Wednesday 12 March 2014

Revelation 12:10-17 The woman was given wings of an eagle

 


10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. -Revelation 12:10-17 Bible, King James Version (KJV)
Apocalypse Explained, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1757-9], tr. by John Whitehead [1911], at sacred-texts.com
743. Verses 10-12. And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, that accuseth them before our God day and night. And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb, and through the word of their testimony; and they loved not their soul even unto death. For this rejoice, ye heavens and ye that dwell in them. Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea, for the devil is come down unto you having great anger, knowing that he hath a short time. 10. "And I heard a great voice in heaven saying," signifies the joy of the angels of heaven because of the light and wisdom then with them (n. 744); "Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ," signifies that now the Lord has power by His Divine truth to save those who are of His church who receive Divine truth in heart and soul (n. 745); "for the accuser of our brethren is cast down," signifies when those have been separated from heaven and condemned to hell who have assaulted the life of faith, which is charity (n. 746); "that accuseth them before our God day and night," signifies and who have denounced them and disputed with them continually from the Word (n. 747). 11. "And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb," signifies resistance and victory by Divine truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human (n. 748); "and through the word of their testimony," signifies and through the confession and acknowledgment of the Divine in His Human (n. 749); "and they loved not their soul, even unto death," signifies the faithful who have endured temptations for the sake of these truths, and who have regarded the life of the world as of no account in comparison with the life of heaven (n. 750). 12. "For this rejoice, ye heavens and ye that dwell in them," signifies the salvation and consequent joy of those who become spiritual by the reception of Divine truth (n. 751); "Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea," signifies lamentation over those who become merely natural and sensual (n. 752); "for the devil is come down unto you," signifies because they receive evils from hell (n. 753); "having great anger," signifies hatred against spiritual truths and goods, which are of faith and life from the Word, consequently against those who are in them (n. 754); "knowing that he hath a short time," signifies because the state is changed (n. 755).
744. Verse 10. And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, signifies the joy of the angels of heaven because of the light and wisdom then with them... The angels then came into light and wisdom because there is a connection of all in the heavens, from the first there to the last, that is, from those who are in the inmost or third heaven, who are first, to those who are in the lowest or first heaven, who are last; for the Lord flows in through the third heaven into the lowest, and by influx conjoins the heavens. Because of this the whole heaven is in the sight of the Lord as one Man...
745. Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ, signifies that now the Lord has power by His Divine truth to save those who are of His church, who receive Divine truth in heart and soul... One who does not know the laws of Divine order might believe that the Lord can save anyone He pleases thus the evil as well as the good... Those who are not willing to be reformed and regenerated by the Lord, which is effected by the reception of Divine truth in faith and life, cannot be saved.
751. Verse 12. For this rejoice, ye heavens and ye that dwell in them, signifies the salvation and consequent joy of those who become spiritual by the reception of Divine truth... "The heavens" signify those who are spiritual, because all who are in the heavens are spiritual; and because men who have become spiritual are likewise in the heavens, although in respect to the body they are in the world, so "ye that dwell in the heavens" means not only angels, but also men. For every man with whom the interior mind, which is called the spiritual mind, has been opened, is in the heavens, yea, sometimes he even appears among the angels in the heavens. That this is so has not been known heretofore in the world; let it be known, therefore, that man in respect to his spirit is among spirits and angels, and even in that society of them into which he is to come after death... But this has been more fully illustrated in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 51-58)...
754. Having great anger, signifies hatred against spiritual truths and goods, which are of faith and life from the Word, consequently against those who are in them... [2]...Spiritual truths and goods..., the devil, by whom is meant hell, is in unceasing hatred against them. This is why hatreds of various kinds are unceasingly ascending from the hells; while on the other hand, spiritual loves also of various kinds descend from the heavens... Consequently those who do not live from the Word but from the world, since they continue natural, receive evils and the falsities thence from hell, and conceive from them hatred against spiritual truths and goods. Their hatred does not appear in the world, because it lies concealed inwardly in their spirit; but it becomes manifest after death, when they become spirits. Then they burn against those who are in spiritual truths and goods with a hatred so great that it cannot be described; it is indeed a deadly hatred; for as soon as they see an angel who is in these truths and goods, or if they merely hear the Lord named, from whom these truths and goods are, they instantly come into a fury of hatred, and feel nothing more delightful than to pursue them and to do evil to them...
757. Verse 13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, signifies when the religion of faith alone separated from the life of charity was not acknowledged but was accounted as vile... By such the religion of faith separated from the life of charity is not acknowledged, but is accounted as vile.
759. [Verse 14.] And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, signifies spiritual intelligence and circumspection [thinking carefully about possible risks before doing or saying something] which the Lord gives to those who are of that church..
762. Verses 15-16. And the serpent cast out after the woman out of his mouth water as a river, that he might cause her to be swallowed up by the river. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 15. "And the serpent cast out after the woman out of his mouth water as a river," signifies crafty reasonings in abundance respecting justification by faith alone by those who think sensually and not spiritually (n. 763); "that he might cause her to be swallowed up by the river," signifies that that church might be blinded and scattered by reasonings (n. 763 1/2) 16. "And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth," signifies that those who are of the church that is not in truths afforded assistance, and did not receive the crafty reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity (n. 764).
766. Verse 17. And the dragon was angry against the woman, and went away to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. "And the dragon was angry against the woman," signifies the hatred of those who are meant by "the dragon" against the church that is the New Jerusalem, enkindled by a perception that it is favored by many (n. 767); "and went away to make war with the remnant of her seed," signifies... an ardent effort, springing from a life of evil, to assault the truths of doctrine of that church (n. 768); "who keep the commandments of God," signifies with those who live the life of faith, which is charity (n. 769); "and have the testimony of Jesus Christ," signifies and who acknowledge the Divine in the Lord's Human (n. 770).
770. And have the testimony of Jesus Christ, signifies and who acknowledge the Divine in the Lord's Human...

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