1. 黙示録には、次のように記されています。

「わたしは新しい天界と新しい地上とを見た。先にあった当初の天界と地上は過ぎ去っていった。・・・そしてわたしは、聖なる都「新しいエルサレム」が、夫の前に出る花嫁のように装って、神のみ力によって天界からくだってくるのを見た。・・・その都には巨大な高い城壁があった。それに十二の門があり、その門には十二人の天使がいて、イスラエルの十二族の名がしるされていた。・・・またその都には十二の土台があり、それに小羊の十二人の使徒の名前がしるされていた。・・・その都は四角形をしていて、タテとヨコの長さは同じである。その都を物差しで測ると一万二千スタディウムあった。そしてタテ、ヨコ、高サが同じである。その城壁を測ると百四十四クビトゥスだったが、これは人間すなわち天使の尺度である。・・・その城壁はジャスパー石でできていて、都それ自身は透明ガラスのような純金であった。また都の城壁の土台はあらゆる種類の宝石からなっている。・・十二の門は十二個の大理石からできている。・・・都の大通りは透明ガラスのように純粋である。・・・神の栄光がその都を照らし、小羊がその都のあかりである。・・・守られてきた諸国民は小羊の光にむかって歩み、地上の王たちは、自分の栄光と誉れとをその光のところへもっていく」（ヨハネの黙示録21:1-2、12-24）。

以上を読んで、その文字通りと思わない人はいないでしょう。見える天界は地上といっしょに滅び去り、新しい天界が実現するといいます。聖なる都エルサレムが新しい地の上におりてきます。それも記されたような大きさです。ところが以上について、天使たちはまったく違ったふうに解釈します。人が自然的に解釈することを一つ一つ霊的に解釈します。それが何を意味するか、天使たちは知っています。それこそ内的意味すなわち〈みことば〉の霊的意味です。

「新しい天界と新しい地上」とは、天使たちが考える内的・霊的意味では、天界と地上における〈新しい教会〉のことです（教会とは何かは後述します）。「神のみ力によって、都エルサレムが天界からおりてくる」とは、その教会の〈天界的教義〉のことです。「タテ」「ヨコ」「高サ」はみんな同じですが、これはその教義に属するあらゆる善と真理の総体です。「城壁」とはその教義を守る諸真理のことです。「その城壁が百四十四クビトゥスあり、それが人間すなわち天使の尺度である」とは、守りの諸真理の総体のこと、その諸真理の性格のことです。大理石でできている「十二の門」とは、導入部としての諸真理のことです。同じく「門にいる十二人の天使」とか「あらゆる宝石から成っている城壁の土台」とは、教義の基盤となっている認識のことです。「イスラエルの十二族」とは、教会に属するもので類や種に及ぶあらゆるもののことです。「十二使徒」とか、都とその大通りの素材となっている「透明ガラスのような金」とは、〈愛の持つ善〉のことで、そこから諸真理をともなった教義が輝き出ます。守られた「諸国民」とか、栄光と誉れをもってくる「地の王たち」とは、善と真理のうちにある〈教会に属する人〉全員のことです。「神」とか「小羊」は、神ご自身として、また神人としての主のことです。

以上が〈みことば〉の霊的意味です。そしてその土台になっているのが文字上の意味です。ただしこの霊的意味と自然的意味は、双方で相応によって一つになって働いています。このような霊的解釈は、あらゆることがらの中に内在していますが、これについて述べることは、本書の目的ではないので割愛します。

3355. In the internal sense 'an earthquake' is an alteration of the state of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'the earth' as the Church, dealt with in 566, 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2928, and from the meaning of 'a quake' as an alteration of state, here an alteration as regards the things that constitute the Church, namely good and truth. This is also evident from other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

It will happen, that he who is fleeing from the sound of the terror will fall into the pit, and he who is climbing out of the middle of the pit will be caught in the snare, for the floodgates from on high have been opened and the foundations of the earth have been made to tremble, the earth has been utterly shattered. The earth has been made to quake thoroughly, the earth staggers like a drunken man, it sways to and fro like a hut, and heavy upon it is its transgression, and it will fall and not rise again. And it will be on that day, that Jehovah will visit the host of the height on high and the kings of the ground on the ground. Isaiah 24:18-21.

Here it is quite evident that 'the earth' is the Church, for the subject is a Church whose 'foundations' are said to 'have been made to tremble', while the Church itself, having been 'shattered' and 'made to quake', 'staggers' and 'sways to and fro' when good and truth are not known any longer. 'The kings of the ground' are truths, in this case falsities, upon which visitation will take place. As regards 'kings' meaning truths and in the contrary sense falsities, see 1672, 2015, and as regards 'the ground' being similar in meaning to 'the earth', namely the Church, though there is a difference, see 566, 1068.

[2] In the same prophet,

I will make a man (homo) more rare than pure gold, and a man (homo) than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make heaven quake and the earth will quake out of its place, at the wrath of Jehovah Zebaoth and in the day of His fierce anger. Isaiah 13:12-13.

Here also, the subject being Judgement Day, 'the earth' plainly stands for the Church which is said to 'quake out of its place' when it undergoes a change of state - 'place' meaning state, see 1273-1275, 1377, 2625, 2837. In the same prophet,

Is this the man who, making the earth quake, making the kingdoms quake, makes the world into a wilderness and destroys its cities? Isaiah 14:16-17.

This refers to Lucifer. 'The earth' stands for the Church, which is said 'to quake' when it lays claim to all things as its own. For 'kingdoms' means the truths accepted by the Church, see 1672, 2547.

[3] In Ezekiel,

It will be on that day, that Gog will come over the land of Israel. My wrath will come up in My anger and in My zeal. In the fire of My wrath I will say, Surely on that day there will be a great earthquake on Israel's ground. Ezekiel 38:18-20.

'Gog' stands for external worship that has been separated from internal and so made idolatrous, 1151. 'Israel's land' or 'ground' stands for the spiritual Church, 'an earthquake' for an alteration of its state. In Joel,

The earth quaked before Him, the heavens trembled. The sun and the moon were darkened, and the stars withdrew their shining. Joel 2:10.

This also refers to Judgement Day. 'The earth quaked' stands for an altered state of the Church, 'the sun and moon' for the good of love and the truth of faith, 1529, 1530, 2441, 2495, which are said to be 'darkened' when goods and truths are not acknowledged any longer. 'The stars' stands for cognitions of good and truth, 2495, 2849. In David,

The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook and trembled because He was angered. Psalms 18:6-7.

'The earth trembled and quaked' stands for the Church when its state has become perverted.

[4] In John,

When he opened the sixth seal I looked again, and behold, a great earthquake took place, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became like blood, and the stars in the sky fell to the earth. Revelation 6:12-13.

Here 'an earthquake', 'the sun', 'the moon', and 'the stars' have a similar meaning to that which they have above in Joel. In the same book,

At that hour a great earthquake took place, and a tenth part of the city fell, and there were killed in the earthquake seven thousand people. ¹ Revelation 11:13.

From all these places it is evident that 'an earthquake' means nothing other than an alteration of the state of the Church, and that 'the earth' has no other meaning in the internal sense than the Church. And since 'the earth' is the Church it is clear that 'the new heaven and the new earth' which are to take the place of the previous heaven and earth, Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; Revelation 21:1, means nothing other than a new Church, internal and external, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end).

Notes de bas de page:

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.