The Bible

Ezekiel 42

¹ καὶ ἐξήγαγέν με εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τὴν ἐξωτέραν κατὰ ἀνατολὰς κατέναντι τῆς πύλης τῆς πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ εἰσήγαγέν με καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐξέδραι πέντε ἐχόμεναι τοῦ ἀπολοίπου καὶ ἐχόμεναι τοῦ διορίζοντος πρὸς βορρᾶν

² ἐπὶ πήχεις ἑκατὸν μῆκος πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ τὸ πλάτος πεντήκοντα πήχεων

³ διαγεγραμμέναι ὃν τρόπον αἱ πύλαι τῆς αὐλῆς τῆς ἐσωτέρας καὶ ὃν τρόπον τὰ περίστυλα τῆς αὐλῆς τῆς ἐξωτέρας ἐστιχισμέναι ἀντιπρόσωποι στοαὶ τρισσαί

⁴ καὶ κατέναντι τῶν ἐξεδρῶν περίπατος πηχῶν δέκα τὸ πλάτος ἐπὶ πήχεις ἑκατὸν τὸ μῆκος καὶ τὰ θυρώματα αὐτῶν πρὸς βορρᾶν

⁵ καὶ οἱ περίπατοι οἱ ὑπερῷοι ὡσαύτως ὅτι ἐξείχετο τὸ περίστυλον ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ ὑποκάτωθεν περιστύλου καὶ τὸ διάστημα οὕτως περίστυλον καὶ διάστημα καὶ οὕτως στοαί

⁶ διότι τριπλαῖ ἦσαν καὶ στύλους οὐκ εἶχον καθὼς οἱ στῦλοι τῶν ἐξωτέρων διὰ τοῦτο ἐξείχοντο τῶν ὑποκάτωθεν καὶ τῶν μέσων ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς

⁷ καὶ φῶς ἔξωθεν ὃν τρόπον αἱ ἐξέδραι τῆς αὐλῆς τῆς ἐξωτέρας αἱ βλέπουσαι ἀπέναντι τῶν ἐξεδρῶν τῶν πρὸς βορρᾶν μῆκος πήχεων πεντήκοντα

⁸ ὅτι τὸ μῆκος τῶν ἐξεδρῶν τῶν βλεπουσῶν εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τὴν ἐξωτέραν πηχῶν πεντήκοντα καὶ αὗταί εἰσιν ἀντιπρόσωποι ταύταις τὸ πᾶν πηχῶν ἑκατόν

⁹ καὶ αἱ θύραι τῶν ἐξεδρῶν τούτων τῆς εἰσόδου τῆς πρὸς ἀνατολὰς τοῦ εἰσπορεύεσθαι δι' αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς αὐλῆς τῆς ἐξωτέρας

¹⁰ κατὰ τὸ φῶς τοῦ ἐν ἀρχῇ περιπάτου καὶ τὰ πρὸς νότον κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ νότου κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἀπολοίπου καὶ κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ διορίζοντος ἐξέδραι

¹¹ καὶ ὁ περίπατος κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν κατὰ τὰ μέτρα τῶν ἐξεδρῶν τῶν πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ κατὰ τὸ μῆκος αὐτῶν καὶ κατὰ τὸ εὖρος αὐτῶν καὶ κατὰ πάσας τὰς ἐξόδους αὐτῶν καὶ κατὰ πάσας τὰς ἐπιστροφὰς αὐτῶν καὶ κατὰ τὰ φῶτα αὐτῶν καὶ κατὰ τὰ θυρώματα αὐτῶν

¹² τῶν ἐξεδρῶν τῶν πρὸς νότον καὶ κατὰ τὰ θυρώματα ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τοῦ περιπάτου ὡς ἐπὶ φῶς διαστήματος καλάμου καὶ κατ' ἀνατολὰς τοῦ εἰσπορεύεσθαι δι' αὐτῶν

¹³ καὶ εἶπεν πρός με αἱ ἐξέδραι αἱ πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ αἱ ἐξέδραι αἱ πρὸς νότον αἱ οὖσαι κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν διαστημάτων αὗταί εἰσιν αἱ ἐξέδραι τοῦ ἁγίου ἐν αἷς φάγονται ἐκεῖ οἱ ἱερεῖς υἱοὶ σαδδουκ οἱ ἐγγίζοντες πρὸς κύριον τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἐκεῖ θήσουσιν τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων καὶ τὴν θυσίαν καὶ τὰ περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ τὰ περὶ ἀγνοίας διότι ὁ τόπος ἅγιος

¹⁴ οὐκ εἰσελεύσονται ἐκεῖ πάρεξ τῶν ἱερέων οὐκ ἐξελεύσονται ἐκ τοῦ ἁγίου εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τὴν ἐξωτέραν ὅπως διὰ παντὸς ἅγιοι ὦσιν οἱ προσάγοντες καὶ μὴ ἅπτωνται τοῦ στολισμοῦ αὐτῶν ἐν οἷς λειτουργοῦσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς διότι ἅγιά ἐστιν καὶ ἐνδύσονται ἱμάτια ἕτερα ὅταν ἅπτωνται τοῦ λαοῦ

¹⁵ καὶ συνετελέσθη ἡ διαμέτρησις τοῦ οἴκου ἔσωθεν καὶ ἐξήγαγέν με καθ' ὁδὸν τῆς πύλης τῆς βλεπούσης πρὸς ἀνατολὰς καὶ διεμέτρησεν τὸ ὑπόδειγμα τοῦ οἴκου κυκλόθεν ἐν διατάξει

¹⁶ καὶ ἔστη κατὰ νώτου τῆς πύλης τῆς βλεπούσης κατὰ ἀνατολὰς καὶ διεμέτρησεν πεντακοσίους ἐν τῷ καλάμῳ τοῦ μέτρου

¹⁷ καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ διεμέτρησεν τὸ κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ βορρᾶ πήχεις πεντακοσίους ἐν τῷ καλάμῳ τοῦ μέτρου

¹⁸ καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν πρὸς θάλασσαν καὶ διεμέτρησεν τὸ κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς θαλάσσης πεντακοσίους ἐν τῷ καλάμῳ τοῦ μέτρου

¹⁹ καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν πρὸς νότον καὶ διεμέτρησεν κατέναντι τοῦ νότου πεντακοσίους ἐν τῷ καλάμῳ τοῦ μέτρου

²⁰ τὰ τέσσαρα μέρη τοῦ αὐτοῦ καλάμου καὶ διέταξεν αὐτὸν καὶ περίβολον αὐτῶν κύκλῳ πεντακοσίων πρὸς ἀνατολὰς καὶ πεντακοσίων πηχῶν εὖρος τοῦ διαστέλλειν ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ προτειχίσματος τοῦ ἐν διατάξει τοῦ οἴκου

From Swedenborg's Works

Conjugial Love #26

Study this Passage

26. Again I swear in truth that these events and words occurred as I have related them, the first ones in the world of spirits, which is midway between heaven and hell, and the subsequent ones in a society of heaven, the society from which came the angel with the trumpet, who acted as guide.

Who in the Christian world would know anything about heaven and the joys and happiness there - knowledge of which is also knowledge of salvation - unless it pleased the Lord to open to someone the sight of his spirit and to show him and teach him?

Corroboration that things like these occur in the spiritual world appears plainly from the things seen and heard by the apostle John, as described in the book of Revelation. For example, he describes having seen the following:

The Son of Man in the midst of the seven lampstands. ¹

A tabernacle, temple, ark, and altar in heaven. ²

A book sealed with seven seals. The book opened, and horses going out of it. ³

Four living creatures around a throne. ⁴

Twelve thousand taken from each tribe. ⁵

Locusts arising out of the abyss. ⁶

A dragon and its fight with Michael. ⁷

A woman giving birth to a male child and fleeing into the wilderness because of the dragon. ⁸

Two beasts, one rising up out of the sea, the other out of the earth. ⁹

A woman sitting on a scarlet beast. ¹⁰

The dragon cast into a lake of fire and brimstone. ¹¹

A white horse, and a great supper. ¹²

A new heaven and a new earth, and the holy Jerusalem coming down, described as to its gates, wall, and foundations. ¹³

Also a river of water of life, and trees of life yielding fruits every month. ¹⁴

Besides many other things, all of which were seen by John, and seen when he was in the spirit ¹⁵ in the spiritual world and in heaven. In addition, those things which were seen by the apostles after the Lord's resurrection. ¹⁶ And which were later seen by Peter (Acts of the Apostles 11). ¹⁷ Also which were then seen and heard by Paul. ¹⁸

Moreover, there were the things seen by the prophets. For example, Ezekiel saw the following:

Four living creatures, which were cherubs. (Ezekiel 1 and 10)

A new temple and a new earth, and an angel measuring them. (Ezekiel 40-48)

Being carried off to Jerusalem, he saw the abominations there. (Ezekiel 8) And he was also carried off into Chaldea, to those in captivity. (Ezekiel 11) ¹⁹

Something similar happened with Zechariah:

He saw a man riding among myrtle trees. (Zechariah 1:8 ff.)

He saw four horns, and then a man with a measuring line in his hand. (Zechariah 1:18 ff., 2:1 ff.)

He saw a lampstand and two olive trees. (Zechariah 4:1 ff.)

He saw a flying scroll, and an ephah. (Zechariah 5:1, 6)

He saw four chariots coming from between two mountains, with horses. (Zechariah 6:1 ff.)

Likewise with Daniel:

He saw four beasts come up from the sea. (Daniel 7:1 ff.)

Also the combats of a ram and a goat. (Daniel 8:1 ff.)

He saw the angel Gabriel, who spoke at length with him. (Daniel 9) ²⁰

Moreover, Elisha's young man saw fiery chariots and horses around Elisha, and he saw them when his eyes were opened. ²¹

From these and many other passages in the Word, it is evident that the things which exist in the spiritual world have appeared to many, before and after the Lord's Advent. Why should it be surprising for them to appear also now, when the Church is beginning and the New Jerusalem is coming down from the Lord out of heaven

Footnotes:

1. Revelation 1:12-13.

2. E.g., Revelation 6:9, 8:3, 9:13, 11:19, 14:17-18, 15:5-6, 15:8.

3. Revelation 5:1, 6:1-8.

4. Revelation 4:6, et al.

5. Revelation 7:4-8.

6. Revelation 9:2-3.

7. Revelation 12:3-4, 12:7.

8. Revelation 12:1-6.

9. Revelation 13:1 ff., 11 ff.

10. Revelation 17:3 ff.

11. Revelation 20:10.