The Bible

 

Ezekiel 13

Study

   

1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou to them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;

3 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

4 O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.

6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and The LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

7 Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it, although I have not spoken?

8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD.

9 And my hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no Peace; and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar:

11 Say to them who daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.

12 Lo, when the wall hath fallen, shall it not be said to you, Where is the daubing with which ye have daubed it?

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in my anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.

14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation shall be made bare, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst of it: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say to you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;

16 To wit, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.

17 Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, who prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,

18 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all arm-holes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come to you?

19 And will ye profane me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?

20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, with which ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.

21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall no more be in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:

23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #924

Study this Passage

  
/ 962  
  

924. 21:27 But there shall not enter it anything unclean, or that creates an abomination or a lie. This symbolically means that no one is received into the Lord's New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, who adulterates the goods in the Word and falsifies its truths, and who does evils deliberately and so also devises falsities.

Not to enter in means, symbolically, not to be received, as before. Something unclean symbolizes spiritual licentiousness, which is an adulteration of the Word's goodness and a falsification of its truth (nos. 702, 728). For this is absolutely unclean and impure, inasmuch as the Word is absolutely clean and pure, and it is defiled with evils and falsities when it is corrupted. That adultery and licentiousness correspond to an adulteration of the Word's goodness and a falsification of its truth may be seen in nos. 134, 632. To create an abomination or a lie means, symbolically, to do evils and so also to devise falsities. Abominations symbolize evils of every kind, especially those named in the Ten Commandments (no. 891), and a lie symbolizes falsities of every kind, here the falsities that accompany evil, which in themselves are evils. Thus they are falsities used to justify evil, which are the same as evils affirmed.

A lie symbolizes doctrinal falsity because that is what a spiritual lie is. To create a lie, therefore, symbolically means to live in accordance with doctrinal falsities.

[2] That a lie in the Word symbolizes doctrinal falsity may be seen from the following passages:

We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have produced a vision... ...we have made a lie our refuge, and in falsehood we have hidden ourselves. (Isaiah 28:15)

Everyone deceives his neighbor, and they do not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak a lie. (Jeremiah 9:5)

...this is a rebellious people, lying children..., who will not hear the law of Jehovah. (Isaiah 30:9)

Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams..., and tell them in order to lead My people astray by their lies... (Jeremiah 23:32)

The diviners see a lie, and speak false dreams. (Zechariah 10:2)

(The diviners) see vanity and a lying divination... Therefore..., because you speak vanity and see a lie, behold, for that reason I am against you..., (so that) My hand is against the prophets who speak... a lie. (Ezekiel 13:6-9, cf. 21:29)

Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lying and robbery. (Nahum 3:1)

In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a shocking obstinacy, committing adultery and walking in lies. (Jeremiah 23:14)

From the prophet even to the priest, everyone devises lies. (Jeremiah 8:10)

(In Israel) they have devised lies. (Hosea 7:1)

You are of your father the devil... He was a murderer from the beginning..., because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own, for he is the speaker of a lie and the father of it. (John 8:44)

Here, too, a lie means falsity.

  
/ 962  
  

Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.