Apocalypse Revealed #748
748. "And eat her flesh and burn her with fire." This symbolically means that Protestants will with hatred condemn and destroy in themselves the evils and falsities inherent in the Roman Catholic religion, and will renounce the religion itself and expunge it in themselves.
This is said of Protestants, who will deal thus with the harlot, that is, with the Roman Catholic religion. To eat her flesh means, symbolically, with hatred to condemn and destroy in themselves the inherent characteristics of that religion, which are evils and falsities, about which we will say more below. And to burn her with fire means, symbolically, to renounce that religion as profane and expunge it in themselves.
This is what burning with fire means because the penalty for profaning something holy was burning. Therefore, according to Divine law, people who profaned the name of Jehovah by worshiping other gods were burned with fire - they and all their belongings (Deuteronomy 13:12-18). Therefore Moses burned with fire the golden calf that the children of Israel were profanely worshiping (Exodus 32:20, Deuteronomy 9:21). Moreover, because two of Aaron's sons profaned holy things, they were consumed by fire from heaven (Leviticus 10:1-6). Nor is anything else symbolized by the fire and pyre in Tophet but the fire of hell, which awaits those who profane holy things (Isaiah 30:33, Jeremiah 7:11, 31-32; 19:5-6, 2 Kings 23:10), for there the people worshiped Molech with a heinous sacrifice. 1
[2] Since the fourth beast in Daniel 7 symbolizes a religion that profanes the Word and consequently the sanctities of the church (no. 717), therefore we are told that it was burned with fire (Daniel 7:11).
Now, because it is profane worship to worship a person instead of the Lord, we are accordingly told here that they burnt the harlot with fire, which symbolically means that they renounced the religion itself and expunged it in themselves.
To eat her flesh means, symbolically, with hatred to condemn and destroy in themselves the inherent characteristics of that religion, which are evils and falsities, because that is the symbolic meaning of eating her flesh. For flesh symbolizes the inherent characteristics of a thing which relate to goods and truths, and in an opposite sense, to evils and falsities, and to eat means, symbolically, to consume, thus to destroy.
That flesh symbolizes a person's inherent character, which in itself is evil, is clear from the following passages:
It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. (John 6:63)
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6)
As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to be children of God...: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh... (John 1:12-13)
(God) remembered that they were flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again. (Psalms 78:39)
The Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. (Isaiah 31:3)
(Jerusalem) committed harlotry with the Egyptians..., great of flesh. (Ezekiel 16:26)
Jesus... said to (Peter), ."..flesh and blood has not revealed this to you...." (Matthew 16:17)
Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm... (Jeremiah 17:5)
[3] Because flesh symbolizes a person's inherent character, and people who hate others attack their personal character with the intention of destroying it, therefore to eat the flesh has also this symbolic meaning, as in the following passages:
Let the dying die, and the cut off be cut off. Those that are left eat each other's flesh. (Zechariah 11:9)
They shall devour Israel with the whole mouth... Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm - Manasseh, Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh. (Isaiah 9:12, 20-21)
I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh... (Isaiah 49:26)
...everyone shall eat the flesh of his friend... (Jeremiah 19:9)
To eat the flesh of sons and daughters (Jeremiah 19:9, Leviticus 26:29, Deuteronomy 28:53) means, symbolically, to destroy truths and goods in oneself, for sons symbolize truths, and daughters goods, as may be seen in nos. 139, 543, 545, 612[1-4] above.
Moreover, in the Word we find reference to "all flesh," and this symbolically means all mankind (Genesis 6:12-13, 17, 19).
Примітки:
1. The heinous sacrifice consisted of "passing infants through the fire to Molech," by burning them alive on a sacrificial altar. Vestiges of this worship have been found elsewhere, as far as northern Africa. Tophet was a site in the valley of Hinnom at the foot of Mount Zion on the south side. Because of the nature of its worship, the valley of Hinnon (Ge' Hinnom = Gehenna) became synonymous with Hades or hell.
約翰一書 4
1
親愛的弟兄阿，一切的靈，你們不可都信，總要試驗那些靈是出於神的不是，因為世上有許多假先知已經出來了。
2
凡靈認耶穌基督是成了肉身來，就是出於神的的；從此你們可以認出神的靈來。
3
凡靈不認耶穌，就不是出於神；這是那敵基督者的靈。你們從前聽見他要來，現在已經在世上了。
4
小子們哪，你們是屬神的，並且勝了他們；因為那在你們裡面的，比那在世界上的更大。
6
我們是屬神的，認識神的就聽從我們；不屬神的就不聽從我們。從此我們可以認出真理的靈和謬妄的靈來。
7
親愛的弟兄阿，我們應當彼此相愛，因為愛是從神來的。凡有愛心的，都是由神而生，並且認識神。
8
沒有愛心的，就不認識神，因為神就是愛。
9
神差他獨生子到世間來，使我們藉著他得生，神愛我們的心在此就顯明了。
10
不是我們愛神，乃是神愛我們，差他的兒子為我們的罪作了挽回祭，這就是愛了。
11
親愛的弟兄阿，神既是這樣愛我們，我們也當彼此相愛。
12
從來沒有人見過神，我們若彼此相愛，神就住在我們裡面，愛他的心在我們裡面得以完全了。
13
神將他的靈賜給我們，從此就知道我們是住在他裡面，他也住在我們裡面。
14
父差子作世人的救主；這是我們所看見且作見證的。
15
凡認耶穌為神兒子的，神就住在他裡面，他也住在神裡面。
16
神愛我們的心，我們也知道也信。神就是愛；住在愛裡面的，就是住在神裡面，神也住在他裡面。
17
這樣，愛在我們裡面得以完全，我們就可以在審判的日子坦然無懼。因為他如何，我們在這世上也如何。
18
愛裡沒有懼怕；愛既完全，就把懼怕除去。因為懼怕裡含著刑罰，懼怕的人在愛裡未得完全。
19
我們愛，因為神先愛我們。
20
人若說我愛神，卻恨他的弟兄，就是說謊話的；不愛他所看見的弟兄，就不能愛沒有看見的神（有古卷作：怎能愛沒有看見的神呢）。
21
愛神的，也當愛弟兄，這是我們從神所受的命令。
