35. Especially at this present time, when men strive only about the Churches and Church matters, and murder one another for such things, and destroy land and people in their self-will; men living only in self-will, and do not intend to seek God's honour thereby, but only their own honour, might, authority and power, and thereby fatten the ox, viz. the belly-god. The honour of God and his word is not among all these; but as Jacob says, Cursed be their anger, for it is vehement and fierce, and their wrath, for it is raging; for they do all out of self-will and anger; and therein the anger of God drives them on: and therefore they run on into the curse, in the murderous swords.
36. And it says further, / will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel; which is indeed befallen them, so that they are divided and scattered among all people, and have now no city, country or principality more. Also the spirit intimates the dividing of the earthly life, wherein this anger and self-will must be quite divided from it, and the body be scattered like ashes. For the curse breaks in pieces and scatters both its dominion and priesthood, together with its body and outward senses and life; for in the presence of God it is all only a curse and vanity.
37. For the spirit of Jacob says, / will divide them in Jacob, that is, through the Covenant of Jacob, viz. through Christ; and will scatter them in Israel, that is, through the new sprout out of the Covenant the Adamical tree shall be destroyed and divided, and its works, together with its body and thoughts, be scattered, and the works of the devil be brought to nothing. Also this their priesthood and dominion shall be yet so destroyed, divided and scattered as the chaffis by the wind, when the kingdom of Christ and his priesthood shall spring up, where Christ alone shall reign: and then all this will have an end, which seems strange to Babel.
IV
THE TESTAMENT of JUDAH
38. Judah, thou art he, thy brethren will praise you: Thy hand will be upon the neck of your enemies; Thy father's children will bow down before you. Judah is a young lion: thou art come aloft, my son, through great victory: He has stooped down and couched, as a lion, and as a lioness: Who will set upon him to rouse him up ? The sceptre will not be removed from Judah, nor a master from his feet, till the Saviour come; and to him will the people cleave. He will bind his foal to the vine, and his she-ass 's colt to the precious branch: He will wash his garment in wine, and his mantle in the blood of grapes: His eyes are redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk (Gen. xlix. 8-12).
39. By the first three sons of Jacob, the spirit intimates concerning the corrupted lost Adam and his children, signifying how they were in the sight of God, and what their kingdom upon earth would be. But here, with Judah, he begins to intimate concerning the kingdom of
Christ, viz. concerning Christ's person and office, and sets Christ in the fourth line, which is a great mystery; for in the fourth property of the generating of nature is understood the fire, viz. the original of the fire, out of which the light takes its original, whereby the abyss becomes majestic: wherein then also the original of life is understood, before the soul is therein understood according to its property.
40. Seeing then this soul's ground in Adam was fallen and perished, therefore has God also set his figure of the new life therein, and in this testament of the twelve patriarchs the figure stands, signifying how the beginning of life is, and how the new birth springs forth in the light again, through the perished fire-life in the light. Also in the Testament of Judah all circumstances are declared, showing how the new life in Christ would spring forth through the soul, and rule over the sting of death.
35. Especially at this present time, when men strive only about the Churches and Church matters, and murder one another for such things, and destroy land and people in their self-will; men living only in self-will, and do not intend to seek God's honour thereby, but only their own honour, might, authority and power, and thereby fatten the ox, viz. the belly-god. The honour of God and his word is not among all these; but as Jacob says, Cursed be their anger, for it is vehement and fierce, and their wrath, for it is raging; for they do all out of self-will and anger; and therein the anger of God drives them on: and therefore they run on into the curse, in the murderous swords.
36. And it says further, / will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel; which is indeed befallen them, so that they are divided and scattered among all people, and have now no city, country or principality more. Also the spirit intimates the dividing of the earthly life, wherein this anger and self-will must be quite divided from it, and the body be scattered like ashes. For the curse breaks in pieces and scatters both its dominion and priesthood, together with its body and outward senses and life; for in the presence of God it is all only a curse and vanity.
37. For the spirit of Jacob says, / will divide them in Jacob, that is, through the Covenant of Jacob, viz. through Christ; and will scatter them in Israel, that is, through the new sprout out of the Covenant the Adamical tree shall be destroyed and divided, and its works, together with its body and thoughts, be scattered, and the works of the devil be brought to nothing. Also this their priesthood and dominion shall be yet so destroyed, divided and scattered as the chaffis by the wind, when the kingdom of Christ and his priesthood shall spring up, where Christ alone shall reign: and then all this will have an end, which seems strange to Babel.
IV
THE TESTAMENT of JUDAH
38. Judah, you are he, your brethren will praise you: Your hand will be upon the neck of your enemies; Your father's children will bow down before you. Judah is a young lion: you are come aloft, my son, through great victory: He has stooped down and couched, as a lion, and as a lioness: Who will set upon him to rouse him up ? The sceptre will not be removed from Judah, nor a master from his feet, till the Saviour come; and to him will the people cleave. He will bind his foal to the vine, and his she-ass 's colt to the precious branch: He will wash his garment in wine, and his mantle in the blood of grapes: His eyes are redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk (Gen. xlix. 8-12).
39. By the first three sons of Jacob, the spirit intimates concerning the corrupted lost Adam and his children, signifying how they were in the sight of God, and what their kingdom upon earth would be. But here, with Judah, he begins to intimate concerning the kingdom of
Christ, viz. concerning Christ's person and office, and sets Christ in the fourth line, which is a great mystery; for in the fourth property of the generating of nature is understood the fire, viz. the original of the fire, out of which the light takes its original, whereby the abyss becomes majestic: wherein then also the original of life is understood, before the soul is therein understood according to its property.
40. Seeing then this soul's ground in Adam was fallen and perished, therefore has God also set his figure of the new life therein, and in this testament of the twelve patriarchs the figure stands, signifying how the beginning of life is, and how the new birth springs forth in the light again, through the perished fire-life in the light. Also in the Testament of Judah all circumstances are declared, showing how the new life in Christ would spring forth through the soul, and rule over the sting of death.
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