1857. “因为亚摩利人的罪恶到现在还没有满盈” 表不再有任何良善之时的末期. 这从 “亚摩利人” 和 “满盈” 的含义清楚可知. 在圣言中, “亚摩利人” 表总体上的邪恶, 原因在于, 迦南地被被称为 “亚摩利人之地”, 这清楚可见于以西结书 (16:3, 4) 和阿摩司书 (2:9, 10). 因此, “亚摩利人” 在此表迦南地的所有民族, 就象前面说的, 这些民族尤表恶与假. 所以, “亚摩利人” 表总体上的一切邪恶. “满盈” 表不再有任何良善之时的末期.

不过, “亚摩利人的罪恶到现在还没有满盈” 这句话的内义是一个奥秘. 在来世, 恶者的情况是这样: 在其罪恶尚未达到顶点之前, 他们不会受到惩罚. 这既适用于总体的罪恶, 也适用于具体的罪恶. 因为在来世, 一切事物都处于这样的平衡: 邪恶自我惩罚, 也就是说, 只有当罪恶达到顶点时, 恶者才会面临罪恶的惩罚. 每一种罪恶都有自己的极限, 这极限因人而异, 超过这个极限是不可以的. 恶者一旦越过这个极限, 就会面临惩罚. 具体情况就是如此.

总体上也是这样. 恶者不是立刻, 而是逐渐将自己推入地狱. 这源于主所确立的秩序的普遍法则: 主从不将任何人送入地狱, 而是在罪恶满盈, 没有一丝良善出现时, 罪恶本身, 或这个恶人将自己逐渐扔进地狱. 只要尚有一丝良善, 他就会从地狱被提升上来. 不过, 当只有罪恶时, 他就被自己推入地狱. 善与恶必须首先彼此分离, 因为它们是对立面, 人不可以向这两边倾斜. 这就是 “亚摩利人的罪恶到现在还没有满盈” 的含义. 但善者的情形则不然, 他们不断被主提升向天堂, 而他们的罪恶也会逐渐被抹除.

教会的状态也是这样. 只有等到它的罪恶达到完结, 即仁之善和信之真不复存在之时, 处罚才会到来. 先知书经常提及这种完结 (或结局, 终结, 满了, 满盈等). 如以赛亚书:

我从主万军之耶和华那里听见, 已经决定在全地上施行清算, 终结的事. (以赛亚书 28:22)

耶利米书:

巴比伦啊, 你这住在众水之上多有财宝的, 你的结局到了! 你贪婪之量已满盈! (耶利米书 51:13)

但以理书:

为你本国之民和你圣城, 已经定了七十个七, 要终止罪过, 除净罪恶, 赎尽罪孽, 引进永义, 封住异象和预言, 并膏至圣所. (但以理书 9:24)

最终, 那荒凉必临到可憎的飞鸟身上, 直到所定的结局, 它必倾在那行毁坏的身上. (但以理书 9:27)

主自己也在路加福音中以这些话预言了结局:

他们要倒在刀下, 又被掳到各国去. 耶路撒冷最终要被外邦人践踏, 直到外邦人的日期满了. (路加福音 21:24)

“要倒在刀下” 表虚假, 因为在圣言中, “刀” 是指对虚假的惩罚. “耶路撒冷” 表主的国度和教会 (402节), “外邦人” 表邪恶 (1260节). 因此, 这段经文的意思是, 当教会被恶与假所占据, 从而自行毁灭时, “结局” 就到了.

3412. 'All the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them up' means that people who possessed knowledge of cognitions did not wish to know interior truths that came from the Divine and so effaced them. This is clear from the meaning of 'wells' as truths, dealt with in 2702, 3096, here interior truths coming from the Divine since the wells, which mean truths, are said to have been dug by 'his father's servants in the days of Abraham his father' - 'Abraham' representing the Lord's Divine itself, 2011, 2833, 2836, 3251, 3305 (end); from the meaning of 'stopping up' as not wishing to know and so effacing; and from the representation of 'the Philistines' as people who possess no more than a knowledge of cognitions, dealt with in 1197, 1198.

[2] The subject at this point is the appearances of truth that belong to the lower degree, which are able to exist with those who possess a knowledge of cognitions and whom 'the Philistines' are used to mean here. With regard to the interior truths that come from the Divine and are effaced by those called the Philistines, the position is that in the Ancient Church and after it the name Philistines was used for those who gave little thought to life and very much to doctrine, and who in course of time even rejected matters of life and acknowledged matters of faith - which faith was separated from life - as being the essential element of the Church. As a consequence they attached no importance at all to matters of doctrine concerning charity which in the Ancient Church constituted the all of doctrine, and so they effaced it. Instead they proclaimed matters of doctrine concerning faith and centred the whole of their religion in these. And since in this way they departed from the life of charity, that is, from charity as the sum and substance of life, they more than all others were called 'the uncircumcised'. For by 'the uncircumcised' were meant all in whom charity was not present, no matter how much doctrine they knew, 2049 (end).

[3] Because such people departed from charity they also removed themselves from wisdom and intelligence, for no one can have a wise and intelligent discernment of what truth is unless good, that is, charity, reigns in him. Indeed all truth originates in good and has regard to good, so that anyone who is devoid of good is unable to have an intelligent discernment of truth, and does not even wish to know it. When such people in the next life are far away from heaven, light bright as snow is sometimes seen to be with them. But that light is like the light in wintertime which, being devoid of warmth, is unproductive. This also explains why, when such persons draw near to heaven, their light is converted into utter darkness, and their minds into something akin to that darkness, which is stupidity. From these considerations it may now be seen what is meant by the statement that people who possessed no more than a knowledge of cognitions did not wish to know interior truths that came from the Divine and so effaced them.