The Bible

 

Jezekilj 44

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1 I odvede me opet k vratima spoljašnjim od svetinje, koja gledaju na istok, a ona behu zatvorena.

2 I reče mi Gospod: Ova vrata neka budu zatvorena i da se ne otvaraju, i niko da ne ulazi na njih, jer je Gospod Bog Izrailjev ušao na njih; zato neka budu zatvorena.

3 Za kneza su; sam knez neka seda na njima da jede hleb pred Gospodom; kroz trem od ovih vrata neka ulazi i istim putem neka izlazi.

4 I odvede me k severnim vratima pred dom; i videh, i gle, dom Gospodnji beše pun slave Gospodnje, i padoh na lice svoje.

5 I reče mi Gospod: Sine čovečji, pazi srcem svojim i vidi očima svojim i slušaj ušima svojim šta ću ti kazati za sve uredbe doma Gospodnjeg i za sve zakone Njegove; pazi srcem svojim na sve ulaze u dom i na sve izlaze iz svetinje.

6 I reci odmetničkom domu Izrailjevom: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Dosta je gadova vaših, dome Izrailjev,

7 Što uvodiste tuđince neobrezanog srca i neobrezanog tela da budu u mojoj svetinji da skvrne dom moj, i prinosiste moj hleb, pretilinu i krv, i tamo prestupaše moj zavet osim svih gadova vaših;

8 I ne izvršavaste šta treba za moju svetinju, nego postaviste ljude po svojoj volji da izvršuju šta treba u mojoj svetinji.

9 Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Ni jedan tuđin neobrezanog srca i neobrezanog tela da ne dolazi u moju svetinju, ni jedan od svih tuđinaca koji su među sinovima Izrailjevim.

10 A Leviti koji odstupaše od mene kad zađe Izrailj, koji zađoše od mene za gadnim bogovima svojim, nosiće bezakonje svoje.

11 I biće sluge u mojoj svetinji u službi na vratima od doma služeći domu; oni će klati žrtve paljenice i druge žrtve narodu, i stajaće pred njima služiće im.

12 Što im služiše pred gadnim bogovima njihovim i biše domu Izrailjevom spoticanje na bezakonje, zato podigoh ruku svoju na njih, govori Gospod Gospod, da će nositi bezakonje svoje,

13 I neće pristupati k meni da mi vrše svešteničku službu, niti kojoj svetinji mojoj, ni svetinji nad svetinjama neće pristupati, nego će nositi sramotu svoju i gadove svoje, koje činiše.

14 Nego ću ih postaviti za čuvare domu na svaku službu njegovu i na sve što biva u njemu.

15 A sveštenici Leviti sinovi Sadokovi, koji izvršavahu šta treba u mojoj svetinji, kad sinovi Izrailjevi zađoše od mene, oni će pristupati k meni da mi služe, i stajaće preda mnom prinoseći mi pretilinu i krv, govori Gospod Gospod.

16 Oni neka ulaze u moju svetinju i oni neka pristupaju k stolu mom da mi služe i neka izvršuju šta sam zapovedio da se izvršuje.

17 I kad ulaze na vrata unutrašnjeg trema, neka obuku lanene haljine, i ništa da ne bude na njima vuneno kad služe na vratima unutrašnjeg trema i u njemu.

18 Na glavama neka im budu kape lanene i gaće lanene po bedrima, i da se ne pašu ničim oda šta bi se znojili.

19 A kad izlaze u trem spoljašnji, u spoljašnji trem k narodu, neka svuku sa sebe haljine u kojima služe, i ostave ih u kletima svetim, pa neka obuku druge haljine, da ne osvećuju narod haljinama svojim.

20 I glave svoje da ne briju, a ni kose da ne ostavljaju, nego neka strižu glave svoje.

21 I vino da ne pije nijedan sveštenik kad hoće da uđe u unutrašnji trem.

22 I udovicom ni puštenicom da se ne žene, nego devojkom od semena doma Izrailjevog ili udovicom svešteničkom neka se žene.

23 I narod moj neka uče šta je sveto šta li nije sveto, i neka ih uče raspoznavati nečisto od čistog.

24 A u raspri neka stanu da sude, po mojim zakonima neka sude, i zakone moje i uredbe moje neka drže o svim praznicima mojim, i subote moje neka svetkuju.

25 I k mrtvacu da ne idu da se ne oskvrne; samo za ocem i za materom i za sinom i za kćerju, za bratom i za sestrom neudatom mogu se oskvrniti.

26 A kad se očisti, neka mu se broji sedam dana.

27 I u koji bi dan ušao u svetinju, u trem unutrašnji, da služi u svetinji, neka prinese žrtvu za greh svoj, govori Gospod Gospod.

28 A nasledstvo što će imati, ja sam njihovo nasledstvo; i vi im ne dajte dostojanja u Izrailju, ja sam njihovo dostojanje.

29 Dar i žrtvu za greh i žrtvu za krivicu oni će jesti; i sve zavetovano u Izrailju njihovo će biti.

30 I prvine od svakog prvog roda i svi prinosi podizani od svega između svih prinosa vaših biće sveštenicima; i prvine od testa svog davaćete svešteniku da bi počivao blagoslov na domovima vašim.

31 Sveštenici da ne jedu mrcino ni šta zverka raskine, bilo ptica ili šta od stoke.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #191

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191. "'I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God.'" This symbolically means that the truths they possess, springing from goodness derived from the Lord, sustain the Lord's church in heaven.

A temple symbolizes the church, and the temple of My God symbolizes the Lord's church in heaven. It is apparent from this that a pillar symbolizes what sustains and stabilizes the church, and that is the Divine truth in the Word.

In the highest sense, a temple symbolizes the Lord in respect to His Divine humanity, particularly in respect to Divine truth. In a representative sense, however, a temple symbolizes the Lord's church in heaven, and so also the Lord's church in the world.

That a temple in the highest sense symbolizes the Lord in respect to His Divine humanity, and particularly in respect to Divine truth, is apparent from the following passages:

(Jesus said to the Jews,) "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." ...He was speaking of the temple of His body. (John 2:19, 21)

I saw no temple in (the New Jerusalem), for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. (Revelation 21:22)

Behold..., the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire. (Malachi 3:1)

I will bow myself toward Your holy temple... (Psalms 138:2)

...I will look again toward Your holy temple... And my prayer went to You, to Your holy temple. (Jonah 2:4, 7)

Jehovah is in His holy temple. (Habakkuk 2:20)

The holy temple of Jehovah or of the Lord is His Divine humanity, for it is to this that people bow, look to, and pray, and not to the temple merely, as the temple is not, in itself, holy. It is called a holy temple, because holiness is predicated of Divine truth (no. 173).

"The temple that sanctifies the gold" in Matthew 23:16-17 means nothing else than the Lord's Divine humanity.

[2] That a temple in a representative sense symbolizes the Lord's church in heaven, is apparent from the following passages:

(The) voice (of Jehovah) from the temple...! (Isaiah 66:6)

...a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven... (Revelation 16:17)

The temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. (Revelation 11:19)

...the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple came the seven angels... And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God... (Revelation 15:5-6, 8)

I called upon Jehovah, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple... (Psalms 18:6)

I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and His skirts filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1)

[3] That a temple symbolizes the church in the world is apparent from these passages:

Our holy... temple... has become a conflagration... (Isaiah 64:11)

I will shake all nations..., that I may fill this house with glory... The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former... (Haggai 2:7, 9)

The new temple in Ezekiel 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48 describes a church to be established by the Lord. A church is also meant in Revelation 11:1 by the temple that the angel measured. So likewise elsewhere, as in Isaiah 44:28, Jeremiah 7:2-4, 9-11, Zechariah 8:9.

...the disciples (of Jesus) came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ."..Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left... upon another, that shall not be demolished." (Matthew 24:1-2)

The temple here symbolizes the church today; and its demolition means, symbolically, that not one stone would be left upon another. This symbolizes the end of that church, when not any truth would remain. For when the disciples spoke with the Lord about the temple, the Lord foretold the consecutive states of this church, even to its last one, or the end of the age; and the end of the age means the final period of the church, which is the one that exists today. This was represented by the destruction of that temple to its foundations.

[4] A temple has these three symbolic meanings, namely the Lord, the church in heaven, and the church in the world. Because these three are bound up together, they cannot be separated. Consequently one cannot be meant without the other. Therefore anyone who divorces the church in the world from the church in heaven, or the one or the other from the Lord, is without the truth.

The temple here means the church in heaven, because reference to the church in the world follows after this (no. 194).

  
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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.