3. 新天國與新教會的信仰, 其具體形式如下:

耶和華上帝是仁(愛)之本和智(慧)之本, 是(良)善之本和(真)理之本。作為神性真理(簡稱"聖理"), 或者"與上帝同在"的"道", 祂為了使天國,地獄和教會的一切都重新歸入神性規則(簡稱"聖規"), 祂降世並取了人身向世人顯現。因為那時, 地獄的力量正勝過天國, 人世間惡已勝善, 這樣的後果將帶來極大的詛咒, 人類面臨滅亡。靠著祂的所取之人, 耶和華上帝消融了這個即將發生的詛咒, 並救贖了天人和人類。然後在祂的所取之人中, 祂將聖理(即神性真理)與聖善(即神性良善),或聖智(即神性智慧)與聖仁(即神性仁愛)聯合。以這種方式, 與祂的人身一起,並在這個人身之中(已被榮耀), 回到祂從永恆就有的神性。

『約翰福音』中這些話正是此意:"道與上帝同在, 道就是上帝。道成了肉身(約翰福音1:1, 14)"。在同一福音書:"我由父而出, 到了世界; 我又離開世界, 去父那裡(約翰福音16:28)"。也通過這些話來表達:"我們也知道上帝的兒子已經來到, 且將智慧賜給我們, 使我們認識那位真實的, 我們也在那位真實的裡面, 就是在祂兒子耶穌基督裡面。這是真上帝, 也是永生。(約翰一書5:20)

從這些話可清楚看出, 主若未曾降臨人間, 無人得救。今天的情形類似, 若非主以聖理的形式——也就是以道的形式再次降臨人間, 無人得救。

此信仰的具體形式, 在人方面:

(1)有一位上帝, 聖三一存在於祂之中, 祂是主上帝我們的拯救者耶穌基督。

(2)相信祂是得救之信。

(3)諸惡莫作——惡屬於魔鬼並來自魔鬼。

(4)眾善奉行——善屬於上帝並來自上帝。

(5)如此奉行, 如同靠自己而行; 不過必須相信, 這樣行是來自於主與人同工,並通過人行出來。

(1)(2)是關於信, (3)(4)關於義, (5)是關於義與信的聯合,也就是主與人的合作。

第一章　

9479. 'And they are to make Me a sanctuary' means a representative of the Lord, and so of heaven. This is clear from the meaning of 'a sanctuary' as the Lord and as heaven, but at this point a representative of the Lord and heaven, since it was a tabernacle made of pieces of wood and covered all over with curtains, and this could not have been a sanctuary but for its representation. For 'a sanctuary' means holiness itself; and nothing is holy except what is Divine, thus the Lord alone, 9229. The reason why heaven is a sanctuary is that heaven is heaven by virtue of what is Divine there. For the angels there, so far as they draw on what is Divine and the Lord's, constitute heaven; but so far as they draw on what is their own they do not constitute heaven. From this it is evident how the saying that the Lord is the All in all of heaven should be understood. For the Lord dwells with angels, and so in heaven, in what is His own, thus in what is Divine, see 9338 (end).

[2] The fact that 'a sanctuary' in the highest sense means the Lord, because He alone is holy and that alone is holy which emanates from Him, and also the fact that 'a sanctuary' means heaven, and the Church as well, and that sanctuaries are those realities of which the Lord is the source in heaven and the Church, is clear from places in the Word where the words 'sanctuary' and 'sanctuaries' are used, as in Ezekiel,

The Lord Jehovih has said, I will scatter them into the lands, and I will be a little sanctuary for them in the lands to which they will come. Ezekiel 11:16.

Here 'a sanctuary' stands for the Lord Himself, for 'the Lord Jehovih' and 'Jehovah' in the Word mean the Lord, 9373. In Isaiah,

Look out from the heavens, and see from the dwelling-place of your holiness and of Your glory. Isaiah 63:15.

In Jeremiah,

Like a throne of glory, a height from eternity, [is] the place of the sanctuary. Jeremiah 17:12.

In these places 'the dwelling-place of holiness' and 'the sanctuary' stand for heaven.

[3] In Isaiah,

But a little while, and they have possessed the people of Your holiness; our adversaries have trodden down Your sanctuary. Isaiah 63:18.

In Jeremiah,

The nations have come into His sanctuary. Lamentations 1:10.

In the same book,

The Lord has abandoned His altar, He has abominated His sanctuary. Lamentations 2:7.

In Ezekiel,

The Lord Jehovih has said, Behold, I am about to profane My sanctuary, the pride ¹ of your strength, the desire of your eyes. Ezekiel 24:21.

In Moses,

I will make your cities a waste, and desolate your sanctuaries. Leviticus 26:31.

In these places 'the sanctuary' stands for the Church, and 'sanctuaries' for things belonging to the Church. From all this it is clear how the tabernacle comes to be called the sanctuary, namely from the fact that heaven and the Church were represented by the tabernacle, and the Divine realities of which the Lord is the source in heaven and in the Church were represented by the holy things there.

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