23
וּשְׁנֵי קְרָשִׁים תַּעֲשֶׂה לִמְקֻצְעֹת הַמִּשְׁכָּן בַּיַּרְכָתָיִם׃
Apocalypse Explained#1185
1185. And the voice of harpers and musicians, and of pipers and trumpeters, shall be heard in thee no more.- That this signifies interior and exterior joys no longer, is evident from the signification of the voice or the sound of various instruments of music, as denoting joys from internal and external affections. The signification of these things arises from concord; for musical sounds express affections, and call them forth attended with joy. Stringed instruments signify spiritual, and wind instruments celestial things; that they correspond to affections, may be seen above (n. 323, 326.) But what the voice of the harp, of the pipe, and of the trumpet signify specifically, cannot be seen except from the affections; and these are of two kinds, spiritual and celestial, the spiritual being from truths, and the celestial from goods. They are, moreover, of three degrees - inmost, middle, and outmost - the inmost being such as are in the inmost heaven, the middle such as are in the middle heaven, and the outmost such as are in the ultimate heaven.
[2] Continuation.- The tenth law of the Divine Providence is, that when eminence and opulence lead astray, it is man who from his own prudence has led himself to them; for he is led of the Divine Providence to things that do not lead astray, and which are serviceable for his eternal life; for all things of the Divine Providence with man look to what is eternal, because the Life which is God, and from which man is man, is eternal. There are two things which have a supreme effect on men's minds (animos), eminence and opulence. The former originates in the love of glory and of honours, the latter in the love of money and possessions. They particularly influence the mind because they specially belong to the natural man; and therefore the merely natural have no other notion regarding them than that they are real blessings, which come from God, although they may possibly be curses, as may be clearly inferred from the fact that they are possessed by both the good and the evil. I have seen the eminent and opulent in the heavens, and also in the hells. Therefore, as has been observed, when eminence and opulence do not lead astray, they come from God; but when they do lead astray, they are from hell.
[3] The reason why man does not in the world distinguish whether they come from God or from hell, is that they cannot be distinguished by the natural man separated from the spiritual; they may, however, be distinguished in the natural man by the spiritual, but even this with difficulty, because the natural man is trained from childhood to counterfeit the spiritual man. For this reason he not only affirms, but also can persuade himself to believe that the uses which he performs for the Church, for his country, for society and his fellow-citizens, and thus for his neighbour, are done for their sakes, although probably he has done them for the sake of himself and the world as an end. Man is in this state of blindness because he has not removed evils from himself by combat with them; for as long as evils remain he cannot see anything from the Spiritual in his Natural. He is like a man in a dream who imagines himself awake, or like a bird of night which sees darkness as light. Such is the natural man when the gate of heavenly light is closed; this light being the spiritual principle which enlightens the natural man. Since then it is of the greatest importance to know whether eminence and opulence, the love of glory and of honour, the love of money and of possessions, are ends or means - because if ends, they are curses; yet if not ends, but means, they are blessings - we shall treat first of ends and means.
Isaiah第40章
1
"Comfort, Comfort my people," says your God.
2
"Speak comfortably to Jerusalem; and call out to her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of Yahweh's hand double for all her sins."
3
The voice of one who calls out, "Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God.
4
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain.
5
The glory of Yahweh shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it."
6
The voice of one saying, "Cry!" One said, "What shall I cry?" "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the field.
7
The grass withers, the flower fades, because Yahweh's breath blows on it. Surely the people are like grass.
8
The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever."
9
You who tell good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who tell good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength. Lift it up. Don't be afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold, your God!"
10
Behold, the Lord Yahweh will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
11
He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who have their young.
12
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the sky with his span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
13
Who has directed the Spirit of Yahweh, or has taught him as his counselor?
14
Who did he take counsel with, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
15
Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance. Behold, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing.
16
Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
17
All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.
18
To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?
19
A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it.
20
He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks a skillful workman to set up an engraved image for him that will not be moved.
21
Haven't you known? Haven't you heard, yet? Haven't you been told from the beginning? Haven't you understood from the foundations of the earth?
22
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in;
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who brings princes to nothing; who makes the judges of the earth like meaningless.
24
They are planted scarcely. They are sown scarcely. Their stock has scarcely taken root in the ground. He merely blows on them, and they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble.
25
"To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26
Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these, who brings out their army by number. He calls them all by name. by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, Not one is lacking.
27
Why do you say, Jacob, and speak, Israel, "My way is hidden from Yahweh, and the justice due me is disregarded by my God?"
28
Haven't you known? Haven't you heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, The Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn't faint. He isn't weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
29
He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might.
30
Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall;
31
But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
