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

 

Arcana Coelestia # 5702

Estudar Esta Passagem

  
/ 10837  
  

5702. 'Since that is an abomination to the Egyptians' means that they are in a contrary position. This is clear from the representation of 'the Egyptians' as those with whom order has been inverted, 5700; and from the representation of 'the Hebrews', to eat with whom was an abomination to the Egyptians, as those with whom genuine order exists, 5701. Thus the two are set in contrary positions, and this gives rise to strong dislike and at length to what is an abomination. Regarding this abomination, it should be recognized that people with whom an inverted state of order, that is, evil and consequent falsity, exists, thereby come at length to acquire a strong dislike for the goodness and truth of the Church the moment they hear it referred to. This is even more true when they hear reference made to the interior aspects of that goodness and truth; they find these so abominable that so to speak they feel nauseated and wish to vomit. This is what I have been told and shown to be so when I have wondered why the Christian world does not accept the interior teachings of the Word. Spirits from the Christian world have appeared on the scene and have been compelled to hear about the interior teachings of the Word; they were then so nauseated by these that they said they felt within themselves the great need to vomit. I have also been told that this is what the Christian world is like virtually everywhere at the present day. The reason it is like this is that it has no affection for truth for its own sake, still less any affection for good motivated by good. Anything they think or say that is based on the Word or their religious teachings is due to habit followed since early childhood and to religious custom, and so is something external devoid of anything internal.

[2] The fact that all aspects of the Hebrew Church, the one established at a later time among the descendants of Jacob, were an abomination to the Egyptians is evident not only from their refusal even to eat with them but also from the fact that sacrifices, in which the Hebrew Church made its main worship consist, were an abomination to them, as is evident in Moses,

Pharaoh said, Go away, sacrifice within the land. But Moses said, It is incorrect to do so, for we shall be sacrificing to Jehovah our God what is an abomination to the Egyptians; behold, if we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians in their eyes, will they not stone us? Exodus 8:25-26.

Also, feeding cattle and being a shepherd was an abomination to them, as is evident again in Moses,

Every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians. Genesis 46:34.

Thus every aspect of that Church was an abomination to the Egyptians. The reason was that initially even the Egyptians had been among those who constituted the representative Ancient Church, 1238, 2385. But after that they rejected the God of the Ancient Church, who was Jehovah or the Lord, and served idols, in particular calves. Also the actual representatives and meaningful signs of the celestial and spiritual realities of the Ancient Church, which they came to know while part of that Church, were turned by them into magical practices. This being so, order with them became inverted, as a consequence of which everything constituting the Church was an abomination.

  
/ 10837  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.