The Bible

 

Ezekiel 1

Study

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Kebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

3 The word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Kebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

4 And I looked, and behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and from the midst of it as the color of amber, from the midst of the fire.

5 Also from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass.

8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they returned not when they went.

18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes around them four.

19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one towards the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of a host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

27 And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire around within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness on all sides.

28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one speaking.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #629

Study this Passage

  
/ 962  
  

629. "And give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come." This symbolizes an acknowledgment and confession that all the Word's truth which makes the church a church comes from the Lord, and that everyone will be judged in accordance with it.

To give glory to Him means, symbolically, to acknowledge and confess that every truth comes from the Lord, as may be seen in no. 249 above; and because every truth that makes the church a church is drawn from the Word, it is the Word's truth that is meant. "For the hour of His judgment has come" means symbolically that everyone will be judged in accordance with the Word's truth. This is the symbolic meaning because to give glory to Him means, symbolically, to acknowledge and confess that the Word's truth all comes from the Lord, and we are told next, "for the hour of His judgment has come," the word "for" entailing this as the cause.

That everyone will be judged by the Word's truth may be seen in 233, 273 above. And that the church is founded on the Word, and that its character is such as its understanding of the Word, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 76-79.

It is apparent from this that the spiritual meaning of these words is as stated. It is as stated because angels in heaven perceive glory to mean nothing else than Divine truth; and because all Divine truth comes from the Lord, they perceive giving glory to Him to mean an acknowledgment and confession that all truth comes from Him. For all glory in the heavens springs from no other origin, and to the extent that any society in heaven is governed by Divine truth, to the same extent everything in it is radiant, and the angels are surrounded by a commensurate glorious radiance.

[2] That glory means Divine truth can be seen from the following passages:

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of Jehovah... The glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it...." (Isaiah 40:3, 5)

...shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon you... Jehovah will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1-2 to the end)

I will... give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles..., and My glory I will not give to another... (Isaiah 42:6, 8)

For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it... And I will not give My glory to another. (Isaiah 48:11)

They shall fear... His glory from the rising of the sun... The Redeemer will come to Zion... (Isaiah 59:19-20)

...your light shall break forth like the morning...; the glory of Jehovah shall gather you. (Isaiah 58:8)

...He will come to gather all nations and tongues, that they may... see My glory. (Isaiah 66:18)

(Jehovah said,) "I live, and all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah." (Numbers 14:21)

The whole earth is full of His glory! (Isaiah 6:1-3)

In the beginning was the Word..., and the Word was God... In Him was life, and the life was the light of men... That was the true Light... And the Word became flesh..., and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father... (John 1:1, 4, 9, 14)

These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory... (John 12:41)

And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with... glory. (Matthew 24:3, 30)

The heavens shall declare the glory of God... (Psalms 19:1)

Then the nations shall fear the name of Jehovah, and all the kings of the earth Your glory, because (He) built up Zion, (and) He appeared in His glory. (Psalms 102:15-16)

...the glory of God (will illuminate the Holy Jerusalem) and the Lamb is its light. And the nations (which) are saved shall walk in its light... (Revelation 21:23-25)

...the Son of Man (will come) in His glory...(to) sit on the throne of His glory. (Matthew 25:31, cf. Mark 8:38)

That the glory of Jehovah filled and covered the Tabernacle: Exodus 40:34-35, Numbers 14:10-12; 16:19; 16:42.

That it filled the house of Jehovah: 1 Kings 8:10-11.

And so on elsewhere as in Isaiah 24:23; Ezekiel 1:28; 8:4; 9:3; 10:4, 18-19; 11:22-23; Luke 2:32; 9:26; John 2:11; 7:18; 17:24.

  
/ 962  
  

Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.