A Bíblia

 

Ezequiel 10

Estude

   

1 Depois olhei, e eis que no firmamento que estava por cima da cabeça dos querubins, apareceu sobre eles uma como pedra de safira, semelhante em forma a um trono.

2 E falou ao homem vestido de linho, dizendo: Vai por entre as rodas giradoras, até debaixo do querubim, enche as tuas mãos de brasas acesas dentre os querubins, e espalha-as sobre a cidade. E ele entrou à minha vista.

3 E os querubins estavam de pé ao lado direito da casa, quando entrou o homem; e uma nuvem encheu o átrio interior.

4 Então se levantou a glória do Senhor de sobre o querubim, e passou para a entrada da casa; e encheu-se a casa duma nuvem, e o átrio se encheu do resplendor da glória do Senhor.

5 E o ruído das asas dos querubins se ouvia até o átrio exterior, como a voz do Deus Todo-Poderoso, quando fala.

6 Sucedeu pois que, dando ele ordem ao homem vestido de linho, dizendo: Toma fogo dentre as rodas, dentre os querubins, entrou ele, e pôs-se junto a uma roda.

7 Então estendeu um querubim a sua mão de entre os querubins para o fogo que estava entre os querubins; e tomou dele e o pôs nas mãos do que estava vestido de linho, o qual o tomou, e saiu.

8 E apareceu nos querubins uma semelhança de mão de homem debaixo das suas asas.

9 Então olhei, e eis quatro rodas junto aos querubins, uma roda junto a um querubim, e outra roda junto a outro querubim; e o aspecto das rodas era como o brilho de pedra de crisólita.

10 E, quanto ao seu aspecto, as quatro tinham a mesma semelhança, como se estivesse uma roda no meio doutra roda.

11 Andando elas, iam em qualquer das quatro direções sem se virarem quando andavam, mas para o lugar para onde olhava a cabeça, para esse andavam; não se viravam quando andavam.

12 E todo o seu corpo, as suas costas, as suas mãos, as suas asas, e as rodas que os quatro tinham, estavam cheias de olhos em redor.

13 E, quanto às rodas, elas foram chamadas rodas giradoras, ouvindo-o eu.

14 E cada um tinha quatro rostos: o primeiro rosto era rosto de querubim, o segundo era rosto de homem, o terceiro era rosto de leão, e o quarto era rosto de águia.

15 E os querubins se elevaram ao alto. Eles são os mesmos seres viventes que vi junto ao rio Quebar.

16 E quando os querubins andavam, andavam as rodas ao lado deles; e quando os querubins levantavam as suas asas, para se elevarem da terra, também as rodas não se separavam do lado deles.

17 Quando aqueles paravam, paravam estas; e quando aqueles se elevavam, estas se elevavam com eles; pois o espírito do ser vivente estava nelas.

18 Então saiu a glória do Senhor de sobre a entrada da casa, e parou sobre os querubins.

19 E os querubins alçaram as suas asas, e se elevaram da terra à minha vista, quando saíram, acompanhados pelas rodas ao lado deles; e pararam à entrada da porta oriental da casa do Senhor, e a glória do Deus de Israel estava em cima sobre eles.

20 São estes os seres viventes que vi debaixo do Deus de Israel, junto ao rio Quebar; e percebi que eram querubins.

21 Cada um tinha quatro rostos e cada um quatro asas; e debaixo das suas asas havia a semelhança de mãos de homem.

22 E a semelhança dos seus rostos era a dos rostos que eu tinha visto junto ao rio Quebar; tinham a mesma aparência, eram eles mesmos; cada um andava em linha reta para a frente.

   

Comentário

 

Gate

  
People around a village gate, by Adrianus Eversen

Gates" in ancient times had a significance that does not hold in the modern world. Cities then were enclosed by walls for protection; gates in the walls let people in and out to do their business, but were also the weak points in the cities' defenses. In the Bible, cities on one level represent the minds of individual people. On a broader level, they represent beliefs shared by a community. The gates, then, represent openings where the Lord can feed us an understanding of truth and a desire for good. They also represent points where the hells can invade and sway us with false ideas and evil desires. We are kept in balance during our lifetimes, with influences from both the Lord and from hell. Ideally, we will over our lifetimes continue to invite the Lord farther and farther in and drive the hells back until ultimately the Lord can occupy our minds completely. And that point our belief in Him and His power and love will hold the gates and deny evil any entrance. As individuals, we at that point become angels. As communities, we at that point become part of the Lord's church. And at that point the gates become an entry point, introductory truths that allow people to enter churches and start bringing the Lord into their lives.

Das Obras de Swedenborg

 

Apocalypse Explained # 754

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754. Having great anger, signifies hatred against spiritual truths and goods, which are of faith and life from the Word, consequently against those who are in them. This is evident from the signification of "great anger," as being, in reference to the devil, hatred. For in reference to the Lord "anger" signifies zeal, which however has heaven within it; but in reference to the devil it means hatred, which has hell within it. That these and many other things are signified by "anger" and "wrath" may be seen above (n. 413, 481, 647, 693). The devil's hatred is against spiritual truths and goods, because merely natural truths and goods are the direct opposites of these, for merely natural truths and goods are in their essence falsities and evils, although to those who are merely natural and sensual they appear to be truths and goods; because their goods are pleasures and delights flowing from the loves of self and the world, and their truths are whatever favor those goods; consequently as the loves of self and of the world are from hell, these goods and truths are in their essence evils and falsities. But spiritual truths and goods are in their essence truths and goods, because these goods are delights flowing from love to the Lord and from love towards the neighbor, and spiritual truths are what teach these goods; and these truths and goods are called spiritual because they are from the Lord through heaven, since everything that proceeds from the Lord is called spiritual. And since these truths and goods cannot be received by man unless he believes them and does them, it is added, which are of faith and life from the Word. To live from the Word is to live from the Lord, for the Lord is in the Word, yea, He is the Word.

[2] Now as merely natural truths and goods, which in their essence are falsities and evils, are altogether opposite to spiritual truths and goods, which in their essence are truths and goods, therefore the devil, by whom is meant hell, is in unceasing hatred against them. This is why hatreds of various kinds are unceasingly ascending from the hells; while on the other hand, spiritual loves also of various kinds descend from the heavens, and between the hatreds of the hells and the loves of the heavens there is an equilibrium, in which the men in the world are held, in order that they may be able to act from freedom according to reason. Consequently those who do not live from the Word but from the world, since they continue natural, receive evils and the falsities thence from hell, and conceive from them hatred against spiritual truths and goods. Their hatred does not appear in the world, because it lies concealed inwardly in their spirit; but it becomes manifest after death, when they become spirits. Then they burn against those who are in spiritual truths and goods with a hatred so great that it cannot be described; it is indeed a deadly hatred; for as soon as they see an angel who is in these truths and goods, or if they merely hear the Lord named, from whom these truths and goods are, they instantly come into a fury of hatred, and feel nothing more delightful than to pursue them and to do evil to them. And as they are unable to slay their body they endeavor with a burning heart to slay their soul.

[3] It is said, "Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea, for the devil is come down unto you having great anger," because after the Last Judgment the state of the spiritual world was altogether changed. Before the Last Judgment those who were able to live a civil and moral life in externals, although they were not spiritual, were permitted to form for themselves seeming heavens, and to enjoy there pleasures like those in the world; but after the Last Judgment was accomplished this is no longer permitted, for now everyone according to his life is carried off, he who is merely natural to hell and he who is spiritual to heaven. This also is the meaning of the words, "the dragon and his angels were cast out of heaven into the earth," namely, that before this it was granted them to have conjunction with the angels who were in the lowest heavens, and because of this to form for themselves such heavens; but now this is no longer permitted. This, then, is what is meant particularly by the hatred against those who are in spiritual truths and goods, which hatred is signified by the "great anger" that the devil has against "those that inhabit the earth and the sea."

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