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以西结书第36章

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1 人子啊,你要对以色列发预言以色列哪,要耶和华的

2 耶和华如此:因仇敌:阿哈!这永久的山冈都归我们为业了!

3 所以要发预言耶和华如此:因为敌人使你荒凉,四围吞吃,好叫你归与其馀的外邦人为业,并且多嘴多的人提起你来,百姓也你有臭名。

4 故此,以色列耶和华的。大小冈、水沟谷、荒废之地、被弃之城,为四围其馀的外邦人所占据、所讥刺的,

5 耶和华对你们如此:我真发愤恨如,责备那其馀的外邦人以东的众人。他们快乐满怀,心存恨恶,将我的归自己为业,又看为被弃的掠物。

6 所以,你要指着以色列预言,对大小冈、水沟耶和华如此:我发愤恨和忿怒,因你们曾受外邦人羞辱

7 所以我起誓:你们四围的外邦人总要担当自己的羞辱。这是耶和华的。

8 以色列哪,你必发枝条,为我的民以色列结果子,因为他们快要到。

9 看哪,我是帮助你的,也必向你意,使你得以耕种。

10 我必使以色列的人数在你上面增多,城邑有人居住,荒场再被建造

11 我必使人和牲畜在你上面加增;他们必生养众多。我要使你照旧有人居住,并要赐福与你比先前更多,你就知道我是耶和华

12 我必使人,就是我的民以色列,行在你上面。他们必得你为业;你也不再使他们丧子。

13 耶和华如此:因为人对你:你是吞吃人的,又使国民丧子,

14 所以耶和华:你必不再吞人,也不再使国民丧子。

15 我使你不再见各国的羞辱,不再受万民的辱骂,也不再使国民绊跌。这是耶和华的。

16 耶和华的又临到我说:

17 人子啊,以色列在本地的时候,在行动作为上玷污那地。他们的行为在我面前,好像正在经期的妇人那样污秽

18 所以我因他们在那上流人的血,又因他们以偶像玷污那,就把我的忿怒倾在他们身上。

19 我将他们分散在列国,四散在列邦,按他们的行动作为惩罚他们。

20 他们到了所去的列国,就使我的名被亵渎;因为人谈论他们,这是耶和华的民,是从耶和华的的。

21 我却顾惜我的名,就是以色列家在所到的列国中所亵渎的。

22 所以,你要对以色列耶和华如此以色列家啊,我行这事不是为你们,乃是为我的名,就是在你们到的列国中所亵渎的。

23 我要使我的名显为;这名在列国中已被亵渎,就是你们在他们中间所亵渎的。我在他们眼前,在你们身上显为的时候,他们就知道我是耶和华。这是耶和华的。

24 我必从各国收取你们,从列邦聚集你们,引导你们归回本

25 我必用清洒在你们身上,你们就洁净了。我要洁净你们,使你们脱离一切的污秽

26 我也要赐你们一个新,将新灵放在你们里面,又从你们的体中除掉,赐你们

27 我必将我的灵放在你们里面,使你们顺从我的律例,谨守遵行我的典章。

28 你们必在我所赐你们列祖之。你们要作我的子民,我要作你们的

29 我必你们脱离一切的污秽,也必命五谷丰登,不使你们遭遇饥荒。

30 我必使树木多结果子,田地多出土产,好叫你们不再因饥荒受外邦人的讥诮。

31 那时,你们必追想你们的恶行和你们不善的作为,就因你们的罪孽和可憎的事厌恶自己。

32 耶和华:你们要知道,我这样行不是为你们。以色列家啊,当为自己的行为抱愧蒙羞。

33 耶和华如此:我洁净你们,使你们脱离一切罪孽的日子,必使城邑有人居住,荒场再被建造

34 过路的人虽看为荒废之,现今这荒废之仍得耕种。

35 他们必:这先前为荒废之,现在成如伊甸园;这荒废凄凉、毁坏的城邑现在坚固有人居住

36 那时,在你们四围其馀的外邦人知道我─耶和华修造那毁坏之处,培植那荒废之地。我─耶和华说过,也必成就。

37 耶和华如此:我要加增以色列家的人数,多如羊群。他们必为这事向我求问,我要给他们成就。

38 耶路撒冷在守节作祭物所献的羊群怎样多,照样,荒凉的城邑必被人充满。他们就知道我是耶和华

   

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Arcana Coelestia#3813

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3813. As regards 'flesh', this means in the highest sense the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, which is Divine Good, and in the relative sense means the will side of the human proprium when made alive by the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, that is, by His Divine Good. This proprium is the one called the heavenly proprium which, in itself the Lord's alone, is appropriated to those who are governed by good and consequently by truth. Such a proprium exists with angels in heaven, and also with men whose interiors, that is, their spirits, are in the Lord's kingdom. But in the contrary sense 'flesh' means the will side of the human proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil, and not having been made alive by the Lord is called dead; and the individual himself is for that reason called dead.

[2] That 'flesh' in the highest sense means the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, and so His Divine Good, is clear from the Lord's words in John,

Jesus said, I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread he will live for ever. The bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews disputed with one another, saying, How can this man give his flesh to eat? Jesus therefore said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day; for My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. This is the bread which came down from heaven. John 6:51-58.

Here it is quite evident that 'flesh' means the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, and so the Divine Good - His flesh in the Holy Supper being called 'the body'. His body or flesh in the Holy Supper is the Divine Good, and His blood the Divine Truth, see 1798, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3735. And since bread and wine have the same meaning as flesh and blood - that is to say, 'bread' is the Lord's Divine Good, and 'wine' His Divine Truth - bread and wine were commanded in place of flesh and blood. This is why the Lord says, 'I am the living bread; the bread which I will give is My flesh; he who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him; this is the bread which came down from heaven'. 'Eating' means being communicated, being joined to, and being made one's own, see 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513 (end), 3596.

[3] The same was represented in the Jewish Church by the law that the flesh of sacrifices was to be eaten by Aaron and his sons, by those persons who brought the sacrifice, and by others who were clean; and that this flesh was holy, see Exodus 12:7-9; 29:30-34; Leviticus 7:15-21; 8:31; Deuteronomy 12:27; 16:4. That being so, if any unclean person ate some of that flesh he was to be cut off from his people, Leviticus 7:21. The fact that these sacrifices were called 'bread', see 2165, and that that sacrificial flesh was called 'holy flesh', Jeremiah 11:15; Haggai 2:12. And in Ezekiel 40:43 where the new Temple is the subject, it is called 'the flesh of the offering which is on the tables in the Lord's kingdom', by which clearly worship of the Lord in His kingdom is meant.

[4] That 'flesh' in the relative sense means the will side of man's proprium when made alive by the Lord is Divine Good is clear also from the following places: In Ezekiel,

I will give them one heart, and will put a new spirit in your midst; and I will remove the heart of stone out of their flesh and will give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26.

'The heart of stone out of their flesh' stands for a will and proprium when not made alive, 'a heart of flesh' for a will and proprium when made alive; for 'the heart' is a representative of good in the will, see 2930, 3313, 3635. In David,

O God, You are my God; in the morning I seek You. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh in a dry land longs for You, and I am weary without water. Psalms 63:1.

In the same author,

My soul longs for the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh shout for joy to the living God. Psalms 84:2.

[5] In Job,

I have come to know my Redeemer; He is alive; and at the last He will rise above the dust; and afterwards these things will be encompassed by my skin, and out of my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself; and my eyes will behold, and no other. Job 19:25-27.

'Being encompassed by skin' stands for the natural, such as a person possesses after death, dealt with in 3539. 'Out of his flesh seeing God' stands for the proprium when made alive, which is why Job says, 'Whom I shall see for myself; and my eyes will behold, and no other'. Since it was well known in the ancient Churches that 'flesh' meant the proprium, and since the Book of Job is a book of the Ancient Church, 3540 (end), he accordingly followed the custom of the day and drew on meaningful signs to speak of these, as of many other matters. Those therefore who conclude from what Job said that their dead body is going to be reassembled from the four winds and is going to rise again do not know the internal sense of the Word. Those who are conversant with that sense know that they will enter the next life in a body, but in a purer one. In that life people have purer bodies, for they behold one another, talk to one another, and are endowed with each of the senses, which though like those in the physical body are now keener. The body which a person carries around on earth is designed for activities on earth and therefore consists of flesh and bones, whereas the body that a spirit carries around in the next life is designed for activities in that life and does not consist of flesh and bones but of such things as correspond to these, see 3726.

[6] That 'flesh' in the contrary sense means the will side of the human proprium which in itself is nothing but evil is clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Every man will eat the flesh of his own arm. Isaiah 9:20.

In the same prophet,

I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, and they will be drunk with their blood as with new wine. Isaiah 49:26.

In Jeremiah,

I will feed them with the flesh of their sons and with the flesh of their daughters, and every man will eat the flesh of his companion. Jeremiah 19:9.

In Zechariah,

Those that are left will eat, every one the flesh of another. Zechariah 11:9.

In Moses,

I will chastise you seven times for your sins, and you will eat the flesh of your sons: and the flesh of your daughters will you eat. Leviticus 26:28-29.

The will side of the human proprium, or man's own natural inclinations, is described in this way because it is nothing but evil and consequent falsity, and so hatred against every form of truth or good, that are meant by 'eating the flesh of their own arm', 'the flesh of sons and daughters', and 'the flesh of another'.

[7] In John,

I saw an angel standing in the sun, who called out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, Come and gather yourselves to the supper of the great God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and those seated on them, and the flesh of all free men and slaves, both small and great. Revelation 19:17-18; Ezekiel 39:17-20.

Anyone may see that the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses and those seated on them, free men and slaves, is not meant by such expressions. 'Flesh' accordingly has another meaning which has not been known up to now. The fact that evils resulting from falsities, and evils producing falsities, are meant - which evils originate on the will side of the human proprium - is evident from each expression used here.

[8] Since falsity which springs from the understanding side of man's proprium is meant by 'blood' in the internal sense, and evil which springs from the will side of his proprium by 'flesh', the Lord speaks of the person who is to be regenerated as follows,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13.

For this reason 'flesh' is used to mean in general all mankind, see 574, 1050 (end). For whether you speak of man or of man's proprium it amounts to the same.

[9] That 'flesh' in the highest sense means the Lord's Divine Human is evident from the verses quoted above, as well as from the following in John,

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father. John 1:14.

It is by virtue of this flesh that all other flesh is made alive, that is, by virtue of the Lord's Divine Human, every human being is made alive, through making His love his own, which is meant by 'eating the flesh of the Son of Man', John 6:51-58, and by eating the bread in the Holy Supper - for the bread is His body or flesh, Matthew 26:26-27.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.