1. 前言:新天國與新教會的信仰

首先, 將本書中所講述的真實的基督徒信仰, 也就是新天國和新教會的信仰, 分別以總體和具體的形式概要地說明。作為接下來全書的引言, 或作為進入聖殿的大門, 又或作為詳細內容的概要。此信仰被稱為新天國和新教會的信仰, 因為天人(angel)組成的天國和世人組成的教會, 如同一個人的靈魂與肉體, 內外一致,行動如一。因此, 若教會之人活在良善與真理之中, 對於思想內在而言, 他就是天國的一名天人。在肉身死後, 他便進入天國, 照著良善與真理在他裡面聯合的狀態在那裡安享極樂。當知道, 在主現在正建立的新天國中, 這樣的信仰是新天國的引言,入門和概要。

8330. 'The sanctuary, O Lord, [which] Your hands have prepared' means the heaven where those guided by the truth of faith coming from the Lord are. This is clear from the meaning of 'the sanctuary' as the heaven where the truth of faith resides, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'Your hands have prepared' as that which comes from the Lord. The reason why the words 'hands have prepared' are used in connection with 'the sanctuary' is that 'hands' have reference to truth and mean power. For 'hands' and their reference to truth, see 3091, 8281; for their meaning as power, 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 6292, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518, 7673, 8050, 8069, 8153, 8281; and for 'the sanctuary', that this in a similar way has reference to truth, 8302. But the words which come immediately before - 'a place for You to dwell in' and 'You have made, O Jehovah' - have reference to good because they apply to 'mountain of inheritance', which means the heaven in which the good of charity resides, 8327. There are expressions which when used in the Word have reference to good, and there are expressions which have reference to truth, see 8314.

[2] What is implied by the heaven in which the good of charity resides, meant by 'mountain of inheritance', and what is implied by the heaven in which the truth of faith resides, meant by 'the sanctuary', must be stated briefly. The heaven in which the good of charity resides is that which is inhabited by the more internal members of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and the heaven in which the truth of faith resides is that which is inhabited by the more external members of that kingdom. The internal members are those in whom charity itself resides and faith rooted in charity, whereas the external members are those in whom faith resides but not as yet charity. The latter are moved to do good by a sense of obedience, but the former by affection. These few details show what one should understand by the heaven in which the good of charity resides and the heaven in which the truth of faith resides.

[3] As regards 'the sanctuary', in the highest sense it means the truth of faith which comes from the Lord. From this it means in the representative sense the Lord's spiritual kingdom, also the spiritual Church, and therefore a regenerated person who is an embodiment of the Church, and so means in the sense abstracted from these the truth of faith, thus faith itself. For what 'sanctified' or 'holy' means, see above in 8302. So it is then that the truth of faith which comes from the Lord is what causes heaven to be called 'the sanctuary', as in David,

May Jehovah answer you in the day of trouble. May He send you help from the sanctuary, and sustain you out of Zion. Psalms 20:1-2.

Here 'the sanctuary' stands for the heaven where the truth of faith resides, 'Zion' for the heaven where the good of love resides.

[4] In the same author,

They have seen Your goings, O God, the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. You are frightening, O God - out of [Your] sanctuaries, O God of Israel. Psalms 68:24, 35

'The sanctuary' stands for the heaven where the truth of faith resides. This is why the name 'God', not 'Jehovah', is used, and also 'King'; for 'God' is used where truth is referred to, but 'Jehovah' where good is referred to, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921 (end), 4402, 7010, 7268, and 'king' means truth, 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148.

[5] In the same author,

It will praise Jah, for He looked out from the height of His sanctuary. Jehovah looked from the heavens towards the earth to hear the groaning of him who was bound, to open to the sons of death. Psalms 102:18-20.

Here also 'the sanctuary' stands for heaven in respect of the truth of faith. In the same author,

Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the expanse of His strength. Psalms 150:1.

'Praising in the sanctuary' stands for doing so from the truth of faith which comes from the Lord, 'praising in the expanse of strength' from the good of charity which comes from the Lord.