The Bible

 

Ezekiel 43:18

Study

       

18 And he said to me: Son of man, thus saith the Lord God: These are the ceremonies of the altar, in what day soever it shall be made: that holocausts may be offered upon it, and blood poured out.

Commentary

 

Throne

  

'The Lord's throne' signifies, in general, the whole heaven, and specifically, the spiritual heaven, and by extension, divine truth proceeding, and so, everything of heaven and the church.

In Genesis 41:40, this signifies things that are natural. (Arcana Coelestia 5313)

In Exodus 11:5, this signifies the falsified truths of faith that have wrongly receive attention. (Arcana Coelestia 7779)

'The throne built by Solomon,' as mentioned in 1 Kings 10:18-20, signifies both royalty and judgment.

In Isaiah 66:1, this signifies celestial and spiritual things which when they relate to the Divine are like natural things to man's spiritual and celestial. (Arcana Coelestia 2162[8])

In Matthew 25:31, this signifies judgment. (Arcana Coelestia 4809[3])

In Revelation 1:4, this signifies the universal heaven. 'Throne' signifies heaven and judgment.

'Throne,' as in Revelation 4:2, signifies a representation of judgment, because the things which John saw were representative visions. He saw them as he described them, but they were forms representative of things to come.

In Revelation 8:2, this signifies the church regarding doctrine.

'Throne,' as in Revelation 12:5, signifies the angelic heaven.

'Throne' also signifies the government of falsity and evil in Revelation 2:13, 8:2, Daniel 7:9, Haggai 2:22, and Isaiah 14:13.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 8 [2], 289)


From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4691

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

4691. 'Are you indeed going to reign over us? Or are you indeed going to have dominion over us?' means, Were the concepts in their understandings and the desires in their wills to be made subject to it? This is clear from the meaning of 'reigning' as the subjection of concepts in the understanding, and from the meaning of 'having dominion' as the subjection of desires in the will. This meaning of 'reigning over them' and 'having dominion over them' - being made subject to - is self-evident; but the reason both expressions are used here is that one has regard to concepts in the understanding, the other to desires in the will. It is common in the Word, especially in the prophetical part, for one particular matter to be described by a dual expression. Anyone unaware of the arcanum lying behind this inevitably supposes that it is no more than a repetition made for the sake of emphasis. But that is not the case. Within every single part of the Word the heavenly marriage is present, namely the marriage of truth to good and of good to truth, just as there is a marriage of understanding and will in the human being. One part of a dual expression has reference to truth, the other to good, so that one has to do with the understanding since that is where truth belongs, the other with the will since this is where good belongs. Expressions used in the Word consist of words which in every case mean things like these. This is the arcanum lying behind the use of a dual expression to describe one particular matter, see 683, 793, 801, 2173, 2516, 2712, 4138(end). So that is the case here also with 'reigning over them' and 'having dominion over them'. 'Reigning' has regard to truth which belongs in the understanding, while 'dominion' has regard to good which belongs in the will; also, 'a kingdom' is used in reference to truth, 1672, 2547, and 'dominion' to good, as is also the case in Daniel where again the Lord's Divine Human is the subject,

To Him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, so that all peoples, nations and languages might worship Him. His dominion is an eternal dominion which will not pass away, and His kingdom one that will not perish. Daniel 7:14.

And in David,

Your kingdom is a kingdom to all eternity, and Your dominion to every generation after generation. Psalms 145:13.

  
/ 10837  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.