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Hesekiel 1

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1 'Kolmekümnendal aastal, neljanda kuu viiendal päeval, kui ma olin vangide seas Kebari jõe ääres, sündis, et taevad avanesid ja ma nägin Jumala nägemusi.'

2 Kuu viiendal päeval, kuningas Joojakini vangiviimise viiendal aastal

3 tuli Issanda sõna preester Hesekielile, Buusi pojale, kaldealaste maal Kebari jõe ääres; ja Issanda käsi tuli seal tema peale.

4 'Ja ma vaatasin, ja ennäe, põhja poolt tuli marutuul suure pilve ja lõõmava tulega. Ja pilve ümber oli kuma, ja keskelt, tule keskelt, paistis otsekui hiilgav metall.

5 Ja keset seda paistis midagi, mis koosnes neljast olevusest. Nende välimus oli niisugune: nad olid inimese sarnased,

6 aga igaühel oli neli nägu ja igaühel oli neli tiiba.

7 Nende jalad olid sirged ja nende labajalad olid nagu vasika sõrad. Ja nad hiilgasid nagu läikiv vask.

8 Neil olid inimese käed tiibade all, neljas küljes; ja neil neljal olid oma näod ja oma tiivad.

9 Nende tiivad puudutasid üksteist. Liikudes nad ei pöördunud, igaüks läks otse edasi.

10 Ja nende näod olid niisugused: esiküljel inimese nägu, neliku paremal küljel lõvi nägu, neliku vasakul küljel härja nägu ja neliku tagaküljel kotka nägu.

11 Niisugused olid nende näod. Ja nende tiivad olid laiali laotatud ülespoole; igaühel oli kaks tiiba vastastikuseks puudutamiseks ja kaks tiiba katsid nende ihu.

12 Nad liikusid igaüks otse edasi: kuhu vaim iganes tahtis minna, sinna nad läksid, liikudes nad ei pöördunud.

13 Ja olevuste vahel oli näha otsekui tuliseid süsi, mis põlesid tõrvikute sarnaselt, liikudes olevuste vahel sinna-tänna; ja tulel oli kuma ning tulest tuli välja välk.

14 Ja olevused jooksid sinna-tänna, otsekui lööks välku.

15 Siis ma vaatasin olevusi, ja ennäe, olevuste kõrval, igas neljas esiküljes, oli maas üks ratas.

16 Rataste välimus ja nende tegumood: need helkisid nagu krüsoliit ja kõigil neljal oli ühesugune kuju. Need olid välimuselt ja tegumoelt, nagu oleks ratas olnud ratta sees.

17 Liikudes nad läksid neljas eri suunas, liikudes nad ei pöördunud.

18 Ja nende rattapöiad olid kõrged ning kohutavad; ja sel nelikul olid rattapöiad ümberringi täis silmi.

19 Ja kui olevused liikusid, siis liikusid rattad nende kõrval; ja kui olevused tõusid maast üles, siis tõusid üles ka rattad.

20 Kuhu vaim iganes läks, sinna läksid needki, sinna, kuhu vaim tahtis minna. Rattad tõusid üles samuti kui nemad, sest rattais oli olevuste vaim.

21 Kui olevused liikusid, siis liikusid nemadki, ja kui need seisid, siis seisid nemadki; kui olevused tõusid maast üles, siis tõusid selsamal kombel ka rattad, sest rattais oli olevuste vaim.

22 Ja olevuste peade kohal oli midagi taevalaotuse taolist, kohutav nagu jää, mis oli välja laotatud ülal nende peade kohal.

23 Ja laotuse all olid nende tiivad üksteise poole välja sirutatud; igaühel oli kaks tiiba oma keha katmiseks.

24 Kui nad liikusid, siis ma kuulsin nende tiibade kahinat otsekui suurte vete kohinat, otsekui Kõigevägevama häält, müristamise kaja - otsekui sõjaleeri kära. Kui nad seisid, siis nad lasksid oma tiivad longu.

25 Ja hääl kuuldus taevalaotuse pealt, mis oli nende peade kohal; kui nad seisid, siis nad lasksid oma tiivad longu.

26 Ja nende peade kohal oleva taevalaotuse peal oli midagi, mis paistis safiirikividena, midagi aujärje sarnast. Ja selle aujärje sarnase peal, ülal selle peal, oli keegi, kes oli välimuselt inimese sarnane.

27 Ja ma nägin otsekui hiilgavat metalli, pealtnäha nagu tuld, millel oli kuma ümber, ülalpool sellest, mis paistis olevat ta niuded; allpool sellest, mis paistis olevat ta niuded, nägin ma pealtnäha nagu tuld ja sellel oli kuma ümber.

28 Otsekui vikerkaare paiste, mis vihmapäeval on pilvis, oli kuma paiste ümberringi. See oli Issanda auhiilguse ilmutuse paiste! Ja kui ma seda nägin, siis ma langesin silmili maha ja kuulsin häält, mis kõneles.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9509

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9509. 'And you shall make two cherubs' means that there is no admission or access to the Lord except through the good of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'cherubs' as watchfulness and providence, guarding against access to the Lord except through the good of love. Since this was meant by the cherubs, they were placed over the mercy-seat that was over the ark; and they were for the same reason made from solid gold. For 'the ark' means heaven where the Lord is, 9485, and 'gold' means the good of love, 9490. The reason why there is no access to the Lord except through the good of love is that love is spiritual togetherness, and all good belongs to love. Those therefore who are governed by the good of love to the Lord are brought to Him in heaven, because they have been joined together with Him. So too are those who are governed by the good of love towards the neighbour; for the neighbour is the good of a fellow-citizen, the good of one's country, the good of the Church, the good of the whole of the Lord's kingdom, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself since He is the source of that good present with a person.

[2] There are two states that a person passes through while being regenerated, one of which follows the other. The first is a state during which he is led by means of the truths of faith to the good of love; the other is one in which he is governed by the good of love, and when governed by it he is in heaven with the Lord. From this it is evident that this good is heaven itself present with the person, that good being the Lord present with him because its source is the Lord. Regarding these two states that a person who is being regenerated passes through, one of which follows the other, see 7923, 7992, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8512, 8516, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8685, 8690, 8701, 9224, 9227, 9230, 9274; and the fact that a person comes into heaven when governed by good, that is, when led by the Lord by means of good, 8516, 8539, 8722, 8772, 9139.

[3] It is clear from places in the Word where 'cherubs' are mentioned that they mean watchfulness and providence, guarding against access to the Lord or to heaven except through the good of love, that is, except by those governed by the good of love, and also guarding against any harm being done to the good from the Lord which is present in heaven and with a person, as for instance in Genesis,

And He expelled the man, and away from the east towards the garden of Eden He caused the cherubs to dwell, and the flame of a sword turning itself this way and that to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24.

Here it is self-evident that things which serve as guards are meant by 'the cherubs', since it says 'to guard the way to the tree of life'. 'The tree of life' is the good of love, which comes from the Lord and for that reason is the Lord; and it is guarded by the prevention of any access except through the good of love.

[4] It is thought that the Lord is accessible through the truths of faith. But there can be no access to Him, nor even to heaven, through those truths if they have been separated from the good of love. As soon as separated truths wish to enter, heaven, which is the way to the Lord, is closed. And since truth cannot enter by itself unless it has good within it, and by virtue of this has come to consist of good, neither can understanding do so, still less factual knowledge, if separated from good desired by the will.

[5] Because watchfulness and providence guarding against access to the Lord, or for that reason to heaven, except through the good of love is meant by 'the cherubs', the Word says that Jehovah is seated on the cherubs, also rides and dwells upon the cherubs, as in David,

Turn Your ears, O Shepherd of Israel; You who are seated upon the cherubs, shine forth. Psalms 80:1.

In the same author,

Jehovah will reign, the peoples will be shaken. He is seated on the cherubs. Psalms 99:1.

In the same author,

Jehovah rode on a cherub, and flew. Psalms 18:10.

And in Isaiah,

Jehovah Zebaoth is dwelling on the cherubs. Isaiah 37:16.

For the same reasons there were cherubs upon the curtains of the dwelling-place, and upon the veil, Exodus 26:1, 31; 36:35; they were also upon the walls of the temple round about and upon the doors there, 1 Kings 6:23-29, 31-35, and similarly in the new temple, as described in Ezekiel 41:18-20. The presence of the cherubs on the curtains of the dwelling-place, on the veil, on the walls of the temple, and on the doors there, was a sign of the Lord's watchfulness, guarding against access to Divine Holiness except through the good of love; and the presence of the cherubs over the ark was a sign that no one should gain access to the Lord Himself except through that good. This also explains why the cherubs were made from solid gold, and in the Jerusalem temple from olive wood; for 'gold' and 'olive oil' mean the good of love.

[6] That watchfulness and providence of the Lord is described in Ezekiel by 'the four living creatures', each of which had four faces, under the throne where the Lord was, Ezekiel 1:1-end; 10:1-end, and also in John by 'four living creatures' around the throne where the Lord was, 10:Revelation 4:6-10; 5:6, 8-9, 14. By 'the four living creatures' is meant the good, varying in appearance, which emanates from the Lord, and which watches and guards against the letting in of anything other than the good of love to the Lord and the good of love towards the neighbour. By 'the throne' on which the Lord was seated heaven is meant, 5313.

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