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Ezekiel 10

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1 Nang magkagayo'y tumingin ako, at, narito, sa langit na nasa ulunan ng mga kerubin, may nakita na parang isang batong zafiro, na parang isang luklukan.

2 At siya'y nagsalita sa lalake na nakapanamit ng kayong lino, at kaniyang sinabi, Pumasok ka sa pagitan ng nagsisiikot na mga gulong, sa ilalim ng kerubin, at punuin mo kapuwa ang iyong mga kamay ng mga bagang nagbabaga mula sa pagitan ng mga kerubin, at ikalat mo sa bayan. At sa aking paningin ay pumasok siya.

3 Ang mga kerubin nga ay nagsitayo sa dakong kanan ng bahay, nang ang lalake ay pumasok; at pinuno ng ulap ang pinakaloob na looban.

4 At ang kaluwalhatian ng Panginoon ay napailanglang mula sa kerubin, at tumayo sa itaas ng pintuan ng bahay; at ang bahay ay napuno ng ulap, at ang looban ay napuno ng ningning ng kaluwalhatian ng Panginoon.

5 At ang pagaspas ng mga pakpak ng mga kerubin ay narinig hanggang sa looban sa labas, na gaya ng tinig ng Dios na Makapangyarihan sa lahat, pagka siya'y nagsasalita.

6 At nangyari, nang kaniyang utusan ang lalake na nakapanamit ng kayong lino, na sabihin, Kumuha ka ng apoy sa loob ng nagsisiikot na mga gulong mula sa pagitan ng mga kerubin, na siya'y pumasok, at tumayo sa tabi ng isang gulong.

7 At iniunat ng kerubin ang kaniyang kamay mula sa gitna ng mga kerubin sa apoy na nasa gitna ng mga kerubin, at kumuha niyaon, at inilagay sa mga kamay ng nakapanamit ng kayong lino, na siyang kumuha at lumabas.

8 At lumitaw sa gitna ng mga kerubin ang anyo ng kamay ng isang tao sa ilalim ng kanilang mga pakpak.

9 At ako'y tumingin, at narito, apat na gulong ay nangasa tabi ng mga kerubin, isang gulong ay nasa tabi ng isang kerubin, at ang ibang gulong ay nasa tabi ng ibang kerubin; at ang anyo ng mga gulong ay gaya ng kulay ng batong berila.

10 At tungkol sa kanilang anyo, silang apat ay may isang pagkakawangis, na para bagang isang gulong na napasa loob ng isang gulong.

11 Pagka nagsisiyaon, ay nagsisiyaon sa kanilang apat na dako: hindi nagsisipihit habang nagsisiyaon, kundi ang kinahaharapan ng ulo ay siyang sinusundan nila: hindi nagsisipihit habang nagsisiyaon.

12 At ang kanilang buong katawan, at ang kanilang mga likod, at ang kanilang mga kamay, at ang kanilang mga pakpak, at ang mga gulong ay puno ng mga mata sa palibot, sa makatuwid baga'y ang mga gulong na tinatangkilik ng apat.

13 Tungkol sa mga gulong, tinawag sa aking pakinig, ang nagsisiikot na mga gulong.

14 At bawa't isa'y may apat na mukha: ang unang mukha ay mukha ng kerubin, at ang ikalawang mukha ay mukha ng tao, at ang ikatlo ay mukha ng leon, at ang ikaapat ay mukha ng isang aguila.

15 At ang mga kerubin ay napaitaas: ito ang nilalang na may buhay na aking nakita sa pangpang ng ilog Chebar.

16 At nang magsiyaon ang mga kerubin, ang mga gulong ay nagsiyaong kasiping nila: at nang itaas ng mga kerubin ang kanilang mga pakpak upang paitaas mula sa lupa, ang mga gulong naman ay hindi nagsihiwalay sa siping nila.

17 Pagka sila'y nagsisitayo, ang mga ito ay nagsisitayo; at pagka sila'y nangapaiitaas, ang mga ito'y nangapaiitaas na kasama nila: sapagka't ang espiritu ng nilalang na may buhay ay nasa mga yaon.

18 At ang kaluwalhatian ng Panginoon ay lumabas mula sa pintuan ng bahay, at lumagay sa ibabaw ng mga kerubin.

19 At itinaas ng mga kerubin ang kanilang mga pakpak, at nangapaitaas mula sa lupa sa aking paningin, nang sila'y magsilabas, at ang mga gulong ay sa siping nila: at sila'y nagsitayo sa pintuan ng pintuang-daang silanganan ng bahay ng Panginoon; at ang kaluwalhatian ng Dios ng Israel ay nasa itaas nila.

20 Ito ang nilalang na may buhay na aking nakita sa ilalim ng Dios ng Israel sa pangpang ng ilog Chebar; at naalaman ko na sila'y mga kerubin.

21 Bawa't isa'y may apat na mukha, at bawa't isa'y may apat na pakpak; at ang anyo ng mga kamay ng tao ay nasa ilalim ng kanilang mga pakpak.

22 At tungkol sa anyo ng kanilang mga mukha, ay mga mukha na aking nakita sa pangpang ng ilog Chebar, ang kanilang mga anyo at sila rin; sila'y yumaon bawa't isa na patuloy.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #36

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36. I became in the spirit on the Lord's day. (1:10) This symbolizes a spiritual state then owing to Divine influx.

"I became in the spirit" means, symbolically, a spiritual state, the state in which John was while he was experiencing the visions, and which we will take up in the following exposition. "On the Lord's day" symbolizes influx from the Lord then, for that day brings the Lord's presence, as it is a holy day.

Concerning the prophets we read that they were in the spirit or in vision, and that the Word came to them from Jehovah.

When they were in the spirit or in vision, they were not in the body, but in their spirit, a state in which they saw phenomena such as are found in heaven. But when the Word came to them, they were then in the body and heard Jehovah speaking.

These two states of the prophets must be properly distinguished. In the state of vision the eyes of their spirit were open and the eyes of their body closed; and they heard then what angels said, and what Jehovah said through angels, and also saw representations produced for them in heaven. Moreover, they sometimes seemed to themselves to be taken then from place to place, their body remaining where it was.

[2] This was the state in which John was when he wrote the book of Revelation, and the state sometimes experienced by Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel. They also said that they were then in vision or in the spirit. For Ezekiel says,

The Spirit lifted me up... and brought me back into Chaldea, to those in captivity, in a vision (of God), in the spirit of God. (Thus) went up from me the vision that I had seen. (Ezekiel 11:1, 24)

He also says that the Spirit lifted him up, and he heard behind him an earthquake, and more (Ezekiel 3:12, 24). So, too, that the Spirit lifted him up between earth and heaven, that it brought him in visions of God to Jerusalem, and that he saw abominations (Ezekiel 8:3f.). He was likewise in a vision of God or in the spirit when he saw the four living creatures, which were cherubim (Ezekiel 1; 10), as also when he saw a new earth and a new temple, and an angel measuring them (Ezekiel 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48). That he was then in the visions of God, he himself says (Ezekiel 40:2), and that the spirit lifted him up (Ezekiel 43:5).

[3] The same was the case with Zechariah, who had an angel with him at the time, when he saw a man riding a horse among the myrtle trees (Zechariah 1:8ff.); when he saw the four horns, and then a 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); when he saw the four chariots coming from between two mountains, and the horses (Zechariah 6:1ff.).

Daniel was in a like state when he saw the four beasts coming up from the sea (Daniel 7:1ff.), and when he saw the combat between the ram and the male goat (Daniel 8:1ff.). He himself says that he saw these things in visions (Daniel 7:1-2, 7, 13; 8:2; 10:1, 7-8), and that the angel Gabriel appeared to him in a vision (Daniel 9:21).

[4] The same was the case with John, as when he saw the Son of Man in the midst of the seven lampstands (Revelation 1), and finally, the new heaven and the new earth, and then the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven (Revelation 21, 22. John himself says that he saw these things in the spirit and in vision (1:10; 4:2; 9:17; 21:10). This, too, is meant by the statement, "I saw," everywhere it occurs in this book.

[5] It is clearly apparent from this that to be in the spirit is to be in a state of vision, which is brought about by an opening of the sight of a person's spirit; and when this is opened, phenomena found in the spiritual world are as clearly visible as those in the natural world are to the sight of the body.

The reality of this is something I can attest to from many years' experience.

The disciples were in this state when they saw the Lord after His resurrection, which is why are told that their eyes were opened (Luke 24:30-31).

Abraham was in a like state when he saw the three angels and spoke with them. 1

So, too, Hagar, Gideon, Joshua and others, when they saw angels of Jehovah. Likewise when Elisha's lad saw the mountain full of fiery chariots and horses all around Elisha, for Elisha prayed and said,

"Jehovah, open, I pray, his eyes that he may see." And Jehovah opened the eyes of the lad, and he saw. (2 Kings 6:17)

As regards the Word, however, it was not revealed in a state of the spirit or of vision, but the Lord dictated it to the prophets in an audible voice. Consequently we are nowhere told that the prophets spoke it from the Holy Spirit, but from Jehovah. See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord, no. 53.

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.