20
Also maß er auch das Tor, so gegen Mitternacht lag, am äußern Vorhofe, nach der Länge und Breite.
Hesekiel 40:20
Jesaja 2
1
Dies ist's, das Jesaja, der Sohn Amoz, sah von Juda und Jerusalem:
2
Es wird zur letzten Zeit der Berg, da des HERRN Haus ist, gewiß sein, höher denn alle Berge, und über alle Hügel erhaben werden; und werden alle Heiden dazu laufen,
3
und viel Völker hingehen und sagen: Kommt, laßt uns auf den Berg des HERRN gehen, zum Hause des Gottes Jakobs, daß er uns lehre seine Wege und wir wandeln auf seinen Steigen! Denn von Zion wird das Gesetz ausgehen und des HERRN Wort von Jerusalem.
4
Und er wird richten unter den Heiden und strafen viel Völker. Da werden sie ihre Schwerter zu Pflugscharen und ihre Spieße zu Sicheln machen. Denn es wird kein Volk wider das andere ein Schwert aufheben und werden fort nicht mehr kriegen lernen.
5
Kommet ihr nun vom Hause Jakobs, laßt uns wandeln im Licht des HERRN!
6
Aber du hast dein Volk, das Haus Jakobs, lassen fahren; denn sie treiben's mehr denn die gegen dem Aufgang und sind Tagewähler, wie die Philister, und machen der fremden Kinder viel.
7
Ihr Land ist voll Silber und Gold, und ihrer Schätze ist kein Ende; ihr Land ist voll Rosse, und ihrer Wagen ist kein Ende.
8
Auch ist ihr Land voll Götzen, und beten an ihrer Hände Werk, welches ihre Finger gemacht haben.
9
Da bückt sich der Pöbel, da demütigen sich die Junker. Das wirst du ihnen nicht vergeben.
10
Gehe hin in den Felsen und verbirg dich in der Erde, vor der Furcht des HERRN und vor seiner herrlichen Majestät!
11
Denn alle hohen Augen werden geniedriget werden, und was hohe Leute sind, wird sich bücken müssen; der HERR aber wird allein hoch sein zu der Zeit.
12
Denn der Tag des HERRN Zebaoth wird gehen über alles Hoffärtige und Hohe und über alles Erhabene, daß es geniedriget werde,
13
auch über alle hohen und erhabenen Zedern auf dem Libanon und über alle Eichen in Basan,
14
über alle hohen Berge und über alle erhabenen Hügel,
15
über alle hohen Türme und über alle festen Mauern,
16
über alle Schiffe im Meer und über alle köstliche Arbeit,
17
daß sich bücken muß alle Höhe der Menschen und demütigen, was hohe Leute sind, und der HERR allein hoch sei zu der Zeit.
18
Und mit den Götzen wird's ganz aus sein.
19
Da wird man in der Felsen Höhlen gehen und in der Erde Klüfte vor der Furcht des HERRN und vor seiner herrlichen Majestät, wenn er sich aufmachen wird, zu schrecken die Erde.
20
Zu der Zeit wird jedermann wegwerfen seine silbernen und güldenen Götzen, die er ihm hatte machen lassen anzubeten, in die Löcher der Maulwürfe und der Fledermäuse,
21
auf daß er möge in die Steinritzen und Felsklüfte kriechen vor der Furcht des HERRN und vor seiner herrlichen Majestät, wenn er sich aufmachen wird, zu schrecken die Erde.
22
So lasset nun ab von dem Menschen, der Odem in der Nase hat; denn ihr wisset nicht, wie hoch er geachtet ist.
Apocalypse Revealed # 486
486. And the angel stood by, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there." This symbolizes the Lord's presence and His command to see and learn the state of the church in the New Heaven.
The Lord is meant by the angel, here as in nos. 5, 415, and elsewhere, since an angel does nothing of himself but is impelled by the Lord. That is why the angel said, "I will give power to my two witnesses" (verse 3), when they were the Lord's witnesses. The angel's standing by symbolizes the Lord's presence, and his speaking symbolizes the Lord's command. To rise and measure means, symbolically, to see and learn. We will see below that to measure means, symbolically, to learn and investigate the character of a state.
The temple, altar, and those who worship there symbolize the state of the church in the New Heaven - the temple symbolizing the church in respect to its doctrinal truth (no. 191), the altar symbolizing the church in respect to the goodness of its love (no. 392), and those who worship there symbolizing the church in respect to its formal worship as a result of those two elements. Those who worship symbolize here the reverence that is a part of formal worship, since the spiritual sense is a sense abstracted from persons (nos. 78, 79, 96), as is apparent here also from the fact that John is told to measure the worshipers. These three elements are what form the church: doctrinal truth, goodness of love, and formal worship as a result of these.
[2] That the church meant is the church in the New Heaven is apparent from the last verse of this chapter, where we are told that "the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple" (verse 19).
This chapter begins with the measuring of the temple in order that the state of the church in heaven might be seen and learned before its conjunction with the church in the world. The church in the world is meant by the court outside the temple, which John was not to measure, because it had been given to the gentiles (verse 2). The same church is then described by the great city called Sodom and Egypt (verses 7, 8). But after that great city fell (verse 13), it follows that the church became the Lord's (verses 15ff.).
It should be known that the church exists in the heavens just as on earth, and that the two are united like the inner and outer selves in people. Consequently the Lord provides the church in heaven first, and from it, or by means of it, then the church on earth. That is why the New Jerusalem is said to come down from God out of the New Heaven (Revelation 21:1-2).
The New Heaven means a new heaven formed from Christians, as described several times in the following chapters.
[3] To measure means, symbolically, to learn and investigate the character of a thing because the measure of something symbolizes its character or state. All the measurements of the New Jerusalem (chapter 21) have this symbolic meaning, as does the statement there that the angel who had the gold reed measured the city and its gates, and that he measured the wall to be one hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man which is that of an angel (verses 15, 17). Moreover, because the New Jerusalem symbolizes the New Church, is it apparent that to measure it and its component parts means, symbolically, to learn its character.
Measuring has the same symbolic meaning in Ezekiel, where we read that an angel measured the house of God: the temple, the altar, the court, and the chambers (Ezekiel 40:3-17; 41:1-5, 13-14, 22; 42:1-20, and 43:1-27). Also that he measured the waters (47:3-5, 9). Therefore the prophet is told:
...show the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the pattern... and... its exits and its entrances, and all its patterns..., so that they may keep its whole design... (Ezekiel 43:10-11)
Measuring has the same symbolic meaning in the following places:
I raised my eyes..., and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem...." (Zechariah 2:1-2)
He stood and measured the earth. (Habakkuk 3:6)
(The Lord Jehovih) has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and gauged heaven with a span... and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance. (Isaiah 40:12)
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? ...Who determined its measurements? ...Or who stretched the line upon it? (Job 38:4-5)
