Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 417In Daniel:Belshazzar commanded to bring the vessels of gold and silverwhich Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple inJerusalem, that they might drink from them. They drank wine, andpraised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and ofstone, and then came the writing on the wall (5:2-4, seq.).The “gold and silver vessels that were brought from the temple ofJerusalem” signified the goods and truths of the church; that they“drank wine from them and praised the gods of gold, of silver, ofbrass, of iron, of wood, and of stone,” signifies the profanation ofthose goods and truths; and on account of this the writing appearedon the wall, and the king’ was changed from a man into a wildbeast.[9] In Matthew:And the disciples came to show Jesus the building of the temple.Jesus said unto them, See ye all these things? there shall not be left herestone upon stone that shall not be thrown down (24:1, 2; Mark 13:1–5;Luke 21:5–7).That “there should not be left of the temple stone upon stone thatshould not be thrown down” signifies the total destruction andvastation of the church (”stone” signifying the truth of the church);and because this is what is meant, the successive vastation of thechurch is what is treated of in these chapters in the Evangelists. InRevelation:And the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of Godand the altar, and them that worship therein (11:1).The “temple” here also signifies the church, and “measuring”signifies to explore its quality:The new temple and its measurements (Ezek. 40–47);have a like signification.