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Hesekiel 1

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1 Kolmantenakymmentenä vuotena, viidentenä päivänä neljännessä kuussa, kuin minä olin vankein seassa Kebarin virran tykönä, aukenivat taivaat ja minä näin Jumalan näyt.

2 Viidentenä päivänä kuussa, viidennellä vuodella, sittekuin Jojakin, Juudan kuningas oli viety vankina pois,

3 Tapahtui Herran sana Hesekielille, papin Busin pojalle, Kaldean maassa, Kebarin virran tykönä; siellä tuli Herran käsi hänen päällensä.

4 Ja minä näin, ja katso, siellä tuli rajutuuli pohjan puolesta, suuren pilven kanssa, täynnänsä tulta, niin että se kuumotti kaikki ympärinsä, ja tulen keskeltä oli se sangen kirkas.

5 Ja siinä keskellä oli niinkuin neljä eläintä, ja tämä oli heidän muotonsa: he olivat ihmisen muotoiset.

6 Ja kullakin heillä oli neljät kasvot, ja kullakin neljä siipeä.

7 Ja heidän säärensä seisoivat oikiana, mutta heidän pöytäjalkansa olivat niinkuin härjän sorkat, ja paistivat niinkuin kiiltävä vaski.

8 Ja ihmisen kädet olivat heidän siipeinsä alla, heidän neljällä tahollansa, sillä heillä oli neljät kasvot ja neljä siipeä.

9 Ja heidän siipensä olivat yhdistetyt toinen toiseensa; ja kuin he kävivät, ei he erinneet toinen toisestansa; vaan kuhunka he menivät he kohdastansa eteenpäin.

10 Ja niiden neljän kasvot oikialla puolella olivat niinkuin ihmisen kasvot ja jalopeuran kasvot; mutta vasemmalla puolella olivat niillä neljällä kasvot, niinkuin härjän kasvot, ja kotkan kasvot.

11 Ja niin olivat heidän kasvonsa; mutta heidän siipensä olivat eroitetut ylhäältä, niin että kaksi siipeä löi juuri yhteen, ja kahdella siivellä peittivät he ruumiinsa.

12 Kuhunka he menivät, niin he menivät kohdastansa; ja menivät sinne, kuhunka henki ajoi, ja ei erinneet täydessänsä toinen toisestansa.

13 Ja eläimet olivat näköänsä niinkuin tuliset hiilet, jotka palavat niinkuin tulisoitto, joka kävi eläinten vaiheella; mutta tuli kuumotti, ja tulesta kävi ulos pitkäisen leimaus.

14 Ja eläimet juoksivat edes ja takaisin niinkuin pitäisen tuli.

15 Kuin minä näin nämät eläimet: katso, niin seisoivat siellä yhdet rattaat maan päällä, neljän eläimen tykönä, ja olivat näköänsä niinkuin neljät rattaat.

16 Ja ne rattaat olivat teostansa niinkuin yksi turkos, ja olivat kaikki neljä yhden muotoiset; ja ne olivat näköänsä ja tekoansa niinkuin yhdet rattaat olisivat olleet toinen toisestansa.

17 Kuin yksi heistä meni, niin menivät kaikki neljä, ja ei erinneet toinen toisestansa.

18 Niiden pyörät ja korkeus oli sangen ihmeellinen, ja ne olivat täynnä silmiä kaikki ympäri neljää ratasta.

19 Ja kuin eläimet kävivät, niin kulkivat myös rattaat heitä myöten; ja kuin eläimet ylensivät itsensä maasta, niin ylensivät myös rattaat itsensä.

20 Kuhunka henki meni, sinne menivät he myös, ja rattaat ylensivät itsensä heidän kanssansa; sillä elävä henki oli rattaissa.

21 Kuin he menivät, niin menivät nämät myös, kuin he seisoivat, seisoivat nämät myös; ja kuin he ylensivät itsensä maasta, niin ylensivät myös rattaat itsensä heitä myöten; sillä elävä henki oli rattaissa.

22 Mutta eläinten pään päällä oli niinkuin taivas, kuin peljättävä kristalli, juuri heidän päällitsensä levitetty.

23 Niin että taivaan alla seisoivat heidän siipensä tasaisesti, yksi juuri toiseen päin; ja kaksi siipeä peitti jokaisen heidän ruumiinsa.

24 Minä kuulin heidän siipiensä äänen, niinkuin suurten vetten pauhinan ja niinkuin Kaikkivaltiaan jylinän, kuin ne liikkuivat, ja pauhinan äänen niinkuin sotajoukon hyminän; mutta kuin he alallansa seisoivat, niin laskivat he siipensä alas.

25 Ja ääni kuului taivaasta, joka oli heidän päänsä päällä, kuin he seisoissansa laskivat siipensä alas.

26 Ja taivaan päällä, joka heidän ylitsensä oli, oli istuin näkyänsä niinkuin saphir, ja istuimella istui ihmisen muotoinen.

27 Ja minä katsoin hänen päällensä, ja hän oli kuin kirkas valkeus, ja sisältä oli se kuin tuli kaikki ympärinsä; hänen kupeistansa ylös ja alas näin minä niinkuin tulen kuumottavan hänen ympärillänsä.

28 Niinkuin taivaan kaari näkyy pilvessä, kuin satanut on, niin oli myös sen kirkkauden näky ympärinsä. Tämä oli Herran kunnian näky. Ja kuin minä sen nähnyt olin, lankesin minä kasvoilleni, ja kuulin äänen puhuvan.


SWORD version by Tero Favorin (tero at favorin dot com)

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Apocalypse Explained #297

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297. (5:1) And I saw in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. That this signifies the Lord as to omnipotence and as to omniscience, is evident from the signification of the right hand when said of the Lord, as denoting omnipotence and also omniscience (concerning which we shall speak presently): and from the signification of Him that sat upon the throne, as denoting the Lord as to Divine good in heaven. For throne signifies heaven in general, specifically the spiritual heaven, and, in the abstract, the Divine truth proceeding, from which heaven is, and by which judgment is effected (as may be seen above, n. 253). The reason why the Lord is meant by Him that sat upon the throne, and also by the Lamb which took the book from Him that sat upon the throne, is, because by Him that sat upon the throne is meant the Lord as to Divine good, and by the Lamb the Lord as to Divine truth: for there are two things that proceed from the Lord as the Sun of heaven, namely, Divine good and Divine truth. Divine good from the Lord is called the Father in the heavens, and this is meant by Him that sat upon the throne; and Divine truth from the Lord is called the Son of man, but in this case the Lamb. And because Divine good judges no one, but Divine truth, it is therefore said here, that the Lamb took the book from Him that sat upon the throne. That the Divine good judges no one, but Divine truth, is meant by the Lord's words in John:

"The Father judgeth no one, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, because he is the Son of man" (5:22, 27).

By the Father is meant the Lord as to Divine good; and by the Son of man, the Lord as to Divine truth. The reason why Divine good judges no one, is, because it explores no one: but Divine truth [judges], for this explores every one. But still it must be known that the Lord Himself does not judge any one from the Divine truth that proceeds from Him, for this is united to the Divine good, so that they are one, but that a man-spirit judges himself: for it is the Divine truth received by him that judges him; and because it appears as if the Lord judges him, it is therefore said in the Word that all are judged by the Lord. This also the Lord teaches in John:

Jesus said, "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejected me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the Word that I have spoken, it shall judge him in the last day" (12:47, 48).

[2] For with respect to judgment, the case is this: the Lord is present with all, and from Divine love wills to save all and also turns and leads all to Himself. Those who are in good, and thence in truths, follow, for they apply themselves; but those who are in evil, and thence in falsities, do not follow, but turn themselves away from the Lord, and to turn themselves away from the Lord is [to turn] from heaven to hell; for every man spirit is either his own good and the truth thence, or he is his own evil and the falsity thence. He who is in good and the truth therefrom, suffers himself to be led by the Lord; but he who is in evil and the falsity thence, does not suffer himself to be led. The latter resists with all his might and effort; for he wills according to his own love, which inspires and animates him; therefore his desire is to those who are in a similar love of evil. Hence it is evident that the Lord judges no one, but that the Divine truth received judges to heaven those who have received Divine truth in the heart, that is, in the love: and to hell those who have not received Divine truth in the heart, and have denied it. From these considerations it is evident how the Lord's words must be understood. "All judgment is [given] to the Son, because he is the Son of man." And elsewhere, that "he came not to judge the world but to save the world, and that the Word which he has spoken will judge him."

[3] But these things are such as do not fall into man's own intelligence, for they are amongst the arcana of the wisdom of the angels. This subject, however, is in some measure elucidated in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 545-551, where this fact is treated of, that the Lord casts no one into hell, but that the spirit himself [casts] himself thither. That it is the Lord who is meant "by him that sat upon the throne," and not another whom they distinguish from Him, and call God the Father, is evident to every one from this consideration, that there was no other Divine which the Lord called Father, but His own Divine: for this assumed the Human, therefore this was His Father; and that this is infinite, eternal, uncreate, omnipotent, God, Lord, and in nothing differing from the very Divine, which they distinguish from Him and call "the Father," is evident from the received faith, called the Athanasian; where it is also said, That none of them is greatest and least, and none of them first and last, but that they are altogether equal; and that as one is, so is the other, infinite, eternal, uncreate, omnipotent, God, Lord: and yet there are not three infinites, but one: not three eternals, but one: not three uncreate, but one: not three omnipotents, but one: not three Gods and Lords, but one.

These things are mentioned, in order that it may be known that there are not two distinct [beings] meant by "Him that sat upon the throne," and by "the Lamb," nor in what follows "by God" and "the Lamb" but that by the one is meant the Divine good, and by the other the Divine truth in heaven, both proceeding from the Lord. That the Lord is meant by Him that sat upon the throne, also appears from all the particulars of chapter four, where a throne and one sitting thereon is treated of; this may be seen explained, n. 258-295: and, moreover, in Matthew:

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory" (25:31; 19:28, 29).

Again in Ezekiel:

"And above the expanse that was over the head of the cherubim was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man sitting upon it" (1:26; 10:1)

And in Isaiah:

"I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his borders filled the temple" (6:1).

[4] Because by a throne is signified heaven, and by one sitting upon a throne, the Lord as to His Divine in heaven, therefore it is said above (in chap. Revelation 3), "To him that overcometh, I will give to sit with me on my throne," by which is signified that he shall be in heaven where the Lord is (as may be seen above, n. 253); and therefore in what follows in this chapter, it is said,

"I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne a Lamb standing" (5:6).

And in chapter 22,

"He shewed me a river of the water of life, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Revelation 22:1).

By the throne of God and of the Lamb, is meant heaven and the Lord there, as to Divine good, and as to Divine truth; God there denoting the Lord as to Divine good; and the Lamb, as to Divine truth. There is a distinction made here between them, because there are those who receive one more than the other; those who receive the Divine truth in good are saved; but those who receive the Divine truth, which is the Word, not in good, are not saved, because all Divine truth is in good, and nowhere else. Therefore those who do not receive it in good, reject and deny it, if not openly yet tacitly, and if not with the mouth yet with the heart; for the heart of such is evil, and evil rejects. To receive Divine truth in good, is to receive it in the good of charity; for those who are in that good receive.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.