A Bíblia

 

Hesekiel 38

Estude

   

1 Minulle tuli tämä Herran sana:

2 "Ihmislapsi, käännä kasvosi kohti Googia Maagogin maassa, Roosin, Mesekin ja Tuubalin ruhtinasta, ja ennusta häntä vastaan

3 ja sano: Näin sanoo Herra, Herra: Katso, minä käyn sinun kimppuusi, Goog, sinä Roosin, Mesekin ja Tuubalin ruhtinas.

4 Minä kuljetan sinua, panen koukut sinun leukoihisi ja nostatan sotaan sinut ja kaiken sinun sotaväkesi: hevoset ja ratsumiehet, kaikki pulskasti puettuja, suuren joukon suurine ja pienine kilpineen, miekankantajia kaikki.

5 Persia, Etiopia ja Puut ovat heidän kanssansa, kilvet ja kypärit on heillä kaikilla.

6 Goomer ja kaikki sen sotalaumat, Toogarman heimo pohjan periltä ja kaikki sen sotalaumat-lukuisat kansat ovat sinun kanssasi.

7 Ole valmis, varustaudu, sinä ja kaikki joukkosi, jotka ovat kokoontuneet sinun luoksesi, ja ole sinä varalla heitä varten.

8 Pitkien aikojen perästä sinä saat määräyksen, vuotten lopulla sinun on karattava maahan, joka on tointunut miekan jäljiltä, koottu monien kansain seasta, -mentävä Israelin vuorille, jotka kauan aikaa olivat olleet rauniomaana; se on tuotu pois kansojen seasta, ja he asuvat turvallisina kaikki tyynni.

9 Sinä hyökkäät kuin rajuilma, tulet kuin pilvi, pettääksesi maan, sinä ja kaikki sotalaumasi ja lukuisat kansat, jotka ovat sinun kanssasi.

10 Näin sanoo Herra, Herra: Mutta sinä päivänä tulee mieleesi jotakin, ja sinä mietit pahan juonen

11 ja sanot: Minä hyökkään suojattomaan maahan, karkaan rauhallisten ihmisten kimppuun, jotka asuvat turvallisina-asuvat muuria vailla kaikki tyynni, ja joilla ei ole salpoja, ei ovia.

12 Sinä aiot saalista saada, ryöstettävää ryöstää, ojentaa kätesi raunioita kohti, jotka on saatu asutuiksi, ja kansaa kohti, joka on koottu pakanakansain seasta, joka on hankkinut karjaa ja omaisuutta ja asuu maan navassa.

13 Saba ja Dedan ja Tarsiin kauppiaat ja kaikki heidän nuoret jalopeuransa kyselevät sinulta: 'Oletko sinä menossa saalista saamaan, ryöstettävää ryöstämään? Oletko koonnut joukkosi kantamaan hopeata ja kultaa, ottamaan karjaa ja omaisuutta, suurta saalista saamaan?'

14 Sentähden ennusta, ihmislapsi, ja sano Googille: Näin sanoo Herra, Herra: Sinä päivänä sinä kyllä huomaat, että minun kansani Israel asuu turvallisena,

15 ja lähdet asuinpaikastasi pohjan periltä, sinä ja sinun kanssasi lukuisat kansat, jotka kaikki ratsastavat hevosilla: suuri joukko, lukuisa sotaväki.

16 Sinä hyökkäät minun kansani Israelin kimppuun kuin pilvi, peittääksesi maan. Päivien lopulla on tämä tapahtuva. Ja minä annan sinun karata maahani, että pakanakansat tulisivat tuntemaan minut, kun minä osoitan pyhyyteni sinussa, Goog, heidän silmäinsä edessä.

17 Näin sanoo Herra, Herra: Etkö se ole sinä, josta minä muinaisina päivinä puhuin palvelijaini, Israelin profeettain, kautta, jotka niinä päivinä ennustivat, vuodesta vuoteen, että minä annan sinun karata heidän kimppuunsa?

18 Mutta sinä päivänä, jona Goog karkaa Israelin maahan, sanoo Herra, Herra, nousee minun vihani hehku.

19 Kiivaudessani, tuimuuteni tulessa minä sanon: Totisesti tulee sinä päivänä suuri maanjäristys Israelin maahan.

20 Ja minun edessäni vapisevat meren kalat ja taivaan linnut ja metsän eläimet ja kaikki maassa liikkuvat matelijat ja kaikki ihmiset, jotka maan pinnalla ovat; ja vuoret luhistuvat, ja vuorenpengermät sortuvat, ja kaikki muurit sortuvat maahan.

21 Ja minä kutsun häntä vastaan kaikille vuorilleni miekan, sanoo Herra, Herra: toisen miekka on oleva toista vastaan.

22 Minä käyn oikeutta hänen kanssansa rutolla ja verellä. Ja minä annan sataa kaatosadetta, raekiviä, tulta ja tulikiveä hänen päällensä, hänen sotalaumojensa päälle ja lukuisain kansojen päälle, jotka hänen kanssansa ovat.

23 Niin minä osoitan suuruuteni ja pyhyyteni sekä teen itseni tunnetuksi lukuisain pakanakansain silmien edessä. Ja he tulevat tietämään, että minä olen Herra."

   

Das Obras de Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia # 2446

Estudar Esta Passagem

  
/ 10837  
  

2446. 'Brimstone' means the hell of the evils of self-love, and 'fire' the hell of falsities deriving from these. This is clear from the meaning in the Word of 'brimstone' and of 'fire' produced by it as self-love together with its evil desires and derivative falsities, and so as hell, for hell consists of such. That 'brimstone' and 'fire' have these meanings is clear in David,

Jehovah will rain on the wicked, snares, fire and brimstone. Psalms 11:6.

The fact that it is not fire or brimstone but something else that is meant here by 'fire and brimstone' becomes clear also from its being said that 'Jehovah will rain snares'. In Ezekiel,

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

This refers to Gog who lays waste the land of Israel, that is, the Church. What Gog is, see 1151. 'Fire' stands for falsities, 'brimstone' for derivative evils, and at the same time for the hells of those who lay waste. In John,

Those who worshipped the beast were thrown into the lake burning with brimstone. Revelation 19:20.

Here they stand for hell. In the same book,

The devil was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:10.

Here they plainly stand for hell. In the same book,

As for abominable people, and murderers, and adulterers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their lot will be in the lake burning with fire and brimstone. Revelation 21:8.

Here also 'fire and brimstone' plainly stands for hell.

[2] That these two stand for the evils of self-love and for falsities deriving from these, in which the hells have their origin, is seen in Isaiah,

The day of Jehovah's vengeance - the year of retributions in the controversy of Zion - and her streams will be turned into pitch, and her dust into brimstone, and her land will become burning pitch. Isaiah 34:8-9.

Here 'burning pitch', mentioned instead of fire, stands for dense and dreadful falsities, 'brimstone' for evils which are the product of self-love. In the same prophet,

Its pyre is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah is like a stream of burning brimstone in it. Isaiah 30:33.

In this reference to Tophet, 'a stream of burning brimstone' stands for falsities which are the product of the evils of self-love. In Luke,

On the day Lot went out of Sodom fire and brimstone rained from heaven and destroyed them all - so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Luke 17:29-30.

[3] Anyone may see that it is not fire and brimstone that will rain down at that time but that the falsities and desires of self-love, which are meant by 'fire and brimstone' and which make up hell, will be predominant. 'Fire' in the Word means evil desires and at the same time the hells, in which case the smoke from the fire means falsity which arises from and exists in those hells, see 1861. And in John,

I saw horses in the vision, and those seated on them had breastplates of fire and of brimstone. And the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and out of their mouths there went forth fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three a third part of mankind was killed - by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone. Revelation 9:17-18.

'Fire, smoke, and brimstone' stands for evils and falsities of every kind, in which, as stated, the hells have their origin.

  
/ 10837  
  

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

Das Obras de Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia # 3387

Estudar Esta Passagem

  
/ 10837  
  

3387. 'For he was afraid to say, My wife, [thinking,] The men of the place may perhaps kill me on account of Rebekah' means that it was impossible for Divine Truths themselves to be disclosed, and so for Divine Good to be received. This is clear from the meaning of 'being afraid to say' as an inability to disclose; from the meaning of 'wife', who is Rebekah here, as the Lord's Divine Rational in respect to Divine Truth, dealt with in 3012, 3013, 3077; from the meaning of 'killing me' as good not being received, for 'Isaac', to whom 'me' refers here, represents the Divine Good of the Lord's Rational, 3012, 3194, 3210 - good being said 'to be killed' or to perish when it is not received, for it ceases to exist with that person; and from the meaning of 'the men of the place' as people who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith, dealt with just above in 3385. From these meanings it is now evident what the internal sense of these words is, namely: If Divine truths themselves were disclosed they would not be received by those who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith because those truths go beyond the whole range of their rational grasp of things, and so go beyond the whole of their faith, and as a consequence of this no good at all could flow in from the Lord. For good from the Lord, or Divine good, cannot flow in except into truths, for truths are the vessels for good, as shown many times.

[2] Truths or appearances of truth are given to a person to enable Divine Good to develop the understanding part of his mind, and so the person himself, for truths exist to the end that good may flow in. Indeed without vessels or receptacles good has nowhere to go, for it can find no condition answering to itself. Where no truths exist therefore, that is, where they have not been received, neither does any rational or human good exist; and as a consequence the person does not possess any spiritual life. Therefore, so that a person may nevertheless possess truths, and from these receive spiritual life, appearances of truth are given, to everyone according to his ability to grasp them; and these appearances are acknowledged as truths because they have the capacity to hold Divine things within them.

[3] So that it may be known what appearances are and that they are what serve a person as Divine truths, let the following be used by way of illustration: If man were told that in heaven angels have no concept of place, and so no concept of distance, but that instead they have concepts of state, he could not possibly grasp it, for he would suppose from this that nothing distinct and separate existed but that everything was fused together, that is to say, all the angels were together in a single place. Yet everything there is so distinct and separate that nothing could ever be more so. Places, distances, and intervals of space which exist in the natural order exist in heaven as states, see 3356. From this it is evident that all the things that are stated in the Word about places and intervals of space between objects, also ideas that are formed from these and expressed through them, are appearances of truth; and unless everything were stated by means of those appearances it would in no way be received and would as a consequence be scarcely anything; for the concept of space and time is present in almost every single detail of a person's thought as long as he is in the world, that is, living within space and time.

[4] The fact that the Word speaks according to appearances involving space is clear from almost every single part of it, as in Matthew,

Jesus said, How is it that David says, The Lord [said] to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? Matthew 22:43-44.

Here the expression 'sitting at the right hand' is derived from the concept of place and so according to the appearance - when in fact it is a state of the Lord's Divine power which is described by that expression. In the same gospel,

Jesus said, Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Matthew 26:64.

Here similarly 'sitting at the right hand' and also 'coming on clouds' are expressions derived from men's concept of place, whereas the concept angels have is one of the state of the Lord's power. In Mark,

The sons of Zebedee said to Jesus, Grant us to sit in Your glory, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left. Jesus replied, To sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. Mark 10:37, 40.

From this it is evident what kind of concept the disciples had of the Lord's kingdom, that is to say, one that involved sitting on the right hand and on the left. Such being the concept they had of it the Lord also replied to them in a way they could understand and so by an appearance that could be seen by them.

[5] In David,

Like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, he rejoices as a mighty man to run the course. From the end of the heavens is His going forth, and His circuit to the ends of them. Psalms 19:5-6.

This refers to the Lord, the state of whose Divine power is described by means of such things as belong to space. In Isaiah,

How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the dawn! You said in your heart, I will go up into the heavens, above the stars of God 1 I will raise my throne. I will go up above the heights of the clouds. Isaiah 14:12-14.

'Falling from heaven', 'going up the heavens', 'raising a throne above the stars of God', 'going up above the heights of the clouds' are all expressions derived from the concept and appearance of space or a place, and are used to describe self-love profaning holy things. Since celestial and spiritual things are presented to man by means of and according to visual objects like these, heaven too is therefore described as being on high when in fact it is not on high but in that which is internal, 450, 1380, 2148.

Notas de rodapé:

1. The Latin means heaven; but the Hebrew means God which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.

  
/ 10837  
  

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