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Hesekiel 3

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1 Und er sprach zu mir: Du Menschenkind, iß, was vor dir ist, iß diesen Brief, und gehe hin und predige dem Hause Israel!

2 Da tat ich meinen Mund auf, und er gab mir den Brief zu essen

3 und sprach zu mir: Du Menschenkind, du mußt diesen Brief, den ich dir gebe, in deinen Leib essen und deinen Bauch damit füllen. Da aß ich ihn, und er war in meinem Munde so süß wie Honig.

4 Und er sprach zu mir: Du Menschenkind, gehe hin zum Hause Israel und predige ihnen meine Worte.

5 Denn ich sende dich ja nicht zu einem Volk, das eine fremde Rede und unbekannte Sprache hat, sondern zum Hause Israel;

6 ja, freilich nicht zu großen Völkern, die fremde Rede und unbekannte Sprache haben, welcher Worte du nicht verstehen könntest. Und wenn ich dich gleich zu denselben sendete, würden sie dich doch gern hören.

7 Aber das Haus Israel will dich nicht hören, denn sie wollen mich selbst nicht hören; denn das ganze Haus Israel hat harte Stirnen und verstockte Herzen.

8 Siehe, ich habe dein Angesicht hart gemacht gegen ihr Angesicht und deine Stirn gegen ihre Stirn.

9 Ja, ich habe deine Stirn so hart wie ein Demant, der härter ist denn ein Fels, gemacht. Darum fürchte dich nicht, entsetze dich auch nicht vor ihnen, daß sie so ein ungehorsames Haus sind.

10 Und er sprach zu mir: Du Menschenkind, alle meine Worte, die ich dir sage, die fasse zu Herzen und nimm sie zu Ohren!

11 Und gehe hin zu den Gefangenen deines Volks und predige ihnen und sprich zu ihnen: So spricht der HERR HERR! sie hören's oder lassen's.

12 Und ein Wind hob mich auf, und ich hörte hinter mir ein Getön wie eines großen Erdbebens: Gelobt sei die Herrlichkeit des HERRN an ihrem Ort!

13 Und war ein Rauschen von den Flügeln der Tiere, die aneinander schlugen, und auch das Rasseln der Räder, so hart bei ihnen waren, und das Getön eines großen Erdbebens.

14 Da hob mich der Wind auf und führte mich weg. Und ich fuhr dahin in bitterem Grimm, und des HERRN Hand hielt mich fest.

15 Und ich kam zu den Gefangenen, die am Wasser Chebar wohnten, gen Thel-Abib, und setzte mich zu ihnen, die da saßen, und blieb daselbst unter ihnen sieben Tage ganz traurig.

16 Und da die sieben Tage um waren, geschah des HERRN Wort zu mir und sprach:

17 Du Menschenkind, ich habe dich zum Wächter gesetzt über das Haus Israel; du sollst aus meinem Munde das Wort hören und sie von meinetwegen warnen.

18 Wenn ich dem Gottlosen sage: Du mußt des Todes sterben, und du warnst ihn nicht und sagst es ihm nicht, damit sich der Gottlose vor seinem Gottlosen Wesen hüte, auf daß er lebendig bleibe: so wird der Gottlose um seiner Sünde willen sterben; aber sein Blut will ich von deiner Hand fordern.

19 Wo du aber den Gottlosen warnst und er sich nicht bekehrt von seinem Gottlosen Wesen und Wege, so wird er um seiner Sünde willen sterben; aber du hast deine Seele errettet.

20 Und wenn sich ein Gerechter von seiner Gerechtigkeit wendet und tut Böses, so werde ich ihn lassen anlaufen, daß er muß sterben. Denn weil du ihn nicht gewarnt hast, wird er um seiner Sünde willen sterben müssen, und seine Gerechtigkeit, die er getan, wird nicht angesehen werden; aber sein Blut will ich von deiner Hand fordern.

21 Wo du aber den Gerechten warnst, daß er nicht sündigen soll, und er sündigt auch nicht, so soll er leben, denn er hat sich warnen lassen; und du hast deine Seele errettet.

22 Und daselbst kam des HERRN Hand über mich, und er sprach zu mir: Mache dich auf und gehe hinaus ins Feld; da will ich mit dir reden.

23 Und ich machte mich auf und ging hinaus ins Feld; und siehe, da stand die Herrlichkeit des HERR daselbst, gleichwie ich sie am Wasser Chebar gesehen hatte; und ich fiel nieder auf mein Angesicht.

24 Und ich ward erquickt und trat auf meine Füße. Und er redete mit mir und sprach zu mir: Gehe hin und verschließ dich in deinem Hause!

25 Und du, Menschenkind, siehe, man wird dir Stricke anlegen und dich damit binden, daß du nicht ausgehen sollst unter sie.

26 Und ich will dir die Zunge an deinem Gaumen kleben lassen, daß du verstummen sollst und nicht mehr sie Strafen könnest; denn es ist ein ungehorsames Haus.

27 Wenn ich aber mit dir reden werde, will ich dir den Mund auftun, daß du zu ihnen sagen sollst: So spricht der HERR HERR! Wer's hört, der höre es; wer's läßt, der lasse es; denn es ist ein ungehorsames Haus.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #63

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63. (Verse 13) And in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man. That this signifies the Lord, from whom is the all of heaven and of the church, is evident from the signification of "in the midst," as denoting in the inmost (see Arcana Coelestia 1074, 2940, 2973); and, because all things proceed from the inmost as light from the centre into the circumferences, therefore, "in the midst," signifies from whom. This is evident also from the signification of the seven lampstands, as denoting the New Heaven and the New Church (concerning which see above, n. 62); and from the signification of the Son of man, as denoting the Lord as to the Divine Human, and also as to Divine truth, because this proceeds from His Divine Human. From these considerations it is evident that the Lord appeared in the midst of seven lampstands, because from Him proceeds the all of heaven and of the church; for the good of love and the good of faith constitute heaven and the church, and that these are from the Divine is known in the Christian world, and because they are from the Divine, they are from the Lord, because the Lord is the God of heaven, and because the Divine of the Lord makes heaven (see the work, Heaven and Hell 2-6, and n. 7-12; and that this is His Divine Human, n. 78-86).

[2] That by the Son of man is meant the Lord as to the Divine Human, and also as to Divine truth, because Divine truth proceeds from His Divine Human, is evident from those passages in the Word where mention is made of the Son of man. Thus in John:

The multitude said unto Jesus, "How sayest thou that the Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? Jesus answered them, Yet a little while the light is with you; walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you. While ye have the light believe in the light, that ye may be sons of light" (12:34-36).

From these words it is clear that by the Son of man is signified the same as by light; for when they inquired, "Who is this Son of man?" the Lord answered that He was the light in which they should believe. (That light is the Divine truth proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 126-140; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 49; thus also that the Son of man is the Divine truth.) It is said in Luke:

[3] "Blessed are ye when men shall hate you for the Son of man's sake" (6:22).

For the Son of man's sake is for the sake of the Divine truth which proceeds from the Lord. Divine truth is the all of faith and love to the Lord; and because they who are evil deny those things, and they who deny also hate them, and the good acknowledge them, therefore it is said, that these latter are blessed. Again, in the same:

[4] "The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, but ye shall not see it. Then they shall say to you, Behold here, or behold there; go not away, nor follow them" (17:22, 23).

To desire one of the days of the Son of man, is to desire something of genuine Divine truth. The end of the church is there meant, when there will be no longer any faith, because no charity, at which time all Divine truth will perish; and because Divine truth is signified by the Son of man, therefore it is said, "Then shall they say, Behold here, or behold there; follow them not." And in the same:

[5] "When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" (18:8);

that is, when Divine truth shall be revealed out of heaven, it will not be believed. The Son of man, in this place also, is the Lord as to Divine truth; the coming of the Lord is the revelation of Divine truth at the end of the church. (See Arcana Coelestia 3900, 4060.)

[6] And in Matthew:

"As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and glory" (24:27, 30).

(That by the coming of the Lord in the clouds of heaven, is there signified the revelation of Divine truth at the end of the church, may be seen above, n. 36.)

[7] And in the same:

"I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (26:64).

And in Luke:

"Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God" (22:69).

The Son of man is the Lord as to the Divine Human, and as to Divine truth proceeding from It; to sit on the right hand of power, means that He has omnipotence; its being said that they should see this now, means, that Divine truth was in its omnipotence when the Lord in the world had conquered the hells, and reduced to order all things there and in the heavens, and that thus those would be saved who should receive Him in faith and love. (See Arcana Coelestia 9715. That to sit on the right hand denotes omnipotence, may be seen Arcana Coelestia 3387, 4592, 4933, 7518, 8281, 9133; that all the power of good is by truth, n. 6344, 6423, 8304, 9327, 9410, 9639, 9643. That Divine power itself is by Divine truth proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord, see n. 6948; that the clouds in which the Son of man will come are the Word in the letter, which is Divine truth in the ultimate of order, see the preface to the eighteenth chapter of Genesis, Arcana Coelestia 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8443, 8781; and that glory is the Divine truth itself, such as it is in the internal sense of the Word, see n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 9429.)

[8] From these considerations it is now evident what is signified by these words in the Apocalypse:

"I saw, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown" (14:14).

And in Daniel:

"I saw in the visions of the night, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of the heavens" (7:13).

Because all judgment is executed from truth, therefore it is said, that it is given to the Lord "to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man" (John 5:27); and that "the Son of man shall render to every one according to his deeds" (Matthew 16:27); and that "when the Son of man shall come, he shall sit upon the throne of his glory, and shall judge" (Matthew 25:31).

[9] And again in Matthew, it is said:

"He who soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the evil" (13:37, 38).

The good seed is Divine truth, therefore it is said that the Son of man soweth it; the sons of the kingdom are Divine truths in heaven and the church; for son denotes truth (see Arcana Coelestia 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623), and, in an opposite sense, falsity, which also is the son of evil.

[10] In the same:

"The Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (8:20);

by which is signified, that Divine truth had not a place anywhere, or with any man, at that time. Again it is said, that the Son of man would suffer and be put to death (Matthew 17:12, 22; 26:2, 24, 45; Mark 8:31; 9:12, 31); by which is signified, that thus they would treat Divine truth, consequently the Lord, who was Divine truth itself, as He also teaches in Luke:

"The Son of man must first suffer, and be rejected of this generation" (17:25).

[11] In Jeremiah:

"No man [vir] shall dwell there; neither shall a son of man [hominis] abide there" (49:18, 33).

In the same:

In the cities "no man shall dwell, nor shall a son of man pass through them" (51:43).

He who is not acquainted with the spiritual sense of the Word, believes that by cities here are meant cities, and that by man, and by a son of man, are meant a man and a son; also, that the cities were thus to be desolated, so that no one should be in them; but it is the state of the church as to the doctrine of truth which is described by those words; for cities denote the doctrinals of the church (as may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 402, 2449, 3216, 4492, 4493); and man is the essential truth thereof, conjoined with good (see n. 3134, 7716, 9007); thus the Son of man is truth. Because the Son of man signified Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, therefore the prophets also, through whom it was revealed, were called "sons of man," as Daniel (8:17); and Ezekiel (2:1, 3, 6, 8; 3:1, 3, 4, 10, 17, 25; 4:1, 16; 8:5, 6, 8, 12, 15; 12:2, 3, 9, 18, 22, 27). As most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so also has the signification of a son of man, which in that sense denotes falsity opposed to truth. Thus in Isaiah:

"What art thou, that thou fearest man? he dies; and a son of man? he is as grass" (51:12).

And in David:

"Place not your trust in princes, in a son of man, with whom there is no salvation" (Psalm 146:3).

Princes denote primary truths (see Arcana Coelestia 2089, 5044); thus, in an opposite sense, primary falsities; and son of man denotes falsity itself.

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

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