7418. “击打地上的尘土” 表他要移除属世层中那些被诅咒的事物. 这从 “击打”, “尘土” 和 “地” 的含义清楚可知: “击打” 是指移除; “尘土” 是指被诅咒的事物, 如下文所述; “地”, 此处即埃及, 是指属世心智 (7409节). “尘土” 之所以表示被诅咒的事物, 是因为恶灵所在的地方, 在脚底之下的边缘, 看似一块地; 事实上, 看似一块未耕种的干旱之地; 确切地说, 它们下面有一些地狱. 这地被称为 “诅咒之地”, 那里的尘土表示被诅咒之物. 有时我蒙恩得以看见当恶灵想给某人诅咒时, 就在那里跺下脚上的尘土. 我看见他们在朝向术士或巫师地狱的边缘处, 在我前面稍右的一个位置做这一切; 在那里, 那些活在世上时拥有信的知识, 然而却过着一种邪恶生活的灵人被投入地狱. 这就是为何 “尘土” 表示被诅咒之物, “跺下尘土” 表示诅咒.

由于它具有这种含义, 所以主吩咐祂的门徒们, 他们若不受接待, 就将脚上的尘土跺下去, 正如马太福音所说的:

凡不接待你们, 不听你们话的人, 你们离开那家或是那城的时候, 就把脚上的尘土跺下去. 我实在告诉你们: 当审判的日子, 所多玛和蛾摩拉那地所受的, 比那城还容易受呢! (马太福音 10:14-15; 马可福音 6:11; 路加福音 9:5; 10:10-12)

“门徒” 在此不是指门徒, 而是指教会的一切事物, 因而是指信与仁的一切事物 (2089, 2129, 2130末尾, 3354, 3858, 3913, 6397节); “不接受, 不听” 表示弃绝信之真理和仁之良善; “把脚上的尘土跺下去” 表示诅咒. 之所以 “所多玛和蛾摩拉所受的, 比那城还容易受呢”, 是因为 “所多玛和蛾摩拉” 表示那些过着邪恶生活, 但对主和圣言一无所知, 因而不能接待的人. 由此可见, 所指的不是不接待门徒的一家或一城, 而是指那些在教会中没有过着信之生活的人. 谁都能看出, 一整座城不可能因他们不接待门徒, 并立刻接受门徒所传讲的新教义, 就都受到诅咒.

在以前的时代, 人们在悲伤或悔罪时扬在头上的 “尘土” 也表示受到诅咒, 如这些经文:

锡安女子的长老, 坐在地上默默无声, 他们扬起尘土落在头上, 腰束麻布; 耶路撒冷的处女, 垂头至地. (耶利米哀歌 2:10)

以西结书:

他们必放声痛哭, 把尘土撒在头上, 在灰中打滚. (以西结书 27:30)

弥迦书:

不要在亚弗拉家里哭泣; 滚于灰尘之中. (弥迦书 1:10)

启示录:

他们又把尘土撒在头上, 哭泣悲哀, 喊着说. (启示录 18:19)

这些行为在圣言的历史部分处处提及. 把尘土撒在头上, 以及身体和头垂至地面, 在地上滚于灰尘之中代表谦卑; 真正的谦卑是这样: 此人会承认并发觉自己受到了诅咒, 然而又被主从诅咒中救了出来 (2327, 3994, 4347, 5420, 5957节).

“尘土”

他们在旷野中所祷的金牛犊被捣碎磨成的 “灰尘” 也表示被诅咒之物, 对此我们在摩西五经中如此读到:

我把那叫你们犯罪所铸的牛犊用火焚烧, 又捣碎磨得很细, 以致细如灰尘, 我就把这灰尘撒在从山上流下来的溪水中. (申命记 9:21)

在以下经文中, “灰尘” 也表示被诅咒之物:

耶和华神对蛇说, 你必用肚子行走, 尽你一生的日子吃土. (创世记 3:14)

弥迦书:

在往古之日牧放你的民, 列族看见, 就必为自己的势力惭愧. 他们必舔土如蛇. (弥迦书 7:14, 16-17)

以赛亚书:

尘土必作蛇的食物. (以赛亚书 65:25)

又:

巴比伦的处女啊, 下来坐在尘埃. (以赛亚书 47:1)

诗篇:

我们的灵魂伏于尘土; 我们的肚腹紧贴在地. (诗篇 44:25)

又:

我的灵魂紧贴着尘土, 求你将我救活. (诗篇 119:25)

在圣言中, “尘土” 也表示坟墓, 同样表示低级之物和众多之物.

16. For the time is near, signifies such an interior state. This is evident from the signification of "time," as meaning state (See the work on Heaven and Hell 162-169, where Time in Heaven is treated of); and from the signification of "near," as being the internal; thus here, because it refers to state, the interior state such as is described above is meant. By state is meant a state of affection and of thought therefrom. He who reads this, and knows nothing of the internal sense, supposes that by "the time being near" is meant that the time was near when the things contained in Revelation would be fulfilled. But that this is not meant can be seen from the fact that seventeen centuries elapsed before they were fulfilled. But because the Word in the letter is natural and within is spiritual, it is said that "the time is near," in order that in heaven the interior state might be understood; for if the expression "the interior state," which is the spiritual sense, had here been used, it would not have been understood by the angels; for they perceive all things of the Word according to correspondences. "Near" signifies interior, because distances in heaven are entirely in accord with the differences of the good of love; for which reason those who are in kindred good are also near one another; and it is from this that on earth kinships are called near relationships [propinquitates], because they relate to spiritual affinities, which in heaven are really such. In heaven this is so because the good of love conjoins, and the more interior the good, the nearer is the conjunction. From this it is, that heaven is nearer to man, the more interiorly he is in the good of love; and the origin of this is that the Lord is nearer to an angel, to a spirit, and to man, the more interiorly they love Him. To love Him interiorly is to love His precepts interiorly; that is, to perceive, to will, and to do them from the delight of love. It is from this that "nearness," in the Word, signifies presence and conjunction (as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 5911, 9378, 9997, 10001). This nearness is thus described in John:

Jesus said, He that loveth Me keepeth My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him (John 14:23);

and in the same:

Ye know the Comforter, the Spirit of truth; for He abideth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17);

"the Comforter, the Spirit of truth" is Divine truth going forth from the Lord; therefore it is said, "He shall be in you."