1607. That 'for all the land which you see I will give to you' means the heavenly kingdom which was to be the Lord's is clear from the meaning of 'land' - the land of Canaan in this context since the words used are 'the land which you see' - as the heavenly kingdom. Indeed the land of Canaan represented the Lord's kingdom in the heavens, which is heaven, and also the Lord's kingdom on earth, which is the Church. This meaning of 'land' has been discussed frequently already. That the kingdom in heaven and on earth was given to the Lord is clear from various places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

A Boy is born, a Son is given to us; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.

In Daniel,

I saw in the night visions, and behold with the clouds of the heavens One like the Son of Man was coming, and He came even to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And to Him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, and all peoples, nations, and languages will serve Him. His dominion is an eternal dominion which will not pass away, and His kingdom one that will not perish. Daniel 7:13-14.

The Lord Himself also says the same: in Matthew,

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father. Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22.

Elsewhere in Matthew,

[All] power in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Matthew 28:18.

In John,

You have given to the Son power over all flesh in order that all You have given Him, to them He may give eternal life. John 17:2-3.

And 'sitting on the right hand' has the same meaning, as in Luke,

From now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God. Luke 22:69.

[2] As regards all power in heaven and on earth being given to the Son of Man, it should be recognized that the Lord already had power over all things in heaven and on earth before He came into the world, for He was God from eternity and He was Jehovah, as He Himself plainly declares in John,

Now, Father, glorify Me in Your Own Self with the glory I had with You before the world was. John 17:5.

And in the same gospel,

Truly, Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. ¹ John 8:58.

In fact He was Jehovah and God to the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood, and was seen by them. He was also Jehovah and God to the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood; and He was the One whom all the religious observances of the Jewish Church represented, and the One they worshipped. The reason the Lord says that all power in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, as though it had not been His till then, is that 'the Son of Man' is used to mean His Human Essence which became Jehovah as well after it had been united to His Divine Essence. Power was given to Him at that point, which would not have been possible until He was glorified, that is, until His Human Essence as well, through union with the Divine Essence, had life in Itself and likewise became Divine and Jehovah, as He Himself declares in John,

As the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. John 5:26.

[3] It is His Human Essence or External Man that is named 'the Son of Man' in the passage quoted from Daniel, and 'a Boy born, a Son given to us' in the passage quoted from Isaiah. The fact that the heavenly kingdom would be given to Him, and all power in heaven and on earth, was shown and promised to Him then, and is the meaning of the statement 'all the land which you see I will give to you, and to your seed after you for ever'. This was before His Human Essence had been united to His Divine Essence, a union which took place when He had overcome the devil and hell, that is to say, when by His own strength and powers He had cast out all evil, which alone causes the severance.

Notas de rodapé:

426. As regards 'iron' meaning natural truth, this is clear from the places quoted already, and from the following as well: In Ezekiel in reference to Tyre,

Tarshish was your trader because of the vastness of all your wealth - in silver, iron, tin, and lead they provided Your wares. Dan and Javan, and Meusal, exchanged wrought iron in your tradings; cassia and calamus were in your market. Ezekiel 27:12, 19.

From these verses, and from those before and after them in the same chapter, it is quite clear that celestial and spiritual riches are meant. Each commodity, and also each name mentioned there, has some specific meaning, for the Word of the Lord is spiritual and not just verbal in content.

[2] In Jeremiah,

Can one smash iron, iron from the north, and bronze? Your resources and your treasures I will give as spoil, without price, even for all your sins. Jeremiah 15:12-13.

Here 'iron' and 'bronze' stand for natural truth and good. 'That which comes from the north' means that which is sensory and natural, for natural in comparison with spiritual and celestial is as thick darkness or the north to light or the south. The natural also resembles shade, which is also the meaning here of 'Zillah' who was the mother. It is also quite plain that 'resources and treasures' are celestial and spiritual riches.

[3] In Ezekiel,

Take an iron pan and place it as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face ¹ towards it, and let it be in a state of siege, and oppress it. Ezekiel 4:3.

Here too it is clear that 'iron' means truth. Great strength is attributed to truth because nothing is able to withstand it. This in addition is why iron, which means truth, that is, the truth of faith, is referred to as smashing and crushing to pieces, as in Daniel 2:33, 40. And in John,

He who overcomes, to him will I give power over the nations to rule ² them with an iron rod as when earthen pots are broken in pieces. Revelation 2:26-27.

In the same author,

The woman gave birth to a male child, who was to rule ² all nations with an iron rod. Revelation 12:5.

[4] The explanation appears in John that an 'iron rod' means truth which belongs to the Word of the Lord,

I saw heaven opened, when behold, a white horse! And He who sat upon it was called faithful and true, and in righteousness He judges and fights. He was clothed in a robe dipped in blood and His name is called the Word of God. From His mouth issues a sharp sword, and with it He will smite the nations, and will rule ² them with an iron rod. Revelation 19, 11, 13, 15.

Notas de rodapé: