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Daniel 10

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1 Persian kuninkaan Kooreksen kolmantena hallitusvuotena ilmoitettiin sana Danielille, jota kutsuttiin Beltsassariksi; ja se sana on totuus ja merkitsee suurta vaivaa. Ja hän ymmärsi sanan, ja hän käsitti näyn.

2 Niinä päivinä minä, Daniel, murehdin kolmen viikon päivät.

3 Herkullista ruokaa minä en syönyt, ei liha eikä viini tullut minun suuhuni, enkä minä voidellut itseäni öljyllä, ennenkuin kolmen viikon päivät olivat loppuun kuluneet.

4 Ensimmäisen kuun kahdentenakymmenentenä neljäntenä päivänä minä olin suuren virran, Hiddekelin, rannalla.

5 Minä nostin silmäni ja näin, ja katso: oli eräs mies, puettuna pellavavaatteisiin ja kupeet vyötettyinä Uufaan kullalla.

6 Hänen ruumiinsa oli kuin krysoliitti, hänen kasvonsa olivat kuin salaman leimaus, hänen silmänsä kuin tulisoihdut, hänen käsivartensa ja jalkansa kuin kiiltävän vasken välke; ja hänen sanojensa ääni oli kuin suuren kansanjoukon pauhina.

7 Ja minä, Daniel, yksin näin sen näyn, mutta miehet, jotka olivat minun kanssani, eivät näkyä nähneet; kuitenkin valtasi heidät suuri pelko, ja he pakenivat ja lymysivät.

8 Ja minä jäin yksin. Ja kun minä näin tämän suuren näyn, meni minulta kaikki voima; minun verevä muotoni muuttui kaamean näköiseksi, eikä minussa ollut voimaa mihinkään.

9 Ja minä kuulin hänen sanainsa äänen; ja kuullessani hänen sanainsa äänen minä vaivuin horroksiin kasvoilleni, kasvot maata vasten.

10 Ja katso, käsi kosketti minua ja ravisti minut hereille, polvieni ja kätteni varaan.

11 Ja hän sanoi minulle: "Daniel, sinä otollinen mies, ota vaari niistä sanoista, jotka minä sinulle puhun, ja nouse seisomaan, sillä minut on nyt lähetetty sinun tykösi". Ja hänen puhuessansa minulle tämän sanan minä nousin vavisten.

12 Ja hän sanoi minulle: "Älä pelkää, Daniel, sillä ensimmäisestä päivästä asti, jona sinä taivutit sydämesi ymmärrykseen ja nöyryyteen Jumalasi edessä, ovat sinun sanasi tulleet kuulluiksi; ja sinun sanojesi tähden minä olen tullut.

13 Persian valtakunnan enkeliruhtinas seisoi vastustamassa minua kaksikymmentäyksi päivää, mutta katso, Miikael, yksi ensimmäisistä enkeliruhtinaista, tuli minun avukseni, sillä minä olin jäänyt yksin sinne, Persian kuningasten tykö.

14 Ja minä tulin opettamaan sinulle, mitä on tapahtuva sinun kansallesi päivien lopulla; sillä vielä tämäkin näky koskee niitä päiviä."

15 Ja hänen näitä minulle puhuessansa minä käänsin kasvoni maahan päin ja olin ääneti.

16 Ja katso, olento, ihmislasten muotoinen, kosketti minun huuliani; silloin minä avasin suuni ja puhuin ja sanoin edessäni seisovalle: "Herrani, nähdessäni näyn valtasi minut tuska, ja minulta meni kaikki voima.

17 Ja kuinka voi herrani palvelija, tällainen kuin minä, puhutella sellaista, kuin minun herrani on? Sillä siitä asti ei minussa ole voimaa, tuskin enää henkeäkään."

18 Silloin kosketti minua jälleen se ihmisen muotoinen ja vahvisti minua.

19 Ja hän sanoi: "Älä pelkää, sinä otollinen mies, rauha olkoon sinulle. Vahvistu! Vahvistu!" Ja hänen puhuessaan minulle minä vahvistuin ja sanoin: "Puhukoon herrani, sillä sinä olet minua vahvistanut".

20 Ja hän sanoi: "Tiedätkö, mitä varten minä olen tullut sinun tykösi? Nyt minä käyn jälleen sotimaan Persian enkeliruhtinasta vastaan, ja kun minä olen päässyt hänestä, niin katso: tulee Jaavanin enkeliruhtinas.

21 Mutta minä ilmoitan sinulle, mitä on kirjoitettuna totuuden kirjassa. Eikä ole ketään muuta vahvistamassa minua heitä vastaan paitsi teidän enkeliruhtinaanne Miikael.

   

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Apocalypse Explained #69

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69. Verse 15. And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace, signifies the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love. This is evident from the signification of "feet," as being the natural (See Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952); therefore, in reference to the Lord, as meaning the ultimate of Divine order, because that is the natural; also from the signification of "burnished brass," or brass polished, as being natural good (of which presently); and from the signification of "glowing," as being, in reference to the Lord, what is from Divine love (See n. 10055). It is said, "as if glowing in a furnace," in order that the Divine love in the greatest degree and in its fullness may be represented, for the Divine is in its fullness when it is in its ultimate, and the ultimate is the natural (See above, n. 66).

From this it is clear that by "His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace," is signified the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love. These things, as well as the preceding, are described by comparisons; as that "His head and His hairs were white as white wool, as snow," and that "His feet were like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace;" but it is to be noted, that all comparisons in the Word are significative, for they are from correspondences in like manner as the things themselves (See Arcana Coelestia 3579, 4599, 8989).

[2] In reference to the Lord, "feet" signify the ultimate of Divine order, and this is the natural, because heaven is heaven from the Lord's Divine Human, and from this it is that heaven in the whole complex represents one man; and as there are three heavens, that the highest heaven represents the head, the middle heaven the body, and the lowest heaven the feet. The Divine that makes the highest heaven is called the celestial Divine, but the Divine that makes the middle heaven is called the spiritual Divine, and the Divine that makes the lowest heaven is called the natural Divine from the spiritual and celestial. This makes it evident why the Lord is here described in respect to His Divine Human, which is the Son of man seen in the midst of the lampstands, not only as regards His garments, but also as to His head, breast, and feet. (That the Son of man is the Lord as to His Divine Human, see above, n. 63; and that the "lampstands" are heaven, see n. 62, 63. But since these things are arcana hitherto unknown in the world, and yet must be understood in order that the internal sense of this and the following parts of this prophetical book may be comprehended, the particulars have been explained specifically in the work on Heaven and Hell; as

That the Divine Human of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12, 78-86, seq.;

That on this account Heaven in the whole Complex represents one Man, n. 59-77;

That there are Three Heavens, and that the highest refers to the head, the middle to the body, and the lowest to the feet, n. Heaven and Hell 29-40.)

When this is understood it can be seen what is signified in the Word by "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord," namely, the ultimate of Divine order, or the natural; and since the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word is the ultimate of Divine order in the church, and is the natural, this is specifically signified by "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord."

[3] Because of this signification of "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord," therefore when the Lord was seen as an Angel by the prophets elsewhere, He appeared in like manner.

Thus by Daniel:

I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz; His body was like the tarshish stone, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like the brightness of polished brass (Daniel 10:5-6).

In like manner the cherubs, by which is meant the Lord in respect to providence and protection (See Arcana Coelestia 9277, 9509, 9673), were seen by Ezekiel:

Their feet sparkled like the brightness of polished brass (Ezekiel 1:7).

The Lord was seen in like manner as an Angel as described further on in Revelation:

I saw an Angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud, and a rainbow was about His head, and His face was as the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire (Revelation 10:1).

As the Lord appeared in this manner as to His feet, therefore under His feet there was seen by some of the sons of Israel:

As it were a work of sapphire stone, and as it were the substance of heaven for clearness (Exodus 24:10).

Their vision of the Lord was not as to the feet, but "under the feet," because they were not in, but under, the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248).

[4] Since "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord" signify the ultimate of Divine order, and this specifically is the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, therefore this external is called in the Word "His footstool," as in Isaiah:

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; I will make the place of My feet honorable. And they shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet (Isaiah 60:13-14).

In the same:

Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool (Isaiah 66:1).

In Jeremiah:

God doth not remember His footstool in the day of anger (Lamentations 2:1).

In David:

Worship Jehovah at His footstool (Psalms 99:5).

We will go into His tabernacles; we will worship at His footstool (Psalms 132:7).

In Nahum:

Of Jehovah, the clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3).

"Cloud" is the external of the Word, or the Word in respect to the letter (See above, n. 36). Because "cloud" is the external of the Word, it is also the external of the church and of worship; for the church and worship are from the Word. "Clouds" are called "dust of His feet," because those things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, appear scattered.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.