Arcana Coelestia #10112
10112. 'And a stranger shall not eat them' means no making of good their own by those who do not acknowledge the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of 'a stranger' or a foreigner as one who is outside the Church, dealt with in 2049, 2115, 7996, and they are said to be outside the Church who do not acknowledge the Lord (among the Jewish nation those who did not acknowledge Jehovah as their God or allow themselves to receive instruction in the ritual observances of the Church [were called 'outsiders']; those who did acknowledge Him and allow themselves to receive instruction were called 'sojourners', who had the same rights as natives, see 8007, 8013, 9196); and from the meaning of 'eating' as making good one's own, dealt with in 10109. The reason why good is not made their own by people who do not acknowledge the Lord is that acknowledging one's God is the starting point of religion, and among Christians acknowledging the Lord is the starting point of the Church; for without acknowledgement of Him there can be no transmission of anything from Him, nor consequently any faith, nor thus any love. So it is that the chief thing the Christian Church teaches is that without the Lord there is no salvation. For whatever a person calls true and believes and whatever he calls good and loves cannot be said to be true or good unless it comes from the Divine, and so unless it comes from the Lord. For no one left to himself is able to believe what is true or do what is good; rather, as is also well known, everything true and everything good comes from above. From this it is plainly evident that people within the Church who do not acknowledge the Lord cannot possess faith, nor thus any love to God, and therefore cannot be saved. This was represented among the Israelite nation by their acknowledgement of Jehovah as their God, by the acceptance of their worship and its being called holy, and by their being sanctified then, regardless of what they were like inwardly. For things of a representative nature were no more than outward forms, and with that nation an interest in these alone was sufficient, see the places referred to in 9320(end). Those of them therefore who did not acknowledge Jehovah but some other God, however much they offered the same kinds of sacrifice and worshipped in the same kinds of ways, were nevertheless banished from the Church, such as those who honoured baal and other gods. From this it may be recognized what kind of fate in the next life awaits those who have been born within the Church and yet at heart fail to accept the Lord, whatever the ways in which they have behaved towards others. Much experience as well has led me to see that they cannot be saved, as also the Lord teaches explicitly in John,
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. John 3:36.
As regards nations outside the Church however, those who, true to their religion, have led lives in which some kind of charity towards their neighbour has figured, and some kind of love to God the Creator of the universe in a human form, are accepted in the next life by the Lord and saved. For after receiving instruction from angels they acknowledge the Lord, believe in Him, and love Him, see 2589-2604.
属天的奥秘 #2130
2130. 关于第二种代表物, 即当善人被准许进入天堂时, 诸如在他们面前所进行的最后审判的概念, 我讲述一下它的情况: 在圣言中, 经上说门就关了, 她们不再被准许进入; 因为她们没有油, 并且来得太迟了, 故不可进入; 这些事也表示最后审判的状态. 我也被指示这些事是怎么回事, 以及该如何来理解.
我听见灵人社群一个接着一个以清晰的声音宣称, 狼想掳走他们, 但主解救了他们, 所以他们归回主那里, 并由此从内心深处欢喜雀跃. 因为他们曾陷入绝望, 因而极其害怕: 门已关闭, 并且他们因来得太迟而不得进入. 这种想法就是那些被称为 “狼群” 之人给他们灌输的, 不过, 一旦他们被准许进入, 也就是说, 被天使社群接纳, 这种想法就消失不见了, 因为准许进入天堂不是别的. 我曾见证过这种准许, 它好像逐个社群不断行进, 直到第十二个社群, 并且准许, 即接纳第十二个社群要比接纳之前的那十一个更困难. 后来, 又附加了八个社群, 我被告知, 它们全由女性组成. 见证了所有这一切后, 我被告知, 这种准许, 即接纳进入天堂社群的过程就呈现为这种形像, 这一过程会不断依次从一个地方进行到另一个地方. 我还被告知, 天堂永远不会填满, 那门更不会关闭; 相反, 进入的人越多, 那些在天堂里的人就越幸福快乐, 因为他们的和谐性会变得强大得多.
这些人被准许进入后, 天堂仿佛关闭了. 因为还有更多人渴望被准许进入, 即被接纳. 不过, 他们得到的答复是, 他们目前无法被接纳. 这就是那些来得太迟的人, 门关了, 他们敲门, 他们有灯无油所表示的. 他们不可以进入, 是因为他们尚未预备好能转移到相爱所在的天使社群. 如前所述 (2119节末尾), 在世时活在对邻之仁中的人逐步被主提入天堂.
还有一些灵人不知道何为天堂, 即相爱, 那时, 他们也渴望被准许进入. 他们以为这不过是准许的事. 但他们得到的答复是, 他们的时间还没有到. 他们预备好后, 会在另一个时间被准许进入. 社群显现为十二的原因在于, “十二” 表信的一切事物, 如前所述 (2129节末尾).
