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Ezekiel 8

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1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the ancients of Juda sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.

2 And I saw, and behold a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins, and downward, fire: and from his loins, and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the appearance of amber.

3 And the likeness of a hand was put forth and took me by a lock of my head: and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the vision of God into Jerusalem, near the inner gate, that looked toward the north, where was set the idol of jealousy to provoke to jealousy.

4 And behold the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision which I had seen in the plain.

5 And he said to me: Son of man, lift up thy eyes towards the way of the north. And I lifted up my eyes towards the way of the north: and behold on the north side of the gate of the altar the idol of jealousy in the very entry.

6 And he said to me: Son of man, dost thou see, thinkest thou, what these are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should depart far off from my sanctuary? and turn thee yet again and thou shalt see greater abominations.

7 And he brought me in to the door of the court: and I saw, and behold a hole in the wall.

8 And he said to me: Son of man, dig in the wall. And when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

9 And he said to me: Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they commit here.

10 And I went in and saw, and behold every form of creeping things, and of living creatures, the abomination, and all the idols of the house of Israel, were painted on the wall all round about.

11 And seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and Jezonias the son of Saaphan stood in the midst of them, that stood before the pictures: and every one had a censer in his hand: and a cloud of smoke went up from the incense.

12 And he add to me: Surely thou seest. O son of man, what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every one in private in his chamber: for they say: The Lord seeth us not, The Lord hath forsaken the earth.

13 And he said to me: If thou turn thee again, thou shalt see greater abominations which these commit.

14 And he brought me in by the door of the gate of the Lord's house, which looked to the north: and behold women sat there mourning for Adonis.

15 And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen, O son of man: but turn thee again: and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

16 And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord: and behold at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men having their backs towards the temple of the Lord, and their faces to the east: and they adored towards the rising of the sun.

17 And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen, O son of man: is this a light thing to the house of Juda, that they should commit these abominations which they have committed here: because they have filled the land with iniquity, and have turned to provoke me to anger? and behold they put a branch to their nose.

18 Therefore I also will deal with them in my wrath: my eye shall not spare them, neither will I shew mercy: and when they shall cry to my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #93

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93. Since the angel Gabriel said to Mary, 'The holy thing that shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God,' passages will be quoted from the Word to prove that the Lord in His Human is called the Holy One of Israel.

I was seeing in visions; and behold, a watcher, a Holy One, coming down from heaven, Daniel 4:13, 23.

God shall come from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran, Habakkuk 3:3.

I am Jehovah the Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your Holy One, Isaiah 43:14-15.

Thus spoke Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, Isaiah 49:7.

I am Jehovah your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour, Isaiah 43:1, 3.

As for our Redeemer, Jehovah Zebaoth is His name, the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 47:4.

Jehovah your Redeemer said, the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 43:14; 48:17.

Jehovah Zebaoth is His name, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 54:5.

They tested God and the Holy One of Israel, Psalms 78:41.

They have abandoned Jehovah, and provoked the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 1:4.

They said, Make the Holy One of Israel depart from our faces; therefore thus spoke the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 30:11-12.

Who say, Let Him hasten His work that we may see it, and let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel come near and be present, Isaiah 5:19.

On that day they shall lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth, Isaiah 10:20.

Cry out and triumph, inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 12:6.

The word of the God of Israel, On that day his eyes shall look towards the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 17:6-7.

The needy among men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 29:19; 41:16.

The earth is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel, Jeremiah 51:5.

See also Isaiah 55:5; 60:9 and elsewhere.

[2] By 'the Holy One of Israel' is meant the Lord as to His Divine Human, for the angel said to Mary:

The holy thing that shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God, Luke 1:35.

Although Jehovah and the Holy One of Israel are mentioned separately, it is clear that they are one and the same, as is shown also by the passages quoted here, which prove that the Holy One of Israel is Jehovah. There are numerous passages to show that the Lord is called the God of Israel: for example, Isaiah 17:6; 21:10, 17; 24:15; 29:23; Jeremiah 7:3; 9:15; 11:3; 13:12; 16:9; 19:3, 15; 23:2; 24:5; 25:15, 27; 29:4, 8, 21, 25; 30:2; 31:23; 32:14-15, 36; 33:4; 34:2, 13; 35:13, 17-19; 37:7; 38:17; 39:16; 42:9, 15, 18; 43:10; 44:2, 7, 11, 25; 48:1; 50:18; 51:33; Ezekiel 8:4; 9:3; 10:19-20; 11:22; 43:2; 44:2; Zephaniah 2:9; Psalms 41:13; 59:5; 68:8.

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