The Bible

 

Ezekiel 41

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1 και εισηγαγεν με εις τον ναον ω διεμετρησεν το αιλαμ πηχων εξ το πλατος ενθεν και πηχων εξ το ευρος του αιλαμ ενθεν

2 και το ευρος του πυλωνος πηχων δεκα και επωμιδες του πυλωνος πηχων πεντε ενθεν και πηχων πεντε ενθεν και διεμετρησεν το μηκος αυτου πηχων τεσσαρακοντα και το ευρος πηχων εικοσι

3 και εισηλθεν εις την αυλην την εσωτεραν και διεμετρησεν το αιλ του θυρωματος πηχων δυο και το θυρωμα πηχων εξ και τας επωμιδας του θυρωματος πηχων επτα ενθεν και πηχων επτα ενθεν

4 και διεμετρησεν το μηκος των θυρων πηχων τεσσαρακοντα και ευρος πηχων εικοσι κατα προσωπον του ναου και ειπεν τουτο το αγιον των αγιων

5 και διεμετρησεν τον τοιχον του οικου πηχων εξ και το ευρος της πλευρας πηχων τεσσαρων κυκλοθεν

6 και τα πλευρα πλευρον επι πλευρον τριακοντα και τρεις δις και διαστημα εν τω τοιχω του οικου εν τοις πλευροις κυκλω του ειναι τοις επιλαμβανομενοις οραν οπως το παραπαν μη απτωνται των τοιχων του οικου

7 και το ευρος της ανωτερας των πλευρων κατα το προσθεμα εκ του τοιχου προς την ανωτεραν κυκλω του οικου οπως διαπλατυνηται ανωθεν και εκ των κατωθεν αναβαινωσιν επι τα υπερωα και εκ των μεσων επι τα τριωροφα

8 και το θραελ του οικου υψος κυκλω διαστημα των πλευρων ισον τω καλαμω πηχεων εξ διαστημα

9 και ευρος του τοιχου της πλευρας εξωθεν πηχων πεντε και τα απολοιπα ανα μεσον των πλευρων του οικου

10 και ανα μεσον των εξεδρων ευρος πηχων εικοσι το περιφερες τω οικω κυκλω

11 και αι θυραι των εξεδρων επι το απολοιπον της θυρας της μιας της προς βορραν και η θυρα η μια προς νοτον και το ευρος του φωτος του απολοιπου πηχων πεντε πλατος κυκλοθεν

12 και το διοριζον κατα προσωπον του απολοιπου ως προς θαλασσαν πηχων εβδομηκοντα πλατος του τοιχου του διοριζοντος πηχεων πεντε ευρος κυκλοθεν και μηκος αυτου πηχεων ενενηκοντα

13 και διεμετρησεν κατεναντι του οικου μηκος πηχων εκατον και τα απολοιπα και τα διοριζοντα και οι τοιχοι αυτων μηκος πηχων εκατον

14 και το ευρος κατα προσωπον του οικου και τα απολοιπα κατεναντι πηχων εκατον

15 και διεμετρησεν μηκος του διοριζοντος κατα προσωπον του απολοιπου των κατοπισθεν του οικου εκεινου και τα απολοιπα ενθεν και ενθεν πηχεων εκατον το μηκος και ο ναος και αι γωνιαι και το αιλαμ το εξωτερον

16 πεφατνωμενα και αι θυριδες δικτυωται υποφαυσεις κυκλω τοις τρισιν ωστε διακυπτειν και ο οικος και τα πλησιον εξυλωμενα κυκλω και το εδαφος και εκ του εδαφους εως των θυριδων και αι θυριδες αναπτυσσομεναι τρισσως εις το διακυπτειν

17 και εως πλησιον της εσωτερας και εως της εξωτερας και εφ' ολον τον τοιχον κυκλω εν τω εσωθεν και εν τω εξωθεν

18 γεγλυμμενα χερουβιν και φοινικες ανα μεσον χερουβ και χερουβ δυο προσωπα τω χερουβ

19 προσωπον ανθρωπου προς τον φοινικα ενθεν και ενθεν και προσωπον λεοντος προς τον φοινικα ενθεν και ενθεν διαγεγλυμμενος ολος ο οικος κυκλοθεν

20 εκ του εδαφους εως του φατνωματος τα χερουβιν και οι φοινικες διαγεγλυμμενοι

21 και το αγιον και ο ναος αναπτυσσομενος τετραγωνα κατα προσωπον των αγιων ορασις ως οψις

22 θυσιαστηριου ξυλινου πηχων τριων το υψος αυτου και το μηκος πηχων δυο και το ευρος πηχων δυο και κερατα ειχεν και η βασις αυτου και οι τοιχοι αυτου ξυλινοι και ειπεν προς με αυτη η τραπεζα η προ προσωπου κυριου

23 και δυο θυρωματα τω ναω και τω αγιω

24 δυο θυρωματα τοις δυσι θυρωμασι τοις στροφωτοις δυο θυρωματα τω ενι και δυο θυρωματα τη θυρα τη δευτερα

25 και γλυφη επ' αυτων και επι τα θυρωματα του ναου χερουβιν και φοινικες κατα την γλυφην των αγιων και σπουδαια ξυλα κατα προσωπον του αιλαμ εξωθεν

26 και θυριδες κρυπται και διεμετρησεν ενθεν και ενθεν εις τα οροφωματα του αιλαμ και τα πλευρα του οικου εζυγωμενα

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #945

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945. 22:8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. This means that John supposed that the angel sent to him by the Lord to keep him in a state of the spirit was the God who revealed these things, when in fact that was not the case, as the angel only showed him what the Lord presented.

Clearly John supposed that the angel sent to him was the Lord Himself, for we are told that he fell down to worship before the angel's feet. But that it was not as he supposed is apparent from the next verse, in which the angel tells him that he is his fellow servant: "Worship God." That the angel was sent to John by the Lord is apparent from verse 16, which says, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches."

But behind this lies the following secret: The Lord sent the angel to John in order to keep him in a state of the spirit and to show him in that state the visions he saw. For whatever John saw, he saw not with the eyes of his body, but with the eyes of his spirit, as can be seen from the passages in which he says that he was in the spirit and seeing a vision (Revelation 1:10; 9:17; 17:3; 21:10), thus everywhere that he says "he saw." And a person can enter that state and be kept in it only by angels who are closely attached to the person, who induce their own spiritual state on the interiors of his mind. For this raises the person into the light of heaven, and in that light he sees sights in heaven and not in the world.

[2] Ezekiel, Zechariah, Daniel, and other prophets were at times in the same state, but not when they spoke the Word. When they spoke the Word they were not in the spirit, but conscious in the body, and the words they wrote they heard from Jehovah Himself, that is, from the Lord.

These two states experienced by the prophets must be properly distinguished. The prophets themselves also properly distinguished them, for they everywhere say when they wrote the Word from Jehovah that Jehovah spoke with them and to them, and most often, "Thus says Jehovah," or "the word of Jehovah." However, when they were in the other state, they say that they were in the spirit or seeing in a vision, as can be seen from the following: (Ezekiel said,) "The spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision... of God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. So the vision that I saw went up upon me." (Ezekiel 11:1, 24)

Ezekiel says that the spirit lifted him up and that he heard behind him an earthquake, among other things (Ezekiel 3:12, 14). Also that the spirit lifted him up between earth and heaven, and brought him in visions of God to Jerusalem, where he saw abominations (Ezekiel 8:3ff.). Therefore he was also seeing in a vision of God or in the spirit when he saw four living creatures, which were cherubim (Ezekiel 1 and 10). And when he saw a new temple and a new land, and an angel measuring them (Ezekiel 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48). He says that he was then seeing in the visions of God (Ezekiel 40:2), and that the spirit lifted him up (Ezekiel 43:5).

[3] It was the same with Zechariah, who had an angel with him at the time when he saw a man riding among the myrtle trees (Zechariah 1:8ff.). When he saw the four horns, and then the man with a measuring line in his hand (Zechariah 1:18; 2:1ff.). When he saw Joshua, the high priest (Zechariah 3:1ff.). When he saw the lampstand and two olive trees (Zechariah 4:1ff.). When he saw the flying scroll and the ephah (Zechariah 5:1, 6). And when he saw the four chariots and their horses coming from between two mountains (Zechariah 6:1ff.).

Daniel was in the same state when he saw four beasts coming up from the sea (Daniel 7:1ff.), and when he saw the combat of the ram and the male goat (Daniel 8:1ff.). That he saw these sights in visions is said in Daniel 7:1-2, 7, 13; 8:2; 10:1, 7-8. Moreover, that he saw the angel Gabriel and spoke with him in a vision (Daniel 9:21).

It was the same with John when he saw the sights he described, as when he saw the Son of Man in the midst of the seven lampstands; when he saw the tabernacle, 1 the temple, 2 the ark, 3 and the altar 4 in heaven; the dragon and its combat with Michael; 5 the beasts; 6 the woman sitting on the scarlet beast; 7 the new heaven and new earth, and the holy Jerusalem with its wall, gates, and foundations; 8 and more.

These sights were revealed by the Lord, but shown by an angel.

Footnotes:

  
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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.

The Bible

 

Revelation 21

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1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.

2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

4 He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away."

5 He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." He said, "Write, for these words of God are faithful and true."

6 He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.

7 He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.

8 But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb's bride."

10 He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it was a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12 having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.

13 On the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

15 He who spoke with me had for a measure, a golden reed, to measure the city, its gates, and its walls.

16 The city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. He measured the city with the reed, Twelve thousand Twelve stadia. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

17 Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.

18 The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass.

19 The foundations of the city's wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;

20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst.

21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.

23 The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

24 The nations will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.

25 Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night there),

26 and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it so that they may enter.

27 There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.