566. “土地” 表教会所在的整个区域. 这一点从 “土地” 的意思清楚可知, 在圣言中, 对土地 (ground), 陆地 (land), 大地或地 (earth ) 作了精确区分. 用到 “土地” 时, 就表示教会或教会的某个方面. 这也是表示地的人或亚当之名的由来. 但是, 当圣言中出现 “陆地” 或 “地” 时, 通常指没有教会或教会某个方面的地方, 如第一章唯独用了 “陆地” (land) 一词, 因为教会或重生者尚未出现. 直到第二章才用了 “土地” 这个词, 因为这时教会已经形成. 本节以及7章4, 23节也是如此, 此处经文说要除灭土地上各种活物, 表示在教会所在的区域; 但在创世记 (7:3) 论到即将被创造的教会, 经上说 “可以留种活在全地上”. 其它地方的经文也是这样, 如以赛亚书:

耶和华要怜恤雅各, 必再拣选以色列, 将他们安置在本地. 外邦人必将他们带回本土. 以色列家必在耶和华的地上得外邦人为仆婢. (以赛亚书 14:1-2)

此处论及被造的教会; 而同样是这一章, 没有教会的地方, 经上则称之为 “地” ( earth)(以赛亚 14:9, 12, 16, 20, 21, 25, 26). 又:

犹大土地必使埃及惊恐; 当那日埃及陆地必有五城的人说迦南的方言. (以赛亚书 19:17-18)

这里的 “土地” ( ground) 表教会, “陆地” ( land) 表没有教会. 以赛亚书:

地要东倒西歪, 好像醉酒的人. 耶和华在高处必惩罚高处的军队, 在土地上必惩罚土地上的列王. (以赛亚 24:20-21)

耶利米书:

耕地的也蒙羞抱头, 因为土地都干裂, 无雨降在地上. 田野的母鹿生下小鹿. (耶利米书 14:4-5)

此处 “地” 包含 “土地” 的意思, “土地” 包含 “田野” 的意思.

耶利米书:

祂将以色列家的后代从北方陆地, 和赶他们到的各陆地领出. 他们必住在自己的土地上. (耶利米书 23:8)

此处 “陆地” 和 “各陆地” 表没有教会的地方, “土地” 表有教会或真正敬拜的地方. 耶利米书:

我必将剩在这陆地, 并住在埃及陆地的耶路撒冷的余民都交出来, 我必将他们交出来, 成为陆地列国邪恶的恐惧. 我必使刀剑, 饥荒, 瘟疫, 临到他们, 直到他们从我所赐给他们和他们列祖的土地上灭绝. (耶利米 24:8-10)

“土地” 表教义和由此产生的敬拜. 本书 (25:5) 也有类似的意思.

以西结书:

我从分散的各陆地聚集你们. 我领你们进入以色列的土地, 就是我起誓应许赐给你们列祖的陆地, 那时你们就知道我是耶和华. (以西结 20:41, 42)

“土地” 表内在的敬拜. 当内在的敬拜不存在时, 经上就称为 “陆地”. 玛拉基书:

我必为你们斥责吞噬者, 不容它毁坏你们的土产. 你们田间的葡萄树也不掉果子. 万国必称你们为有福的, 因你们必成为喜乐的陆地! (玛拉基书 3:11, 12)

这里的 “陆地” 是指载体, 因而明显指人, 当 “土地” 表教会或教义时, 人就被称为 “陆地”.

摩西书:

你们外邦人, 当与主的百姓一同欢呼, 因他要洁净他的土地, 他的百姓. (申命记 32:43)

显而易见, 这是指外邦人的教会, 它被称为 “土地”. 以赛亚书:

因为在这孩子晓得弃恶择善之先, 你所憎恶的那二王的土地必致见弃. (以赛亚书 7:16)

这指的是主的降临. “土地必致见弃” 表教会或真正的信之教义. 以这种方式明显用到 “土地” 和 “田野” 这些词, 是因为它们是被播种的地方. 如以赛亚书:

你将种子撒在土地, 主必降雨在其上. 牛和驴驹在土地上耕种. (以赛亚 30:23, 24)

约珥书:

田荒凉, 土地悲哀, 因为五谷毁坏. (约珥书 1:10)

从上述经文清楚可知, 在希伯来语中被称为亚当的人由于土地一词而表示教会.

2547. 'That you have brought great sin on me and on my kingdom' means that thereby the doctrine of faith and all matters of doctrine would be at risk. This is clear from the meaning of 'Abimelech', to whom the pronoun 'me' refers here, as the doctrine of faith, and from the meaning of 'kingdom' as the truth of doctrine or that which is a matter of doctrine. That 'a kingdom' in the internal sense means truths of doctrine, and in the contrary sense falsities of doctrine, is clear from the Word, as in Jeremiah,

He is the One who formed all things and the sceptre of His inheritance; Jehovah Zebaoth is His name. You are to me a hammer, weapons of war, and in You I will scatter the nations, and in You I will destroy the kingdoms. Jeremiah 51:19-20.

This refers to the Lord who, it is clear, is not going to scatter nations or destroy kingdoms but to do so to things meant by nations and kingdoms, namely evils and falsities of doctrine.

[2] In Ezekiel,

Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations to where they have gone away, and will gather them from all around, and bring them into their own land; I will make them into one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one King will be King to them all, and they will no longer be two nations, nor will they be divided any longer into two kingdoms. Ezekiel 37:21-22.

'Israel' stands for the spiritual Church, 'nation' for the good of that Church, that is, of doctrine, for by 'nations' goods are meant, see 1259, 1260, 1416, 1849. 'Kingdom' stands for the truths of that Church. The fact that 'nations' and 'kingdoms' here mean something different from nations and kingdoms is quite evident, for the children of Israel, or the Israelites, are spoken of as being gathered together and brought into the land when in fact they were dispersed among the gentile nations and became such themselves.

[3] In Isaiah,

I will confound Egypt with Egypt, and they will fight, every one against his brother, and every one against his companion, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. Isaiah 19:2.

Here 'Egypt' stands for the reasonings based on facts concerning the truths of faith, 1164, 1165, 1186. 'City' stands for doctrine, in this case heretical doctrine, 402, 2268, 2449, 'kingdom' for falsity of doctrine. 'City against city and kingdom against kingdom' therefore stands for the fact that heresies and falsities will be in conflict with one another. The same is meant by the following words spoken by the Lord in reference to the close of the age, in Matthew,

Nation will be roused against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Matthew 24:7.

This stands for evils against evils, and falsities against falsities.

[4] The things that Daniel prophesied about the four kingdoms, Chapter 2:37-46; Daniel 7:17-end; and about the kingdoms of Media and Persia, Chapter 8:20-end; and about the kingdoms of the king of the south and the king of the north in Chapter 11; and the things that John too prophesied in the Book of Revelation about kings and kingdoms, have no other meaning. Those kingdoms are used solely to mean states of the Church as regards truths and falsities. The conditions of monarchs and of earthly kingdoms in the sense of the letter are in the internal sense states of the Church and of the Lord's kingdom. In the internal sense nothing else occurs there than spiritual and celestial things, for regarded in itself the Word of the Lord is purely spiritual and celestial; but so that it may be read and understood by man, no matter who, ideas of the things which belong to heaven are conveyed by means of such things as exist on earth.