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True Christian Religion #82

Funda lesi Sigaba

  
Yiya esigabeni / 853  
  

82. (1) JEHOVAH GOD DESCENDED AND ASSUMED THE HUMAN, IN ORDER TO REDEEM AND SAVE MANKIND.

It is believed at this day in the Christian Churches that God, the Creator of the universe, begot a Son from eternity, who descended and assumed a human in order to redeem and save mankind. This, however, is erroneous, and cannot be upheld when it is considered that God is one, and that it is utterly opposed to reason to say that the one God begot a Son from eternity, and that God the Father, together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, each of whom separately is God, is one God. This absurd belief is completely dissipated, like a falling star in the air, when it is shown from the Word that Jehovah God Himself descended and became Man and also the Redeemer.

[2] The first point, that Jehovah God Himself descended and became Man, is evident from the following passages:

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, who shall be called God with us (A.V., Immanuel)" Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23.

"Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful,...the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" Isaiah 9:6.

"It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is JEHOVAH; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation" Isaiah 25:9.

"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of JEHOVAH, make straight in the desert a highway for our God,... and all flesh shall see it together" Isaiah 40:3, 6.

"Behold, the Lord Jehovih (A.V., Lord God), will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him... He shall feed His flock like a shepherd" Isaiah 40:10-11.

"Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith JEHOVAH: and many nations shall be joined to JEHOVAH in that day" Zechariah 2:10-11.

"I JEHOVAH have called thee in righteousness,... and will give thee for a covenant to the people... I am JEHOVAH; that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another" Isaiah 42:6, 8.

"Behold the days come,... that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign... and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth,... and this is His name... JEHOVAH our righteousness" Jeremiah 23:6, 6; 33:15-16.

Besides these there are other passages where the Coming of the Lord is called the Day of Jehovah, as Isaiah 13:6, 9, 13; Ezekiel 31:15; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11; 3:1, 14, 18; Amos 5:13, 18, 20; Zephaniah 1:7-18; Zechariah 14:1, 4-21; and in other places.

[3] That Jehovah Himself descended and assumed the Human is clearly evident in Luke, where it is written:

"Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" Luke 1:34-35.

And in Matthew:

The angel said to Joseph, the husband of Mary, in a dream, that what was conceived in her was of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph knew her not till she had brought forth her son: "And he called His name Jesus" 1:20-25.

It will be seen in the third chapter of this work that by the Holy Spirit is meant the Divine which proceeds from Jehovah God. Everyone knows that a child receives his soul and life from his father, and that the body is from the soul. What then is more clearly stated than that the Lord received His soul and life from Jehovah God? And since the Divine cannot be divided, what is more evident than that the Divine itself of the Father was His soul and life? It was for this reason that the Lord so often called Jehovah God His Father, and Jehovah God called Him His own Son. What, then, could one hear more unreasonable than that the soul of our Lord was derived from Mary, His mother, as both Roman Catholics and Protestants at this day affirm, as in a dream, not being as yet awakened by the light of the Word?

  
Yiya esigabeni / 853  
  

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

IBhayibheli

 

Joel 2

Funda

   

1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.

5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.

7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:

8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, Gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.

22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.

23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

   

IBhayibheli

 

Isaiah 42:6

Funda

       

6 "I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and make you a covenant for the people, as a light for the nations;