4229. 第32章

最后的审判 (续)

我们从第三卷 (系指拉丁文的第3卷) 开始解释主在马太福音 24章关于最后审判的预言. 这些解释被放在了那一卷最后几章的开头部分, 目前已解释到31节 (参看3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3897-3901, 4056-4060节).

概括地说, 主的这些预言的内义从所给出的解释很清楚看出来, 即祂预言了教会的逐渐毁灭和最终一个新教会的建立, 其次序如下:

⑴教会成员不再知道何为良善与真理, 反而开始彼此争论它们.

⑵他们蔑视它们.

⑶他们从心里不承认它们.

⑷他们亵渎它们.

⑸由于信之真理和爱之良善仍存留在某些被称为 “选民” 的人当中, 故经上描述了那时信之真理所具有的状态.

⑹然后描述了仁的状态.

⑺最后论述了一个新教会的开始, 由最后所解释的那些话来表示, 即:

祂要差遣祂的使者, 用号筒的大声, 将祂的选民从四风, 从天这边到天那边, 都招聚了来. (马太福音 24:31)

这些话表示一个新教会的开始 (参看4060末尾节).

1044. And pearls, signifies their appearance in externals to be in the cognitions [cognitiones] of good and truth, and yet in internals they are in the knowledge [scientia] of evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of "pearls," as being the cognitions of good and truth (of which presently); therefore in the contrary sense "pearls" signify the knowledges of evil and falsity, which are the source of their craft and cunning. That the Babylonian nation is such, namely, that they wish to appear to be in sanctity, and thus in every good and truth and in the knowledges of these, and to appear in consequence to be intelligent above all others in the world, although in fact they are in no good or truth nor in any knowledges of these, and thus not in any intelligence or wisdom in spiritual things. That they are not in these, but are instead insane in respect to them, is clearly seen in the spiritual world, where the interiors of every man are laid bare and thus clearly appear. In the case of the monks, and especially the Jesuits, who from their cleverness were considered to be more intelligent than all others in the world, their interiors were found to be so empty and void that they did not know a single truth that leads to heaven. These have been explored, and have been found to be such.

[2] They appear in externals to be in goods, truths, knowledges, intelligence, and wisdom, because they have made subject to their dominion all the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and therefore from dominion they speak with the common people, persuading them that they hold the mysteries of heaven, and that their Pope utters his edicts from inspiration, like that of the prophets and apostles; and this they can declare in a haughty manner, because they speak from the authority of dominion over souls, and over heaven and hell; and from a persuasion of their holiness it can be accepted by the common people with no repugnance of heart, since the common people are kept for this very purpose in dense thick darkness respecting spiritual things. And in that thick darkness they inspire spurious goods and foolish truths, which they call Divine and heavenly; and in such thick darkness in which the common people are kept, they are even able to inspire devilish and infernal evils and falsities, and to induce a faith in them as if they were celestial and spiritual goods and truths; for thus and not otherwise can they be adored as deities, and subject countries and possessions to their command and disposal. Such are the things that lie hidden inwardly in them, while outwardly they appear as if "arrayed in purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stones, and pearls."

[3] That "pearls" signify the knowledges of good and truth can be seen from the following passages. In Matthew:

The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one precious pearl, going away sold all that he had and bought it (Matthew 13:45-46).

"The kingdom of the heavens" means both heaven and the church; the "merchant" means those who acquire for themselves the goods and truths through which heaven and the church come; "pearls" signify the knowledges of good and truth, for these are the truths of the natural man; "the one precious pearl" means the knowledge respecting the Lord and His Divine; "going away he sold all that he had and bought it" signifies to reject what is one's own [proprium] in order to receive life from the Lord.

[4] In the same:

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample on them with their feet, and turn and rend you (Matthew 7:6).

"Dogs" signify lusts and appetites; "swine" signify filthy loves, such as are those in the hells of adulterers. Because such are in the infernal marriage, which is the marriage of falsity and evil, they utterly reject goods and truths and the knowledges of these, and moreover treat them with scorn and scoffing; therefore it is said, "Cast not your pearls before the swine, lest they trample on them with their feet, and turn and rend you," "to trample with the feet" being to wholly reject as filth, and "to turn and rend" being to treat with scorn and scoffing.

[5] "Pearls" also signify the knowledges of good and truth in the following passages in Revelation:

The merchants of the earth shall weep and wail over Babylon, for no one buyeth their merchandise any more, merchandise of gold and silver, and of precious stone and pearl (Revelation 18:11-12).

Again:

The twelve gates of the wall of the New Jerusalem were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was one pearl (Revelation 21:21).

As "the gates to the New Jerusalem" signify such things of doctrine from the Word as introduce man into the church, and these are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, so the gates were seen to be "of pearls."