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.For, after the wind which rends the mountains, and after the earthquake,and after the fire, come the tranquil and peaceful times of His kingdom, inwhich the spirit of God does, in the most gentle manner, vivify andincrease mankind.This, too, was made still clearer by Ezekiel, that theprophets saw the dispensations of God in part, but not actually GodHimself.For when this man had seen the vision of God, and the cherubim,and their wheels, and when he had recounted the mystery of the whole ofthat progression, and had beheld the likeness of a throne above them, andupon the throne a likeness as of the figure of a man, and the things whichwere upon his loins as the figure of amber, and what was below like thesight of fire, and when he set forth all the rest of the vision of the thrones,lest any one might happen to think that in those [visions] he had actuallyseen God, he added: This was the appearance of the likeness of the gloryof God. 11.If, then, neither Moses, nor Elias, nor Ezekiel, who had all manycelestial visions, did see God; but if what they did see were similitudes ofthe splendor of the Lord, And prophecies of things to come; it is manifestthat the Father is indeed invisible, of whom also the Lord said, No manhath seen God at any time. But His Word, as He Himself willed it, and 980for the benefit of those who beheld, did show the Father s brightness, andexplained His purposes (as also the Lord said: The only-begotten God,which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared [Him]; and He doesHimself also interpret the Word of the Father as being rich and great); notin one figure, nor in one character, did He appear to those seeing Him, butaccording to the reasons and effects aimed at in His dispensations, as it iswritten in Daniel.For at one time He was seen with those who werearound Ananias, Azarias, Misael, as present with them in the furnace offire, in the burning, and preserving them from [the effects of] fire: Andthe appearance of the fourth, it is said, was like to the Son of God. Atanother time [He is represented as] a stone cut out of the mountainwithout hands, and as smiting all temporal kingdoms, and as blowingthem away (ventilans ea), and as Himself filling all the earth.Then, too, isthis same individual beheld as the Son of man coming in the clouds ofheaven, and drawing near to the Ancient of Days, and receiving from Himall power and glory, and a kingdom. His dominion, it is said, is aneverlasting dominion, and His kingdom shall not perish. John also, theLord s disciple, when beholding the sacerdotal and glorious advent of Hiskingdom, says in the Apocalypse: I turned to see the voice that spakewith me.And, being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in themidst of the candlesticks One like unto the Son of man, clothed with agarment reaching to the feet, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle;and His head and His hairs were white, as white as wool, and as snow; andHis eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto fine brass, as if Heburned in a furnace.And His voice [was] as the voice of waters; and Hehad in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth went a sharptwo-edged sword; and His countenance was as the sun shining in hisstrength. For in these words He sets forth something of the glory [whichHe has received] from His Father, as [where He makes mention of] thehead; something in reference to the priestly office also, as in the case of thelong garment reaching to the feet.And this was the reason why Mosesvested the high priest after this fashion.Something also alludes to the end[of all things], as [where He speaks of] the fine brass burning in the fire,which denotes the power of faith, and the continuing instant in prayer,because of the consuming fire which is to come at the end of time.Butwhen John could not endure the sight (for he says, I fell at his feet asdead; that what was written might come to pass: No man sees God, and 981shall live ), and the Word reviving him, and reminding him that it was Heupon whose bosom he had leaned at supper, when he put the question asto who should betray Him, declared: I am the first and the last, and Hewho liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, and have thekeys of death and of hell. And after these things, seeing the same Lord ina second vision, he says: For I saw in the midst of the throne, and of thefour living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as ithad been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the sevenspirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. And again, he says, speakingof this very same Lamb: And behold a white horse; and He that sat uponhim was called Faithful and True; and in righteousness doth He judge andmake war.And His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head weremany crowns; having a name written, that no man knoweth but Himself:and He was girded around with a vesture sprinkled with blood: and Hisname is called The Word of God.And the armies of heaven followed Himupon white horses, clothed in pure white linen.And out of His mouthgoeth a sharp sword, that with it He may smite the nations; and He shallrule (pascet) them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the wine-press of thefierceness of the wrath of God Almighty.And He hath upon His vestureand upon His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OFLORDS. Thus does the Word of God always preserve the outlines, as itwere, of things to come, and points out to men the various forms (species),as it were, of the dispensations of the Father, teaching us the thingspertaining to God.12.However, it was not by means of visions alone which were seen, andwords which were proclaimed, but also in actual works, that He wasbeheld by the prophets, in order that through them He might prefigure andshow forth future events beforehand.For this reason did Hosea theprophet take a wife of whoredoms, prophesying by means of the action, that in committing fornication the earth should fornicate from theLORD, that is, the men who are upon the earth; and from men of thisstamp it will be God s good pleasure to take out a Church which shall besanctified by fellowship with His Son, just as that woman was sanctifiedby intercourse with the prophet.And for this reason, Paul declares thatthe unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband. Then again,the prophet names his children, Not having obtained mercy, and Not a 982people, in order that, as says the apostle, what was not a people maybecome a people; and she who did not obtain mercy may obtain mercy
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