The Bible

 

Ezechiel 1

Study

1 Et factum est in trigesimo anno, in quarto, in quinta mensis, cum essem in medio captivorum juxta fluvium Chobar, aperti sunt cæli, et vidi visiones Dei.

2 In quinta mensis, ipse est annus quintus transmigrationis regis Joachim,

3 factum est verbum Domini ad Ezechielem filium Buzi sacerdotem, in terra Chaldæorum, sicut flumen Chobar : et facta est super eum ibi manus Domini.

4 Et vidi, et ecce ventus turbinis veniebat ab aquilone, et nubes magna, et ignis involvens, et splendor in circuitu ejus : et de medio ejus, quasi species electri, id est, de medio ignis :

5 et in medio ejus similitudo quatuor animalium. Et hic aspectus eorum, similitudo hominis in eis.

6 Quatuor facies uni, et quatuor pennæ uni.

7 Pedes eorum, pedes recti, et planta pedis eorum quasi planta pedis vituli : et scintillæ quasi aspectus æris candentis.

8 Et manus hominis sub pennis eorum, in quatuor partibus : et facies et pennas per quatuor partes habebant.

9 Junctæque erant pennæ eorum alterius ad alterum : non revertebantur cum incederent, sed unumquodque ante faciem suam gradiebatur.

10 Similitudo autem vultus eorum, facies hominis et facies leonis a dextris ipsorum quatuor, facies autem bovis a sinistris ipsorum quatuor, et facies aquilæ desuper ipsorum quatuor.

11 Facies eorum et pennæ eorum extentæ desuper : duæ pennæ singulorum jungebantur, et duæ tegebant corpora eorum.

12 Et unumquodque eorum coram facie sua ambulabat : ubi erat impetus spiritus, illuc gradiebantur, nec revertebantur cum ambularent.

13 Et similitudo animalium, aspectus eorum quasi carbonum ignis ardentium, et quasi aspectus lampadarum : hæc erat visio discurrens in medio animalium, splendor ignis, et de igne fulgur egrediens.

14 Et animalia ibant et revertebantur, in similitudinem fulguris coruscantis.

15 Cumque aspicerem animalia, apparuit rota una super terram juxta animalia, habens quatuor facies.

16 Et aspectus rotarum et opus earum quasi visio maris : et una similitudo ipsarum quatuor : et aspectus earum et opera quasi sit rota in medio rotæ.

17 Per quatuor partes earum euntes ibant, et non revertebantur cum ambularent.

18 Statura quoque erat rotis, et altitudo, et horribilis aspectus : et totum corpus oculis plenum in circuitu ipsarum quatuor.

19 Cumque ambularent animalia, ambulabant pariter et rotæ juxta ea : et cum elevarentur animalia de terra, elevabantur simul et rotæ.

20 Quocumque ibat spiritus, illuc, eunte spiritu, et rotæ pariter elevabantur sequentes eum : spiritus enim vitæ erat in rotis.

21 Cum euntibus ibant, et cum stantibus stabant : et cum elevatis a terra, pariter elevabantur et rotæ sequentes ea, quia spiritus vitæ erat in rotis.

22 Et similitudo super capita animalium firmamenti, quasi aspectus crystalli horribilis, et extenti super capita eorum desuper.

23 Sub firmamento autem pennæ eorum rectæ alterius ad alterum : unumquodque duabus alis velabat corpus suum, et alterum similiter velabatur.

24 Et audiebam sonum alarum, quasi sonum aquarum multarum, quasi sonum sublimis Dei : cum ambularent, quasi sonus erat multitudinis ut sonus castrorum : cumque starent, demittebantur pennæ eorum.

25 Nam cum fieret vox super firmamentum quod erat super caput eorum, stabant, et submittebant alas suas.

26 Et super firmamentum, quod erat imminens capiti eorum, quasi aspectus lapidis sapphiri similitudo throni : et super similitudinem throni similitudo quasi aspectus hominis desuper.

27 Et vidi quasi speciem electri, velut aspectum ignis, intrinsecus ejus per circuitum : a lumbis ejus et desuper, et a lumbis ejus usque deorsum, vidi quasi speciem ignis splendentis in circuitu,

28 velut aspectum arcus cum fuerit in nube in die pluviæ. Hic erat aspectus splendoris per gyrum.

Commentary

 

Earth

  
by Brita Conroy

Earth" is a general word that can be thought of as a container for other more specific words, as ground, field, or garden. Each of these means a person in an ascending series as that person learns truths from the Bible, thinks about them, and tries to apply them to life. The series represents the way of becoming good and wise. "Earth" and "ground" are terms that can go either way, as in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:4-8) there was both good ground and bad ground, but "field" and "garden" mean minds that are regenerating towards good. "Earth" in the Bible can mean a person or a group of like-minded people as in a church. But it refers specifically to the external of the person's mind, or of the general thought of the group. If heaven and earth are mentioned together, then both the internals and externals of the mind are meant – something to note when reading the creation story.

In Revelation the word "earth" is used both as a ground level as we use it in its natural sense and also as the sense of a group. The action in this book takes place in the great middle zone of the spiritual world, where people first go and where they are sorted out. There are both evil people and good there, and sometimes at the end of a church the evil can have great influence before a great judgment comes. This level of the spiritual realm is called the "earth" to which the dragon was cast down (Revelation 12:9) and to which the stars fell (Revelation 12:4). The "earth" that swallowed the dragon’s flood means those still-sincere people within the church who discounted the flood of the dragon's falsities (Revelation 12:15).