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Ezekiel 10

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1 και ειδον και ιδου επανω του στερεωματος του υπερ κεφαλης των χερουβιν ως λιθος σαπφειρου ομοιωμα θρονου επ' αυτων

2 και ειπεν προς τον ανδρα τον ενδεδυκοτα την στολην εισελθε εις το μεσον των τροχων των υποκατω των χερουβιν και πλησον τας δρακας σου ανθρακων πυρος εκ μεσου των χερουβιν και διασκορπισον επι την πολιν και εισηλθεν ενωπιον μου

3 και τα χερουβιν ειστηκει εκ δεξιων του οικου εν τω εισπορευεσθαι τον ανδρα και η νεφελη επλησεν την αυλην την εσωτεραν

4 και απηρεν η δοξα κυριου απο των χερουβιν εις το αιθριον του οικου και επλησεν τον οικον η νεφελη και η αυλη επλησθη του φεγγους της δοξης κυριου

5 και φωνη των πτερυγων των χερουβιν ηκουετο εως της αυλης της εξωτερας ως φωνη θεου σαδδαι λαλουντος

6 και εγενετο εν τω εντελλεσθαι αυτον τω ανδρι τω ενδεδυκοτι την στολην την αγιαν λεγων λαβε πυρ εκ μεσου των τροχων εκ μεσου των χερουβιν και εισηλθεν και εστη εχομενος των τροχων

7 και εξετεινεν την χειρα αυτου εις μεσον του πυρος του οντος εν μεσω των χερουβιν και ελαβεν και εδωκεν εις τας χειρας του ενδεδυκοτος την στολην την αγιαν και ελαβεν και εξηλθεν

8 και ειδον τα χερουβιν ομοιωμα χειρων ανθρωπων υποκατωθεν των πτερυγων αυτων

9 και ειδον και ιδου τροχοι τεσσαρες ειστηκεισαν εχομενοι των χερουβιν τροχος εις εχομενος χερουβ ενος και η οψις των τροχων ως οψις λιθου ανθρακος

10 και η οψις αυτων ομοιωμα εν τοις τεσσαρσιν ον τροπον οταν η τροχος εν μεσω τροχου

11 εν τω πορευεσθαι αυτα εις τα τεσσαρα μερη αυτων επορευοντο ουκ επεστρεφον εν τω πορευεσθαι αυτα οτι εις ον αν τοπον επεβλεψεν η αρχη η μια επορευοντο και ουκ επεστρεφον εν τω πορευεσθαι αυτα

12 και οι νωτοι αυτων και αι χειρες αυτων και αι πτερυγες αυτων και οι τροχοι πληρεις οφθαλμων κυκλοθεν τοις τεσσαρσιν τροχοις αυτων

13 τοις δε τροχοις τουτοις επεκληθη γελγελ ακουοντος μου

15 και ηραν τα χερουβιν τουτο το ζωον ο ειδον επι του ποταμου του χοβαρ

16 και εν τω πορευεσθαι τα χερουβιν επορευοντο οι τροχοι και ουτοι εχομενοι αυτων και εν τω εξαιρειν τα χερουβιν τας πτερυγας αυτων του μετεωριζεσθαι απο της γης ουκ επεστρεφον οι τροχοι αυτων

17 εν τω εσταναι αυτα ειστηκεισαν και εν τω μετεωριζεσθαι αυτα εμετεωριζοντο μετ' αυτων διοτι πνευμα ζωης εν αυτοις ην

18 και εξηλθεν δοξα κυριου απο του οικου και επεβη επι τα χερουβιν

19 και ανελαβον τα χερουβιν τας πτερυγας αυτων και εμετεωρισθησαν απο της γης ενωπιον εμου εν τω εξελθειν αυτα και οι τροχοι εχομενοι αυτων και εστησαν επι τα προθυρα της πυλης οικου κυριου της απεναντι και δοξα θεου ισραηλ ην επ' αυτων υπερανω

20 τουτο το ζωον εστιν ο ειδον υποκατω θεου ισραηλ επι του ποταμου του χοβαρ και εγνων οτι χερουβιν εστιν

21 τεσσαρα προσωπα τω ενι και οκτω πτερυγες τω ενι και ομοιωμα χειρων ανθρωπου υποκατωθεν των πτερυγων αυτων

22 και ομοιωσις των προσωπων αυτων ταυτα τα προσωπα εστιν α ειδον υποκατω της δοξης θεου ισραηλ επι του ποταμου του χοβαρ και αυτα εκαστον κατα προσωπον αυτων επορευοντο

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

The Lord #52

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52. 6. Jehovah himself - that is, the Lord - spoke the Word through prophets.

We read of the prophets that they had visions and that Jehovah talked with them. When they had visions, they were not focused on their bodies but on the spirit, in which state they saw things of a heavenly nature. When Jehovah talked with them, though, they were conscious of their bodies and heard Jehovah speaking.

We need to draw a clear distinction between these two states. In a visionary state, the eyes of their spirit were open and the eyes of their body were closed; and at such times they seemed to themselves to be taken from place to place while their bodies stayed where they were. Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel were in this state at times, and so was John when he wrote the Book of Revelation. They were then said to be in a vision or in the spirit. In fact, Ezekiel says,

The spirit lifted me up and brought me back into Chaldea, to the captivity, in a vision from God, in the spirit of God. In this way the vision that I saw came over me. (Ezekiel 11:1, 24)

He says that the spirit lifted him up and that he heard an earthquake and other things behind him (Ezekiel 3:12, 14). He also said that the spirit lifted him up between earth and heaven and took him off into Jerusalem in visions from God, and he saw abominations (Ezekiel 8:3 and following).

That is why (again in a vision of God or in the spirit) Ezekiel saw the four beasts that were angel guardians (chapters 1; 10), and he saw a new earth and a new temple with the angel measuring them, as we are told in chapters 40-48. He says in chapter 40:2, that he was then in visions from God; and in chapter 43:5, he says that the spirit lifted him up at that time.

The same thing happened with Zechariah. There was an angel inwardly present with him when he saw a man riding among myrtle trees (Zechariah 1:8 and following); when he saw four horns and then a man with a measuring line in his hand (Zechariah 1:18; 2:1); when he saw Joshua the high priest (Zechariah 3:1 and following); when he saw a lampstand and two olive trees (Zechariah 4:1 and following); when he saw a flying scroll and a measuring basket (Zechariah 5:1, 6); and when he saw four chariots coming from between two mountains, along with horses (Zechariah 6:1 and following).

Daniel was in the same kind of state when he saw four beasts come up from the sea (Daniel 7:3) and when he saw battles between a ram and a goat (Daniel 8:1 and following).

We read in Daniel 7:1-2, 7, 13; 8:2; 10:1, 7-8 that he saw these things in visions. We read in Daniel 9:21 that he saw the angel Gabriel in a vision and talked with him.

Much the same happened with John when he wrote the Book of Revelation. He says that he was in the spirit on the Lord’s day (Revelation 1:10), that he was carried away in the spirit into the wilderness (17:3), to a high mountain in the spirit (21:10), that he saw horses in a vision (9:17), and elsewhere that he saw what he described, being therefore in the spirit or in a vision (1:2; 4:1; 5:1; 6:1; and in the particular chapters that follow).

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

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