain' means a blessing, or in the contrary sense a curse, 1445. When it means a blessing a flowing in and receiving of the truth of faith and the good of charity is meant; for that is a blessing. But when 'rain' means a curse falsity opposed to the truth of faith and evil opposed to the good of charity is meant, for these are a curse. 'Rain in the form of hail' however in general means a curse which is brought on by falsity arising from evil, in particular of falsity arising from evil that is opposed to the Church's truths and forms of good.

[2] These kinds of falsity are meant by 'rain in the form of hail' in the following places: In Ezekiel,

I will dispute with Gog with pestilence and blood; and deluging rain and hailstones, fire and brimstone will I cause to rain on him and on his hordes, and on the many peoples that are with him. Ezekiel 38:22.

'Gog' stands for external worship separated from internal, thus for those who, when charity has been annihilated, make Divine worship consist entirely in external observances. 'Hailstones' stands for falsities that arise from evil.

[3] In the same prophet,

Let My hand be against the prophets who see vanity and divine a lie. Say to those who daub [the wall] with what is not suitable that it will fall. There will come deluging rain from which you, O hailstones, will fall; and stormy wind will tear it apart. Ezekiel 13:9, 11.

'Prophets who are seers of vanity and diviners of a lie' stands for those who are teachers of evils and falsities. 'Those who daub [the wall] with what is unsuitable' stands for the fact that they fabricate falsities and make them look like the truth. These people are called 'hailstones' because of their falsities. But in the original language a different word, meaning intense hail, is used here and in the preceding quotation.

[4] In Isaiah,

Then Jehovah will cause His glorious voice 1 to be heard, and His arm will see repose, in the indignation of [His] anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, [in] scattering and deluging, and hailstones. Isaiah 30:30-31.

'Hailstones' stands for the laying waste of truth by means of falsities. In the same prophet,

Behold, powerful and strong is the Lord, like a deluge of hail, a killing tempest, like a deluge of mighty overflowing waters, He will cast them down to the earth with His hand. The hail will overturn the refuge of a lie, and the waters will deluge the hiding-place. 2 Isaiah 28:2, 17.

'A deluge' stands for being plunged into falsities, and so for undergoing vastation of truth, 705, 739, 790, 5725, 6853, 'a deluge of hail' for the destruction of truth by means of falsities. In David,

He struck their vine with hail, and their sycamore-fig trees with heavy hail. And He gave up 3 their beasts to the hail, and their flocks to coals of fire. He let loose on them His fierce anger. Psalms 78:47-49.

[5] In the same author,

He made their rain into hail, a flaming fire in their land; and He struck their vines and their fig trees, and broke to pieces the trees of their borders. Psalms 105:32-33.

'Hail' and 'rain' stand for the laying waste of truth and good by means of falsities arising from evil. 'Vine' stands for the truth and goodness of the internal Church, 'sycamore-fig' and 'fig' for the truths and forms of good of the external Church. In the same author,

He who gives snow like wool, He sprinkles the hear-frost like dust; He who discharges His hail like balls - who can stand before His cold? Psalms 147:16-17.

'Hail' stands for falsities arising from evils. In the same author,

He made darkness His hiding-place, and His surroundings His tent - darkness of waters, clouds of the heavens. From the brightness before Him, clouds passed with hail and coals of fire. Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, hail, and coals of fire, so that He sent His arrows and scattered them. Psalms 18:11-14.

'Hail' stands for falsities arising from evils which lay waste truths and forms of good.

[6] In John,

The first angel sounded and there came hail, and fire mixed with blood; and it fell onto the earth so that a third part of the trees were burned, and all green grass was burned up. Revelation 8:7.

'Hail' stands for falsities arising from evil; 'fire mixed with blood' stands for evil desires together with falsified truths; 'the trees which were burned' stands for cognitions of truth that were destroyed by evil desires; and 'the green grass that was burned up' stands for known facts about truth that were destroyed in a similar way. For the meaning of 'fire' as evil desires, see 1297, 1861, 2446, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7314; of 'blood' as falsified truth, 4775, 6878, 7317, 7326; and of 'trees' as cognitions, 2722 (end), 2972.

[7] In Joshua,

It happened, when they fled before Israel on the descent of Beth Horon, that Jehovah cast down on them large [hail]stones from heaven, as far as Azekah, so that they died. Those who died from the hailstones were more than those whom the children of Israel killed with the sword. Joshua 10:11.

This refers to the five kings who camped against Gibeon. These kings and their peoples represented those who, being steeped in falsities arising from evils, therefore died from the hailstones. Balls of hail are called stones because 'stones' too mean falsities.

From all this one may see what is meant by 'hail' and by 'rain in the form of hail', namely falsities arising from evils. And since these falsities are meant, the laying waste of truth and good is also meant, for falsities arising from evils are what lay them waste.

Footnotes:

1. literally, the glory of His voice

2. The Latin means they will deluge the hiding-place of waters, but the Hebrew means the waters will deluge the hiding-place, which Swedenborg has in his rough draft.

3. literally, shut up

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