Title: Final Gathering, Attack, and Collapse (Rev. 19-20)
Topic: Second Coming
Summary: Final Gathering, Attack, and Collapse (Rev. 19-20)
Use the reference links below to follow along in the Bible as you watch.
References:
Revelation 19; 20:1-14; 6:9
Hebrews 9:27
Exodus 15:6, 8-10
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Ezekiel 38:8-13, 20-23; 39:1, 4-7, 17-29
034 - Final Gathering, Attack, and Collapse (Rev. 19-20)
Av Jonathan S. Rose
Spirit and Life Bible Study broadcast from 3/30/2011. The complete series is available at: www.spiritandlifebiblestudy.com
Matthew 12
1
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
2
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
3
But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
4
How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
5
Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
6
But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
7
But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
8
For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
9
And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
10
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
11
And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
12
How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
13
Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
14
Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
15
But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
16
And charged them that they should not make him known:
17
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
18
Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
19
He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
20
A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
21
And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
22
Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
23
And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
24
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26
And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29
Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
31
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32
And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
33
Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
34
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
38
Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
42
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
43
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44
Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45
Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
46
While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
47
Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48
But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49
And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Apocalypse Explained #219
219. Verse 12. He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, signifies that those who are steadfast will be in Divine truth in heaven. This is evident from the signification of "overcoming," as being to be steadfast in the genuine affection of truth (See above n. 128); here in faith from charity, since that faith is treated of in what is written the angel of this church see 203; also from the signification of "pillar" as being Divine truth sustaining; also from the signification of "the temple of God" as being in the highest sense, the Lord's Divine Human, and in the relative sense, the Lord's spiritual kingdom, thus the heaven that constitutes that kingdom (of which presently). "A pillar in the temple" means Divine truth sustaining, because "temple" signifies heaven, and heaven is heaven from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; for by heaven all angels are meant, because heaven is made up of angels, and from them is called heaven: and angels are angels in the measure in which they receive the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; and for this reason angels in the Word also signify Divine truths (See above, n. 130, 200).
Now as heaven is Divine truth, and "temple" signifies heaven, it follows that all things of the temple signify such things as pertain to Divine truth, and that the "pillars" therein signify Divine truths sustaining. Divine truths sustaining are in general lower truths, because these sustain the higher; for there are lower and higher Divine truths, as there are lower and higher heavens. (There are degrees of these, on which see in the work on Heaven and Hell 38, 208, 209, 211.) The heavens that belong to a lower degree sustain those that belong to a higher degree; here, therefore, by the Lord's making him that overcometh "a pillar in the temple" is meant that such will be in a lower heaven. They who are in the faith of charity are also in the lower heaven, which is called the spiritual heaven; while those who are in love to the Lord are in the higher heaven, which is called the celestial heaven, and this is sustained by the lower or spiritual heaven. (But a clearer idea can be had of these things from what is shown in three chapters in the work on Heaven and Hell, namely, in the chapter where it is shown that The Divine of the Lord in Heaven is Love to Him and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19; in another where it is shown that Heaven is distinguished into Two Kingdoms, Celestial and Spiritual, n 20-28; and in a third where it is shown that There are Three Heavens, n. 29-40.)
[2] "Pillars" are here and there mentioned in the Word, and they signify lower truths, because they sustain the higher. That lower truths are signified by "pillars" in the Word can be seen from the following. In Jeremiah:
Behold I have given thee this day for a fenced city, and for a pillar of iron, and for walls of brass against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes and against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land, that they may fight against thee and not prevail (Jeremiah 1:18-19).
These things were said to the prophet, because all prophets signify the doctrines of Divine truth, and because the church in which Divine truths are falsified is here treated of it is therefore said, "Behold I have given thee this day for a fenced city, for a pillar of iron, and for walls of brass against the whole land;" "a fenced city" signifies the doctrine of truth; "a pillar of iron" truth sustaining it; "walls of brass" good defending, and "land" the church. It is said, also, "against the kings of Judah, against the princes, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land;" and "the kings of Judah," and "princes," signify truths falsified; "priests," goods adulterated, and "the people of the land," falsities in general; of these it is said, that they will fight against truths themselves, but shall not prevail.
[3] In the same:
Set thee up signs, place for thee high pillars, set thine heart to the highway, the way thou mayest go; return, O virgin of Israel, return to thy cities (Jeremiah 31:21).
The restoration of the church is here treated of. "The virgin of Israel" signifies the church; "to set up signs, and to place high pillars," signifies instruction in such things as are the fundamentals of the church, which are called "high pillars" because they sustain: "to set the heart to the highway, the way thou mayest go," signifies the affection of truth leading to life.
[4] In David:
I will judge in uprightness; the earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved; I will make firm the pillars of it (Psalms 75:2-3).
"The earth dissolving" signifies those of the church who are not in truths but yet long for them; "to make firm the pillars" of it signifies to sustain the church by those truths upon which it is founded. Again, in Job:
Who causeth the earth to shake out of its place, so that the pillars thereof tremble (Job 9:6).
"The earth" here signifies the church, and "pillars" the truths that sustain it. That:
The pillars of the court of the tabernacle (mentioned in Exodus 27:10-12, 14-17);
also signify the ultimate truths sustaining the higher ones, see Arcana Coelestia, in the explanation of that chapter and those verses. Like truths are signified by:
The pillars of the house of the forest of Lebanon built by Solomon (mentioned in 1 Kings 7:2, 6).
[5] Similar also is the signification of:
The two pillars that Solomon set up in the porch of the temple, and that are described in the first book of Kings. He fashioned two pillars of brass, eighteen cubits was the height of each pillar; and a line of twelve cubits compassed the second pillar. And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars; seven chains for the one chapiter, and seven chains for the other chapiter. And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple; and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar and called the name thereof Boaz (1 Kings 7:15-21).
Since "the temple" signified heaven (as will be shown presently), therefore all things of the temple signified such things as are of heaven, thus of Divine truth there; for, as said above, heaven is heaven from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; therefore "the porch of the temple" signified the things pertaining to the ultimate heaven, and as this sustains the two higher heavens, those two pillars were placed in the porch.
