Apocalypse Revealed # 483
483. And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about peoples, nations, tongues, and many kings." (10:11) This symbolically means that such being the case, the character of people caught up in faith alone must be further told.
That this is the symbolic meaning is apparent from what follows, in which the subject is people caught up in faith alone, to the end of chapter 16. After that the subject is the Roman Catholic religion, then the casting out of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet into hell, and afterward the New Church, which will worship the Lord alone.
To prophesy means, symbolically, to teach (nos. 8, 133), and so to prophesy again means to teach further. "Peoples" symbolize people who are impelled by doctrinal truths or doctrinal falsities, and "nations" symbolize people who are impelled by good practices or evil practices. More about these later. "Tongues" symbolize people who are impelled by truths and goods or falsities and evils externally (no. 282), and "kings" people who are impelled by them internally. To be shown that kings symbolize people who are impelled by truths springing from goodness, and in an opposite sense, people who are impelled by falsities springing from evil, and abstractly truths themselves springing from goodness or falsities themselves springing from evil, see nos. 20, 664, 704, 720, 830, 921. And as the subject in what follows is in particular people impelled by interior falsities, the text says, "and many kings," which symbolizes falsities accompanying evil in abundance.
The text says peoples, nations, tongues and kings in order to mean all people in the church who are of this character.
John's being told that he had to prophesy again means, symbolically, to teach further the character of people caught up in faith alone, in order that their falsities may be exposed and thus eradicated, since no falsity is eradicated before it has been exposed.
[2] That "peoples" symbolize people impelled by doctrinal truths or falsities, and "nations" people impelled by good or evil practices, can be seen from many passages in the Word where peoples and nations are mentioned. However, to demonstrate this we will cite here only some passages where peoples and nations are mentioned together, from which this conclusion may be drawn, as each and every particular in the Word contains a marriage of the Lord and the church, and consequently a marriage of goodness and truth; and "peoples" refer to truth, and "nations" to goodness. The presence of such a marriage in each and every particular of the Word may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 80-90.
[3] Here are the passages in the Word:
Woe to a sinful nation, to a people laden with iniquity... (Isaiah 1:4)
I will send him against a hypocritical nation, against the people of My wrath I will command him... (Isaiah 10:6)
(Jehovah) who is striking the peoples... with an incurable plague, who is ruling the nations in anger... (Isaiah 14:6)
At that time a present will be brought to Jehovah..., a people scattered and shaven..., and a nation marked off and downtrodden... (Isaiah 18:7)
...a strong people will honor You, a city of mighty nations will fear You. (Isaiah 25:3)
(Jehovah) will swallow up... the covering... over all peoples, and the veil... over all nations. (Isaiah 25:7)
Come near, you nations..., and pay heed, you peoples! (Isaiah 34:1)
I... have called You... as a covenant to the peoples, and as a light to the nations. (Isaiah 42:6)
Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples assemble. (Isaiah 43:9)
Behold, I will lift My hand... to the nations, and... My standard to the peoples. (Isaiah 49:22)
...I have given him as a witness to the peoples, a leader and lawgiver to the nations. (Isaiah 55:4)
Behold, a people is coming from the north country, and a great nation... from the edges of the earth. (Jeremiah 6:22)
Many peoples and numerous nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem... (Zechariah 8:22)
Jehovah renders the counsel of the nations of no effect, He overturns the deliberations of the peoples. (Psalms 33:10)
(Jehovah) will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet... (Jehovah) reigned over the nations... The willing of the peoples have gathered together... (Psalms 47:3, 8-9)
The peoples shall confess You... The nations shall be glad... For You shall judge the peoples righteously, and guide the nations on the earth. (Psalms 67:3-4)
Remember me, O Jehovah, with good pleasure toward Your people..., that I may rejoice in the joy of Your nations... (Psalms 106:4-5)
...all peoples, nations, and languages shall worship (the Son of Man). (Daniel 7:14)
And so on elsewhere, as in Psalms 18:43, Isaiah 9:2-3; 11:10, Ezekiel 36:15, Joel 2:17, Zephaniah 2:9, Revelation 5:9, Luke 2:30-32.
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Jeremiah 32
1
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.
2
For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.
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For Zedekiah king of Judah had confined him, saying, Why dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
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And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;
5
And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.
6
And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
7
Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thy uncle shall come to thee, saying, Buy for thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to Buy it.
8
So Hanameel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison, according to the word of the LORD, and said to me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; Buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.
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And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.
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And I subscribed the contract, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.
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So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open:
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And I gave the evidence of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel my uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.
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And I charged Baruch before them, saying,
14
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both that which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.
15
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.
16
Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying,
17
Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and out-stretched arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
18
Thou showest loving-kindness to thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, JEHOVAH of hosts, is his name,
19
Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thy eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
20
Who hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even to this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day;
21
And hast brought forth thy people Israel from the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an out-stretched arm, and with great terror;
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And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;
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And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them:
24
Behold the mounts, they are come to the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and behold, thou seest it.
25
And thou hast said to me, O Lord GOD, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
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Then came the word of the LORD to Jeremiah, saying,
27
Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
28
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it:
29
And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal, and poured out drink-offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.
30
For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done evil only before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the LORD.
31
For this city hath been to me as a provocation of my anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even to this day; that I should remove it from before my face,
32
Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
33
And they have turned to me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.
34
But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it.
35
And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
36
And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, of which ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;
37
Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in my anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again to this place, and I will cause them to dwell in safety.
38
And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
39
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
40
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
41
Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.
42
For thus saith the LORD; As I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.
43
And fields shall be bought in this land, of which ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
44
Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.
