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Yechezchial 40

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1 בעשרים וחמש שנה לגלותנו בראש השנה בעשור לחדש בארבע עשרה שנה אחר אשר הכתה העיר בעצם היום הזה היתה עלי יד יהוה ויבא אתי שמה׃

2 במראות אלהים הביאני אל ארץ ישראל ויניחני אל הר גבה מאד ועליו כמבנה עיר מנגב׃

3 ויביא אותי שמה והנה איש מראהו כמראה נחשת ופתיל פשתים בידו וקנה המדה והוא עמד בשער׃

4 וידבר אלי האיש בן אדם ראה בעיניך ובאזניך שמע ושים לבך לכל אשר אני מראה אותך כי למען הראותכה הבאתה הנה הגד את כל אשר אתה ראה לבית ישראל׃

5 והנה חומה מחוץ לבית סביב סביב וביד האיש קנה המדה שש אמות באמה וטפח וימד את רחב הבנין קנה אחד וקומה קנה אחד׃

6 ויבוא אל שער אשר פניו דרך הקדימה ויעל במעלתו וימד את סף השער קנה אחד רחב ואת סף אחד קנה אחד רחב׃

7 והתא קנה אחד ארך וקנה אחד רחב ובין התאים חמש אמות וסף השער מאצל אולם השער מהבית קנה אחד׃

8 וימד את אלם השער מהבית קנה אחד׃

9 וימד את אלם השער שמנה אמות ואילו שתים אמות ואלם השער מהבית׃

10 ותאי השער דרך הקדים שלשה מפה ושלשה מפה מדה אחת לשלשתם ומדה אחת לאילם מפה ומפו׃

11 וימד את רחב פתח השער עשר אמות ארך השער שלוש עשרה אמות׃

12 וגבול לפני התאות אמה אחת ואמה אחת גבול מפה והתא שש אמות מפו ושש אמות מפו׃

13 וימד את השער מגג התא לגגו רחב עשרים וחמש אמות פתח נגד פתח׃

14 ויעש את אילים ששים אמה ואל איל החצר השער סביב סביב׃

15 ועל פני השער היאתון על לפני אלם השער הפנימי חמשים אמה׃

16 וחלונות אטמות אל התאים ואל אליהמה לפנימה לשער סביב סביב וכן לאלמות וחלונות סביב סביב לפנימה ואל איל תמרים׃

17 ויביאני אל החצר החיצונה והנה לשכות ורצפה עשוי לחצר סביב סביב שלשים לשכות אל הרצפה׃

18 והרצפה אל כתף השערים לעמת ארך השערים הרצפה התחתונה׃

19 וימד רחב מלפני השער התחתונה לפני החצר הפנימי מחוץ מאה אמה הקדים והצפון׃

20 והשער אשר פניו דרך הצפון לחצר החיצונה מדד ארכו ורחבו׃

21 ותאו שלושה מפו ושלשה מפו ואילו ואלמו היה כמדת השער הראשון חמשים אמה ארכו ורחב חמש ועשרים באמה׃

22 וחלונו ואלמו ותמרו כמדת השער אשר פניו דרך הקדים ובמעלות שבע יעלו בו ואילמו לפניהם׃

23 ושער לחצר הפנימי נגד השער לצפון ולקדים וימד משער אל שער מאה אמה׃

24 ויולכני דרך הדרום והנה שער דרך הדרום ומדד אילו ואילמו כמדות האלה׃

25 וחלונים לו ולאילמו סביב סביב כהחלנות האלה חמשים אמה ארך ורחב חמש ועשרים אמה׃

26 ומעלות שבעה עלותו ואלמו לפניהם ותמרים לו אחד מפו ואחד מפו אל אילו׃

27 ושער לחצר הפנימי דרך הדרום וימד משער אל השער דרך הדרום מאה אמות׃

28 ויביאני אל חצר הפנימי בשער הדרום וימד את השער הדרום כמדות האלה׃

29 ותאו ואילו ואלמו כמדות האלה וחלונות לו ולאלמו סביב סביב חמשים אמה ארך ורחב עשרים וחמש אמות׃

30 ואלמות סביב סביב ארך חמש ועשרים אמה ורחב חמש אמות׃

31 ואלמו אל חצר החצונה ותמרים אל אילו ומעלות שמונה מעלו׃

32 ויביאני אל החצר הפנימי דרך הקדים וימד את השער כמדות האלה׃

33 ותאו ואלו ואלמו כמדות האלה וחלונות לו ולאלמו סביב סביב ארך חמשים אמה ורחב חמש ועשרים אמה׃

34 ואלמו לחצר החיצונה ותמרים אל אלו מפו ומפו ושמנה מעלות מעלו׃

35 ויביאני אל שער הצפון ומדד כמדות האלה׃

36 תאו אלו ואלמו וחלונות לו סביב סביב ארך חמשים אמה ורחב חמש ועשרים אמה׃

37 ואילו לחצר החיצונה ותמרים אל אילו מפו ומפו ושמנה מעלות מעלו׃

38 ולשכה ופתחה באילים השערים שם ידיחו את העלה׃

39 ובאלם השער שנים שלחנות מפו ושנים שלחנות מפה לשחוט אליהם העולה והחטאת והאשם׃

40 ואל הכתף מחוצה לעולה לפתח השער הצפונה שנים שלחנות ואל הכתף האחרת אשר לאלם השער שנים שלחנות׃

41 ארבעה שלחנות מפה וארבעה שלחנות מפה לכתף השער שמונה שלחנות אליהם ישחטו׃

42 וארבעה שלחנות לעולה אבני גזית ארך אמה אחת וחצי ורחב אמה אחת וחצי וגבה אמה אחת אליהם ויניחו את הכלים אשר ישחטו את העולה בם והזבח׃

43 והשפתים טפח אחד מוכנים בבית סביב סביב ואל השלחנות בשר הקרבן׃

44 ומחוצה לשער הפנימי לשכות שרים בחצר הפנימי אשר אל כתף שער הצפון ופניהם דרך הדרום אחד אל כתף שער הקדים פני דרך הצפן׃

45 וידבר אלי זה הלשכה אשר פניה דרך הדרום לכהנים שמרי משמרת הבית׃

46 והלשכה אשר פניה דרך הצפון לכהנים שמרי משמרת המזבח המה בני צדוק הקרבים מבני לוי אל יהוה לשרתו׃

47 וימד את החצר ארך מאה אמה ורחב מאה אמה מרבעת והמזבח לפני הבית׃

48 ויבאני אל אלם הבית וימד אל אלם חמש אמות מפה וחמש אמות מפה ורחב השער שלש אמות מפו ושלש אמות מפו׃

49 ארך האלם עשרים אמה ורחב עשתי עשרה אמה ובמעלות אשר יעלו אליו ועמדים אל האילים אחד מפה ואחד מפה׃

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Divine Providence #134

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134a. 2. No one is reformed by visions or by conversations with the dead, because they compel. There are two kinds of visions, divine and demonic. Divine visions are given by means of portrayals in heaven, while demonic visions are effected though magical events in hell. There are imaginary visions as well, visions that are the illusions of a mind that has lost its bearings.

Divine visions (which as just noted are given by means of portrayals in heaven) are the kind that happened to the prophets. When they were having these visions they were not in the body but in the spirit, because visions cannot happen to us while we are physically awake. So when the prophets saw visions, it says that they were in the spirit, as the following passages show.

Ezekiel said, "The spirit lifted me up and took me back to Chaldea to the captivity in a vision of God, in the spirit of God; so the vision that I saw came over me" (Ezekiel 11:1, 24). Then too, spirits held him up between earth and heaven and brought him to Jerusalem in visions of God (Ezekiel 8:3 and following). The same thing happened in a vision of God or in the spirit when he saw the four animals that were cherubim (Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10) and when he saw the new temple, the new earth, and the angel measuring them (Ezekiel chapters 40-48). It says in chapter Ezekiel 40:2, 26 that he was in visions of God at the time, and in chapter Ezekiel 43:5 that he was in the spirit.

[2] Zechariah was in the same kind of state when he saw the man on horseback among the myrtle trees (Zechariah 1:8 and following), when he saw the four horns and the man with a measuring line in his hand (Zechariah 1:18, 20, 21; Zechariah 2:1 and following), when he saw the lampstand and the two olive trees (Zechariah 4:1 and following), when he saw the flying scroll and the ephah (Zechariah 5:1, 6), and when he saw the four chariots coming out from the four mountains, and the horses (Zechariah 6:1 and following).

Daniel was in the same kind of state when he saw the four beasts rising from the sea (Daniel 6:1 [7:1] and following), and when he saw the battles of the ram and the goat (Daniel 8:1 and following). It says in Daniel 7:1-2, 7, and 13; in Daniel 8:2; and in Daniel 10:1, 7, and 8 that he saw these things in the vision of his spirit, and it says in Daniel 9:21 that he saw the angel Gabriel in a vision.

[3] John was in the vision of the spirit when he saw the things he describes in the Book of Revelation--for example, when he saw the seven lampstands with the Human-born One in their midst (Revelation 1:12-16), when he saw the throne in heaven with someone sitting on it, surrounded by the four animals that were cherubim (Revelation 4), when he saw the book of life taken by the Lamb (Revelation 5), when he saw the horses come out of the book (Revelation 6), when he saw the seven angels with their trumpets (Revelation 8), when he saw the pit of the abyss opened with the locusts coming out of it (Revelation 9), when he saw the dragon and its battle with Michael (Revelation 12), when he saw the two beasts rise up, one from the sea and one from the land (Revelation 13), when he saw the woman sitting on the scarlet beast (Revelation 17) and the destruction of Babylon (Revelation 18), when he saw the white horse with someone riding it (Revelation 18 [19]), when he saw the new heaven and the new earth and the holy Jerusalem coming down from heaven (Revelation 21), and when he saw the river of water of life (Revelation 22). It says that he saw these things in the vision of his spirit in Revelation 1:11 [1:10]; Revelation 4:2; Revelation 5:1; Revelation 6:1; and Revelation 21:12 [21:10].

These were the kinds of visions that were visible from heaven to the sight of their spirits and not to their physical sight.

Things like this do not happen nowadays, because if they did they would not be understood, since they happen by means of images whose details are pointing to inner features of the church and secrets of heaven. It was foretold in Daniel 9:24 that they would stop when the Lord came into the world.

However, demonic visions have sometimes occurred. They are brought about by spirits who inspire deceptive passions and visions and who call themselves the Holy Spirit because of a mental confusion that engulfs them. Now, however, these spirits have been gathered in by the Lord and consigned to a hell separate from the other hells.

We can see from all this that no one can be reformed by any visions except the ones that are in the Word. There are imaginary visions as well, but these are nothing but the illusions of a mind that has lost its bearings.

134b. The story that the Lord told about the rich man in hell and Lazarus in Abraham's lap shows that no one is reformed by conversations with the dead. The rich man said, "Father Abraham, I beg you to send Lazarus to my father's house where I have five brothers, to bear witness to them so that they do not come to this place of torment." Abraham said to him, "They have Moses and the prophets: let them heed them." But he said, "No, father Abraham, but if someone came to them from the dead, they would repent." He answered him, "If they do not heed Moses and the prophets, they would not be convinced if someone rose from the dead" (Luke 16:27-31).

Conversations with the dead may lead to the same results as miracles that I have just described. That is, we may be convinced and be constrained to worship for a short while. However, since this deprives us of rational functioning at the same time that it hems in our evils, as already noted [130-131, 133], this spell or inner restraint is released and the pent-up evils erupt in blasphemy and profanation. Still, this happens only when spirits have imposed some religious dogma. No good spirit--let alone any angel of heaven--would ever do this.

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

The Bible

 

Ezekiel 1

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1 Now it happened in the thirtieth year, in the fourth [month], in the fifth [day] of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

2 In the fifth [day] of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

3 the word of Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Yahweh was there on him.

4 I looked, and behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with flashing lightning, and a brightness around it, and out of its midst as it were glowing metal, out of the midst of the fire.

5 Out of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

6 Everyone had four faces, and each one of them had four wings.

7 Their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass.

8 They had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and the four of them had their faces and their wings [thus]:

9 their wings were joined one to another; they didn't turn when they went; each one went straight forward.

10 As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and the four of them had the face of a lion on the right side; and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side; the four of them also had the face of an eagle.

11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above. Two wings of each one touched another, and Two covered their bodies.

12 Each one went straight forward: where the spirit was to go, they went; they didn't turn when they went.

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: [the fire] went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

14 The living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15 Now as I saw the living creatures, behold, one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces of it.

16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like a beryl: and the four of them had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel.

17 When they went, they went in their four directions: they didn't turn when they went.

18 As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and the four of them had their rims full of eyes all around.

19 When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20 Wherever the spirit was to go, they went; there was the spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up beside them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

22 Over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome crystal to look on, stretched forth Over their heads above.

23 Under the expanse were their wings straight, the one toward the other: each one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on that side, their bodies.

24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of an army: when they stood, they let down their wings.

25 There was a voice above the expanse that was over their heads: when they stood, they let down their wings.

26 Above the expanse that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and on the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man on it above.

27 I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it all around, from the appearance of his waist and upward; and from the appearance of his waist and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him.

28 As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.

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