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Ezekiel 39

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1 At ikaw, anak ng tao, manghula ka laban kay Gog, at iyong sabihin, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Narito, ako'y laban sa iyo, Oh Gog, na prinsipe sa Ros, sa Mesech, at sa Tubal:

2 At aking ipipihit ka sa palibot, at ihahatid kita, at pasasampahin kita mula sa mga pinakahuling bahagi ng hilagaan; at aking dadalhin ka sa mga bundok ng Israel;

3 At aking sisirain ang iyong busog sa iyong kaliwa, at aking ihuhulog ang iyong pana sa iyong kanan.

4 Ikaw ay mabubuwal sa mga bundok ng Israel, ikaw, at ang lahat mong mga pulutong, at ang mga bayan na kasama mo: aking ibibigay ka sa mga mangdadagit na ibong sarisari, at sa mga hayop sa parang upang lamunin ka.

5 Ikaw ay mabubuwal sa luwal na parang: sapagka't aking sinalita, sabi ng Panginoong Dios.

6 At ako'y magpapasapit ng apoy sa Magog, at sa kanilang nagsisitahang tiwasay sa mga pulo; at kanilang malalaman na ako ang Panginoon.

7 At ang aking banal na pangalan ay ipakikilala ko sa gitna ng aking bayang Israel; at hindi ko man titiising malapastangan pa ang aking banal na pangalan: at malalaman ng mga bansa na ako ang Panginoon, ang banal sa Israel.

8 Narito, dumarating, at mangyayari, sabi ng Panginoong Dios; ito ang araw na aking sinalita.

9 At silang nagsisitahan sa mga bayan ng Israel ay magsisilabas, at sisilaban ng mga apoy ang mga almas, at susunugin ang mga kalasag at gayon din ang mga longki, ang mga busog at ang mga pana, at ang mga tungkod, at ang mga sibat, at mga sisilaban nilang pitong taon;

10 Na anopa't sila'y hindi magsisikuha ng kahoy sa parang, o magsisiputol man ng anoman sa mga gubat; sapagka't kanilang sisilaban ang mga almas; at kanilang sasamsaman yaong nagsisamsam sa kanila, at nanakawan yaong nangagnakaw sa kanila, sabi ng Panginoong Dios.

11 At mangyayari sa araw na yaon, na ako'y magbibigay kay Gog ng dakong pinakalibangan sa Israel, ang libis nila na nagsisidaang patungo sa silanganan ng dagat: at paglilikatan nilang daanan; at doon nila ililibing si Gog at ang buo niyang karamihan; at kanilang tatawagin ito: Ang libis ng Hamon-gog.

12 At pitong buwan na mangaglilibing ang sangbahayan ni Israel, upang kanilang linisin ang lupain.

13 Oo, sila'y mangaglilibing ng buong bayan ng lupain; at magiging sa kanila'y kabantugan, sa araw na ako'y luluwalhati, sabi ng Panginoong Dios.

14 At sila'y mangaghahalal ng mga lalaking magkakatungkulang palagi, na mangagdaraan sa lupain at, kasama nilang nangagdaraan, silang nangaglilibing ng nalabi sa ibabaw ng lupain, upang linisin: pagkatapos ng pitong buwan ay mangagsisihanap sila.

15 At silang nangagdaraan sa lupain ay mangagdaraan; at pagka ang sinoman ay nakakita ng buto ng tao, lalagyan nga niya ng tanda, hanggang sa mailibing ng mga manglilibing sa libis ng Hamon-gog.

16 At Hamonah ang magiging pangalan ng bayan. Ganito nila lilinisin ang lupain.

17 At ikaw, anak ng tao, ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Salitain mo sa sarisaring ibon, at sa lahat na hayop sa parang, Magpupulong kayo, at kayo'y magsiparito; magpipisan kayo sa lahat ng dako sa aking hain na aking inihahain sa inyo, sa malaking hain sa ibabaw ng mga bundok ng Israel, upang kayo'y mangakakain ng laman at mangakainom ng dugo.

18 Kayo'y magsisikain ng laman ng makapangyarihan, at magsisiinom ng dugo ng mga prinsipe sa lupa, ng mga lalaking tupa, ng mga batang tupa, at ng mga kambing, ng mga toro, na pawang patabain sa Basan.

19 At kayo'y magsisikain ng taba hanggang sa kayo'y mangabusog, at magsisiinom ng dugo hanggang sa kayo'y mangalango, sa aking hain na aking inihain sa inyo.

20 At kayo'y mangabubusog sa aking dulang ng mga kabayo at mga karo, ng mga makapangyarihang lalake, at ng lahat na lalaking mangdidigma, sabi ng Panginoong Dios.

21 At aking pararatingin ang aking kaluwalhatian sa mga bansa; at makikita ng lahat ng bansa ang aking kahatulan na aking inilapat, at ang aking kamay na aking binuhat sa kanila.

22 Sa gayo'y malalaman ng sangbahayan ni Israel na ako ang Panginoon na kanilang Dios, mula sa araw na yaon hanggang sa haharapin.

23 At malalaman ng mga bansa na ang sangbahayan ni Israel ay pumasok sa pagkabihag dahil sa kanilang kasamaan; sapagka't sila'y nagsisalangsang laban sa akin, at ikinubli ko ang aking mukha sa kanila: sa gayo'y ibinigay ko sila sa kamay ng kanilang mga kaaway, at silang lahat ay nangabuwal sa pamamagitan ng tabak.

24 Ayon sa kanilang karumihan at ayon sa kanilang mga pagsalangsang ay gumawa ako sa kanila; at ikinubli ko ang aking mukha sa kanila.

25 Kaya't ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Ngayo'y aking ibabalik ang Jacob na mula sa pagkabihag, at maaawa ako sa buong sangbahayan ni Israel; at ako'y magiging mapanibughuin dahil sa aking banal na pangalan.

26 At sila'y mangagtataglay ng kanilang kahihiyan, at ng kanilang lahat na pagsalangsang na kanilang isinalangsang laban sa akin, pagka sila'y magsisitahang tiwasay sa kanilang lupain, at walang tatakot sa kanila;

27 Pagka sila'y aking nadala uli na mula sa mga bayan, at nangapisan na mula sa mga lupain ng kanilang mga kaaway, at ako'y inaaring banal sa kanila sa paningin ng maraming bansa.

28 At kanilang malalaman na ako ang Panginoon nilang Dios, sa pagpapapasok ko sa kanila sa pagkabihag sa gitna ng mga bansa, at sa pagpipisan ko sa kanila sa kanilang sariling lupain; at hindi ako magiiwan sa kanila ng sino pa man doon;

29 Ni hindi ko na naman ikukubli pa ang aking mukha sa kanila; sapagka't binuhusan ko ng aking Espiritu ang sangbahayan ni Israel, sabi ng Panginoong Dios.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1151

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1151. 'Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras' were just so many nations with whom such worship existed, and who in the internal sense mean just so many differing types of doctrine which were one and the same as the forms of ritual which they observed devoutly. This is quite clear from the Word where these nations are mentioned in various places, for those nations everywhere mean external worship, sometimes external worship corresponding to internal, sometimes the contrary The reason the latter is sometimes meant is that all Churches everywhere altered in the course of time, and altered indeed into something contrary. The fact that the nations named here mean nothing other than external worship, and therefore their doctrinal teachings, which were forms of ritual, becomes clear, as has been stated, from other parts of the Word, chiefly in the Prophets.

[2] Magog, Meshech, Tubal, and Gomer are referred to in Ezekiel as follows,

Son of man, set your face 1 towards Gog, the land of Magog, the prince, the head of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince, the head of Meshech and Tubal; and I will turn you about, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you back, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company, with shield and buckler, all of them wielding swords: Persia, Cush, and Put with them; Gomer and all on his flanks; Bethtogarmah, the uttermost parts of the north, and all on his Ranks. In the latter years you will come upon the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which have been made a waste. Ezekiel 38:2-6, 8.

The subject in the whole of this chapter is a Church that became corrupted and which at length focused the whole of worship in external things or religious observances once charity, meant by 'the mountains of Israel', had been destroyed. Here 'Gog and the land of Magog, the prince and head of Meshech and Tubal' is worship confined to external things. Anyone may see that Gog and Magog are not the subject, for the Word of the Lord does not deal with worldly things, but embodies Divine matters.

[3] In the same prophet,

Prophesy against Gog and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince, the head of Meshech and Tubal; and I will bring you back, and will split you into six, and make you come up from the uttermost parts of the north and bring you on to the mountains of Israel. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all on your flanks, and the peoples that are with you. Ezekiel 39:1-2, 4.

The subject in the whole of this chapter is likewise external worship separated from internal and made idolatrous. Such worship is meant here by 'Gog, Meshech and Tubal' who are also used to mean the matters of doctrine which people adopt and then confirm from the literal sense of the Word, and in so doing falsify truths and destroy internal worship. For, as has been stated, those same nations also mean contrary things.

[4] In John,

When the thousand years have come to an end, Satan will be loosed from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth. Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. They went up over the breadth 2 of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, [and] the beloved city. Revelation 20:7-9.

Here also 'Gog and Magog' has a similar meaning. External worship separated from internal, that is, separated from love to the Lord and from love towards the neighbour, is nothing but idolatrous worship which 'surrounds the camp of the saints and the beloved city'.

[5] Meshech and Tubal are referred to in Ezekiel as follows,

Meshech and Tubal are there, and all their crowd; round about it are its graves; all of them are uncircumcised, pierced by the sword, for they spread their terror in the land of the living. Ezekiel 32:26.

This refers to Egypt, that is, to factual knowledge by means of which people wish to inquire into spiritual things. 'Meshech and Tubal' stands for doctrinal teachings, which were forms of ritual, which are called 'uncircumcised' when love does not exist. Consequently they are 'pierced by the sword, and a terror in the land of the living'.

[6] Javan is referred to in Joel,

You have sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Javanites, 3 to remove them far away from their border. Joel 3:6.

'The sons of Judah' stands for things on the celestial side of faith, 'the sons of Jerusalem' for those on the spiritual side, and so for things that are internal. 'The sons of the Javanites' stands for worship in external things that is separated from internal worship; and because this worship is so far removed from that which is internal it is said that they 'removed them far away from their border'.

[7] 'Javan and Tubal' in Isaiah stands for true external worship itself,

One is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they will come and see My glory, and I will set a sign among them And I will send survivors from them to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the islands far off that have not heard My fame and have not seen My glory; and they will declare My glory among the nations. Isaiah 66:18-19.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom and His Coming. 'Tubal and Javan' stands for those whose worship is external corresponding to internal and who are to be informed about internal things.

Footnotes:

1. literally, faces

2. literally, the plain

3. i.e. the Greeks

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