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Ιεζεκιήλ 10

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1 Επειτα ειδον και ιδου, εν τω στερεωματι τω ανωθεν της κεφαλης των χερουβειμ εφαινετο υπερανω αυτων ως λιθος σαπφειρος, κατα την θεαν ομοιωματος θρονου.

2 Και ελαλησε προς τον ανδρα τον ενδεδυμενον τα λινα και ειπεν, Εισελθε μεταξυ των τροχων, υποκατω των χερουβειμ, και γεμισον την χειρα σου ανθρακας πυρος εκ μεσου των χερουβειμ και διασκορπισον αυτους επι την πολιν. Και εισηλθεν ενωπιον μου.

3 Τα δε χερουβειμ ισταντο εν δεξιοις του οικου, οτε εισηρχετο ο ανηρ· και η νεφελη εγεμισε την εσωτεραν αυλην.

4 Και η δοξα του Κυριου υψωθη ανωθεν των χερουβειμ κατα το κατωφλιον του οικου· και ενεπλησε τον οικον η νεφελη και η αυλη ενεπλησθη απο της λαμψεως της δοξης του Κυριου.

5 Και ο ηχος των πτερυγων των χερουβειμ ηκουετο εως της εξωτερας αυλης, ως φωνη του Παντοδυναμου Θεου, οποταν λαλη.

6 Και οτε προσεταξε τον ανδρα τον ενδεδυμενον τα λινα, λεγων, Λαβε πυρ εκ μεσου των τροχων, εκ μεσου των χερουβειμ, τοτε εισηλθε και εσταθη πλησιον των τροχων.

7 Και εν χερουβ εξετεινε την χειρα αυτου εκ μεσου των χερουβειμ, προς το πυρ το εν τω μεσω των χερουβειμ, και ελαβεν εκ τουτου και εθεσεν εις τας χειρας του ενδεδυμενου τα λινα· ο δε ελαβεν αυτο και εξηλθεν.

8 Εφαινετο δε ομοιωμα χειρος ανθρωπου εις τα χερουβειμ υπο τας πτερυγας αυτων.

9 Και ειδον και ιδου, τεσσαρες τροχοι πλησιον των χερουβειμ, εις τροχος πλησιον ενος χερουβ και εις τροχος πλησιον αλλον χερουβ, και η θεα των τροχων ητο ως οψις βηρυλλου λιθου.

10 Περι δε της θεας αυτων, και οι τεσσαρες ειχον το αυτο ομοιωμα, ως εαν ητο τροχος εν μεσω τροχου.

11 Ενω εβαδιζον, επορευοντο κατα τα τεσσαρα αυτων πλαγια· δεν εστρεφοντο ενω εβαδιζον, αλλ' εις οντινα τοπον ο πρωτος απευθυνετο, ηκολουθουν αυτον οι αλλοι· δεν εστρεφοντο ενω εβαδιζον.

12 Ολον δε το σωμα αυτων και τα νωτα αυτων και αι χειρες αυτων και αι πτερυγες αυτων και οι τροχοι, οι τεσσαρες αυτων τροχοι, ησαν κυκλω πληρεις οφθαλμων.

13 Περι δε των τροχων, ουτοι εκαλουντο, ακουοντος εμου, Γαλγαλ.

14 Και εκαστον ειχε τεσσαρα προσωπα· το προσωπον του ενος προσωπον χερουβ, και το προσωπον του δευτερου προσωπον ανθρωπου, και του τριτου προσωπον λεοντος, και του τεταρτου προσωπον αετου.

15 Και τα χερουβειμ υψωθησαν τουτο ειναι το ζωον, το οποιον ειδον παρα τον ποταμον Χεβαρ.

16 Και οτε τα χερουβειμ επορευοντο, επορευοντο οι τροχοι πλησιον αυτων και οτε τα χερουβειμ υψονον τας πτερυγας αυτων δια να ανυψωθωσιν απο της γης, και αυτοι οι τροχοι δεν εξεκλινον απο πλησιον αυτων.

17 Οτε δε ισταντο, και εκεινοι ισταντο· και οτε ανυψουντο, και εκεινοι ανυψουντο μετ' αυτων διοτι το πνευμα των ζωων ητο εν αυτοις.

18 Και η δοξα του Κυριου εξηλθεν απο του κατωφλιου του οικου και εσταθη επι των χερουβειμ.

19 Και τα χερουβειμ υψωσαν τας πτερυγας αυτων και ανυψωθησαν απο της γης ενωπιον μου οτε εξηλθον, ησαν και οι τροχοι πλησιον αυτων· και εσταθησαν εν τη θυρα της ανατολικης πυλης του οικου του Κυριου· και η δοξα του Θεου του Ισραηλ ητο επ' αυτων υπερανωθεν.

20 Τουτο ειναι το ζωον, το οποιον ειδον υποκατω του Θεου του Ισραηλ παρα τον ποταμον Χεβαρ· και εγνωρισα οτι ησαν χερουβειμ.

21 Εκαστον ειχεν ανα τεσσαρα προσωπα και εκαστον τεσσαρας πτερυγας και ομοιωμα χειρων ανθρωπου υπο τας πτερυγας αυτων.

22 Τα δε προσωπα αυτων ησαν κατα το ομοιωμα, τα αυτα προσωπα, τα οποια ειδον παρα τον ποταμον Χεβαρ, η θεα αυτων και αυτα· επορευοντο δε εκαστον κατεναντι του προσωπου αυτου.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #238

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238. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. (4:6) This symbolizes a new heaven formed of Christians who possessed general truths taken from the literal sense of the Word.

Atmospheres are seen in the spiritual world, and also bodies of water, as in our world - ethereal atmospheres seemingly where angels of the highest heaven dwell, airy atmospheres seemingly where angels of the intermediate heaven dwell, and watery ones seemingly where angels of the lowest heaven dwell. These watery atmospheres, moreover, are seas that are seen at the borders of heaven, and the inhabitants there are people who possess general truths taken from the literal sense of the Word. To be shown that waters symbolize truths, see no. 50 above.

As the place where waters terminate and are collected, a sea therefore symbolizes Divine truth in its terminal expressions.

Accordingly, since the One sitting on the throne means the Lord (no. 230), and since the seven lamps which are the seven spirits of God before the throne mean a new church which will possess Divine truth from the Lord (no. 237), it is apparent that the sea of glass that was before the throne means the church with people who are at its peripheries.

[2] Seas at the borders of the heavens are something I have been granted to see, and it has been given me to speak with the inhabitants there and so to learn the truth of this matter through personal experience. The inhabitants appeared to me to be living in a sea, but they said that they did not live in a sea but in an atmosphere. It was apparent to me from this that a sea is an appearance of the Divine truth emanating from the Lord in its terminal expressions.

The existence of seas in the spiritual world is clearly apparent from the fact that they were often seen by John, as in the present instance, and in 5:13 verses; 7:1-3; 8:8-9; 10:2, 8; 13:1; 14:7; 15:2; 16:3; 18:17, 19, 21; 20:13.

The sea is called a sea of glass like crystal owing to the translucence of the Divine truth emanating from the Lord.

[3] Since Divine truth in its terminal expressions produces the appearance of a sea in the spiritual world, therefore a sea elsewhere in the Word has a similar symbolic meaning, as in the following passages:

On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, part of them to the eastern sea and part of them to the western sea. (Zechariah 14:8)

Living waters from Jerusalem are the church's Divine truths from the Lord. The sea is consequently where they terminate.

(Jehovah,) Your way was in the sea, and Your path in many waters. (Psalms 77:19)

Thus said Jehovah, who made a way in the sea, and a path through the many waters... (Isaiah 43:16)

(Jehovah) has founded (the world) on the seas, and established it on the rivers. (Psalms 24:2)

(Jehovah) set the earth on its foundations, so that it should not be moved to eternity. You covered it with the deep (or sea) as with a garment. (Psalms 104:5-6)

The earth was "founded on the sea" because the church, which is meant by the earth, is founded on general truths. For these are its footings and foundations.

[4] I will dry up (Babylon's) sea and make her spring dry... The sea will come up over Babylon; she will be covered with the multitude of its waves. (Jeremiah 51:36, 42)

To dry up Babylon's sea and make her spring dry means, symbolically, to extinguish all the church's truth from the firsts to the lasts of it.

They shall walk after Jehovah..., and His sons shall come with honor from the sea. (Hosea 11:10)

The sons from the sea are people who possess general truths or truths in their terminal expressions.

(Jehovah,) who builds His ascents in the heavens..., who calls the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth... (Amos 9:6)

By the word of Jehovah the heavens were made... He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap, putting the depths in storehouses. (Psalms 33:6-7)

...by My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness. (Isaiah 50:2)

And so likewise in other places.

[5] Since a sea symbolizes Divine truth with people who live on the borders of heaven, therefore Tyre and Sidon, which were on the seacoast, symbolized the church in respect to its learned concepts of goodness and truth. And therefore "the islands of the sea" 1 likewise symbolize people engaged in a relatively remote Divine worship (no. 34).

For the same reason, too, the word used for the sea in Hebrew is "the west," that is, the direction in which the sun's light turns into its evening state, or truth into haziness.

We will see in subsequent discussions that a sea also symbolizes the natural component of a person divorced from his spiritual one, thus also hell.

Footnotes:

1. Also called "the isles of the sea" and "the coastlands of the sea." See Isaiah 11:11; 24:15

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

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