Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 287The peoples shall give thanks unto thee, O God; all the peoplesshall give thanks unto thee. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; forthou shalt judge the peoples with equity, and shalt lead the nationsupon the earth (Ps. 67:3–4).That I may see the good of thy chosen, and be glad in the joy ofthy nations (Ps. 106:5).In Revelation:The glory and honor of the nations shall be brought into the newJerusalem (Rev. 21:26).In Isaiah:Ye shall be called priests of Jehovah; ministers of your 19 God, itshall be said to you. Ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in theirglory shall ye glory (Isa. 61:6).In Lamentations:The breath of our nostrils, the Anointed of Jehovah, was taken intheir pits; of whom we had said, In his shadow we shall live among thenations (Lam. 4:20).In these passages, by “nations” all who are in love to the Lord,whether within the church where the Word is or out of it, aremeant.175b. [8] That by “nations” in a contrary sense those who are inevils are meant, and in the abstract, evils themselves, can be seenfrom the following passages. In Jeremiah:I will bring a nation upon you from far, it is a mighty nation; it is anation of an age, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not know. It shall eatup thy harvest and thy bread; it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters;it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig tree; it shall impoverish the cities withthe sword (Jer. 5:15, 17).