9688. “用绣花的手工” 表属于记忆知识的事物. 这从 “绣花的手工” 的含义清楚可知,

“绣花的手工” 或 “刺绣或绣花” 是指记忆知识. 在圣言中, 大量经文提到刺绣之物和绣花, 它处处表示记忆知识. 其原因可追溯到来世的代表; 在来世可以看到各种绣花衣, 这些衣服表示记忆真理.

记忆真理不同于理解力层面的真理, 如同外在事物不同于内在事物, 或人里面的属世层不同于属灵层. 因为记忆知识服务于理解力, 作为它能从中孵化出真理的研究对象. 因为理解力是内在人的视觉器官, 而记忆知识是它在外在人或属世人中的研究对象. 这些记忆知识由 “绣花的手工” 来表示, 而理解力由 “巧思者的手工” 来表示 (9598节), 因为思考或设计是理解力的功能,

“刺绣或绣花” 是理解力所用的知识和技能的功能. 这解释了为何表示内在事物的居所内的物体是 “巧思者的手工”, 如: 里面的幔子 (26:1), 圣所和至圣所之间的帷帐 (26:31); 而表示外在事物的物体是 “绣花的手工”, 如: 帐幕的门帘, 取代院门的帘子 (出埃及记 38:18), 以及腰带 (出埃及记 39:29); 因为 “腰带” 是指与一切内在事物联结的外在事物,

“院子” 是指天堂的最低层部分,

“帐幕的门” 是指从中间天堂进入最低层天堂的出口所在的地方.

“刺绣或绣花” 或 “绣花的手工” 表示属于外在人或属世人的记忆知识, 这一点从下列圣言经文明显看出来. 以西结书:

你的篷帆是用埃及绣花细麻布做的; 你的凉棚是用以利沙岛的蓝色, 紫色布做的. 亚兰人因你的工作很多, 就作你的客商; 他们用绿宝石, 紫色布, 刺绣, 细麻布兑换你的货物. 示巴的商人包在绣花蓝色包袱内.(以西结书 27:7, 16, 24)

这论及推罗, 推罗表示那些拥有关于真理和良善的认知或知识之人, 在抽象意义上表示这些认知或知识本身 (1201节).

“绣花细麻布” 表示记忆真理, 因为 “细麻布” 表示来自一个属天源头的真理 (5319, 9469节),

“绣花或刺绣” 是指记忆知识. 这也解释了为何经上说它来自 “埃及”, 因为 “埃及” 表示记忆知识 (1164, 1186, 1462, 2588, 4749, 4964, 4966, 5700, 5702, 6004, 6015, 6125, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, 6750, 7779节的末尾, 9391节); 还来自 “亚兰” 和 “示巴”, 因为 “亚兰或叙利亚” 表示关于真理和良善的认知或知识 (1232, 1234, 3051, 3249, 3664, 3680, 4112节);

“示巴” 也是 (1171, 3240节). 关于真理和良善的认知或知识构成教会的记忆知识. 凡具有理性思考, 综合权衡能力的人都能看出, 在上述经文中, 所指的不是刺绣, 也不是细麻布, 亦不是蓝色, 紫色; 而是说, 这些货物表示诸如在圣言中值得一提的那类事物, 即属于天堂和教会的属灵事物.

同一先知书:

海上的一切首领都必从宝座上下来, 除去朝服, 脱下刺绣的衣服, 披上战兢.(以西结书 26:16)

此处也论及推罗.

“海上的首领” 是指首要的记忆知识, 被称为信条.

“首领” 表示首要事物 (参看1482, 2089, 5044节);

“海” 表示总的记忆知识 (28, 2850节).

“朝服” 是指外在真理,

“刺绣” 是指记忆真理, 它们也是外在的.

“衣服” 是指真理 (参看2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 5319, 5954, 6914, 6917, 6918, 9093, 9158, 9212, 9216节).

又:

我也使你身穿绣花衣服, 脚穿獾皮鞋, 并用细麻布给你束腰, 用丝绸给你遮身. 这样, 你就有金银的妆饰, 你的衣服是细麻衣和丝绸并绣花的; 又用你的绣花衣服披在这些偶像身上, 同它们行淫.(以西结书 16:10, 13, 16, 18)

这论及耶路撒冷, 耶路撒冷表示教会;

“绣花衣服” 表示记忆真理;

“披在这些偶像身上, 同它们行淫” 表示确认或强化虚假, 因为 “行淫” 表示通过将真理应用于虚假或邪恶而歪曲真理. 谁看不出 “细麻布”,

“丝绸” 和 “绣花” 在此不是指细麻布, 丝绸和绣花? 因为所论述的主题是耶路撒冷. 然而, 基督教界不去探究它们究竟表示什么, 因为它以为圣言中的属天和属灵事物就存在于圣言的字义中; 它将圣言的内层称为秘密, 对它们不感兴趣.

又:

有一只大鹰, 翅膀大, 翎毛长, 羽毛丰满, 上有绣花的图案.(以西结书 17:3)

这论及以色列家, 以色列家表示属灵教会; 该教会凭它对真理的觉知而被称为 “一只鹰” (3901, 8764节); 它有 “绣花的图案” 表示它拥有记忆知识. 诗篇:

王女在里面极其荣华, 她的衣服是用金线绣的. 她穿着刺绣衣服, 被引到王前.(诗篇 45:13, 14)

“王女” 表示对真理的情感,

“刺绣衣服” 表示真理的记忆知识. 士师记:

莫非他们正在分战利品? 西西拉得了彩衣为战利品, 得绣花的彩衣为战利, 乃是披在颈项上的战利品.(士师记 5:30)

在这节经文, 就是底波拉和巴拉所作的歌中,

“绣花” 表示属于属世人的记忆知识.

4535. The preliminary sections of previous chapters - Chapter 26 onwards - explained what the Lord foretold about His Coming or THE CLOSE OF THE AGE. Frequently in those sections it has been shown that His Coming or the Close of the Age means the last period of the Church, which in the Word is called the Last Judgement. Those who do not look beyond the literal sense cannot know of the Last Judgement as anything else than the destruction of the world, the particular source for such an idea being the Book of Revelation. There it is said that [John] saw 'a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away; and there was no more sea', and in addition that he saw 'the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven', Revelation 21:1-2. Prophetical utterances in Isaiah, where similar predictions occur, are also a source of the same idea,

Behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth; therefore the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. ¹ Be glad and rejoice for ever in the things I am creating; behold, I will create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. Isaiah 65:17-18; 66:22.

[2] Those who do not look beyond the literal sense cannot conceive of anything else than this - that the whole sky together with this planet will be annihilated, and then the dead - for the first time - will rise again and dwell in the new heaven and on the new earth. But these places in the Word should not be understood in that way, as may be recognized from other places in the Word where the heavens and the earth are referred to. Those who have any belief in an internal sense can see plainly that 'a new heaven' and 'a new earth' are used to mean a new Church which takes over when the previous one passes away, 1733, 1850, 3355 (end), and that 'heaven' is the internal aspect of that new Church and 'earth' the external aspect of it.

[3] This last period of the previous Church and the first of the new one are also called the Close of the Age, about which the Lord has spoken in Matthew 24. They are called also His Coming, for at that time the Lord departs from the previous Church and comes to the new. The description of that period as the Close of the Age may also be seen from other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

On that day a remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the God of power. For though your people Israel will be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of it will return. The close has been determined, overflowing with righteousness, for the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth is bringing the whole earth to its close and to its determined end. Isaiah 10:20-23.

In the same prophet,

Now do not be derisive, lest your punishments increase, for a close and a cutting off I have heard from the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth over the whole earth. Isaiah 28:22.

In Jeremiah,

Thus said Jehovah, The whole earth will be a waste, yet I will not bring it to a close. Jeremiah 4:27.

In Zephaniah,

I will bring men into distress, and they will go as the blind, because they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. For Jehovah will bring to a close, indeed to a hasty one, all the inhabitants of the earth. Zephaniah 1:17-18.

From each detail stated here it is evident that 'a close' means the last period of the Church and 'the earth' the Church itself.

[4] The reason why 'the earth (or land)' means the Church is that the land of Canaan was the land where the Church had existed since most ancient times, and later on where among the descendants of Jacob a representative of the Church existed. When this land is said to have been 'brought to a close' it is not the nation dwelling there that is meant but the holiness of worship which existed with the nation where the Church was. For the Word is spiritual; but the actual land is not spiritual, nor is the nation dwelling in it, only that which constitutes the Church there. For evidence that the land of Canaan was the land where the Church had existed from most ancient times, see 567, 3686, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517; and this explains why 'the land' or 'the earth' in the Word means the Church, 566, 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 3355, 4447. From all this one may see what is meant in Isaiah by 'bringing the whole earth to a close', and in Zephaniah by 'bringing all the inhabitants of the earth to a hasty one'. It is well known that the Jewish nation which inhabited that land was not 'brought to a close' but that the holiness of worship among them was.

[5] This meaning of 'the close' is even clearer in Daniel,

Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning your people and your holy city to bring transgression to a close and to seal up sins and to atone for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. In the middle of the week he will cause sacrifice and offering to cease. At length upon the bird of desolations will come desolation; until a close and a cutting off will it drop upon the devastation. Daniel 9:24, 27.

[6] From this one may now see that the close of the age - about which the disciples were asking when they said to the Lord 'What will be the sign of Your coming and of the close of the age?' Matthew 24:3 - does not mean anything else than the final period of the Church. The same is also meant by the Lord's words, which are the very last in the same gospel,

Jesus said to the disciples, Teaching them to observe ² all things whatever I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you at all times ³ even to the close of the age. Matthew 28:20.

The reason why the Lord said that He would be with the disciples even to the close of the age is that the Lord's twelve disciples are similar in meaning to the twelve tribes of Israel. That is to say, they mean all things of love and faith, and therefore all things of the Church, see 3354, 3488, 3858, as do the twelve tribes, 3858, 3926, 3939, 4060. The fact that the Church reaches its close when no charity exists there any longer, nor consequently any faith, has been shown several times already; and that within the Church at the present day, called the Christian Church, scarcely any trace of charity or consequently of faith survives there; and that the close of the age is accordingly now at hand, will in the Lord's Divine mercy be shown further on.

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