Apocalypse Explained #1144
1144. And of silk and of scarlet, signifies truths and goods from a spiritual origin that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of "silk," as being truth from a spiritual origin (of which presently); also from the signification of "scarlet," as being good from a spiritual origin (See above, n.1142). This good coincides with truth from a celestial origin, and therefore that, too, is signified by "scarlet" in the Word. But "silk and scarlet" here signify such truths and goods profaned by Babylon, which are profaned when spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor, has been perverted; for those who are in such love of self as the Babylonians are in, can have no love to the neighbor; if they love others it is for the sake of self, so that the end is the man himself and love to the neighbor the means, and the end loves the means so far as the means are serviceable to it; and casts them away when they cease to serve it. This can be seen in all the particulars of their works. Love towards the neighbor in the spiritual sense is the love of uses; and when uses are for the sake of self, it is not a love of uses but a love of self. That "silk" signifies truth from a spiritual origin, can be seen from the passage in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 16:10, 13) which has been explained just above (n. 1143). "Silk" signifies truth from a spiritual origin because of its gloss, for silk is glossy from light, and "light" signifies the Divine truth, which is also called the spiritual Divine.
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)
[2] It has been said that the love of self and the love of the world are hell, but the source of those loves shall now be explained. Man was created to love self and the world, to love the neighbor and heaven, and to love the Lord. For this reason when a man is born he first loves himself and the world, and afterwards, so far as he becomes wise, he loves the neighbor and heaven, and as he becomes still wiser he loves the Lord. Such a man is in the Divine order, and is actually led by the Lord, although apparently by himself. But so far as he is not wise he stops in the first degree, which is to love himself and the world; and if he loves the neighbor, heaven, and the Lord, it is for the sake of self before the world. But if he is wholly unwise he loves himself alone, and the world and also the neighbor for the sake of self; while heaven and the Lord he either despises or denies or hates in heart, if not in words. These are the origins of the love of self and of the love of the world, and as these loves are hell, it is evident whence hell is.
[3] When a man has become a hell, he is like a tree cut off or like a tree whose fruits are malignant; or he is like sandy soil in which no seed will take root, or like soil, out of which springs nothing but the thorn that pricks or the nettle that stings. When a man becomes a hell the inner or higher parts of his mind are closed up and the outer and lower are opened. And as the love of self determines all things of the thought and will to itself and immerses them in the body, it inverts and twists back the outer parts of the mind, which, as has been said, are open, and as a consequence these incline and bend and are borne downwards, that is, towards hell.
[4] But since man has still an ability to think, to will, to speak and to do, and this ability is in no case taken away from him, because he was born a man, so having become inverted and no longer receiving any good or any truth from heaven, but only evil and falsity from hell, he acquires a kind of light by confirmations of evil from falsity, and of falsity from evil in order that he may be eminent above others. This he believes to be a rational light, when yet it is an infernal light, and in itself fatuous, producing vision like that of a dream in the night, or a delirious fantasy, by reason of which things that are appear as if they were not, and things that are not appear as if they were. But this will be seen more clearly from a comparison between an angel-man and a devil-man.
路加福音 1
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提阿非羅大人哪，有好些人提筆作書，述說在我們中間所成就的事，是照傳道的人從起初親眼看見又傳給我們的。
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a
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使你知道所學之道都是確實的。
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當猶太王希律的時候，亞比雅班裡有一個祭司，名叫撒迦利亞；他妻子是亞倫的後人，名叫以利沙伯。
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他們二人在神面前都是義人，遵行主的一切誡命禮儀，沒有可指摘的，
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只是沒有孩子；因為以利沙伯不生育，兩個人又年紀老邁了。
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撒迦利亞按班次在神面前供祭司的職分，
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照祭司的規矩掣籤，得進主殿燒香。
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有主的使者站在香壇的右邊，向他顯現。
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撒迦利亞看見，就驚慌害怕。
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天使對他說：撒迦利亞，不要害怕，因為你的祈禱已經被聽見了。你的妻子以利沙伯要給你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫約翰。
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他在主面前將要為大，淡酒濃酒都不喝，從母腹裡就被聖靈充滿了。
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他必有以利亞的心志能力，行在主的前面，叫為父的心轉向兒女，叫悖逆的人轉從義人的智慧，又為主預備合用的百姓。
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撒迦利亞對天使說：我憑著甚麼可知道這事呢？我已經老了，我的妻子也年紀老邁了。
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天使回答說：我是站在神面前的加百列，奉差而來對你說話，將這好信息報給你。
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到了時候，這話必然應驗；只因你不信，你必啞吧，不能說話，直到這事成就的日子。
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百姓等候撒迦利亞，詫異他許久在殿裡。
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及至他出來，不能和他們說話，他們就知道他在殿裡見了異象；因為他直向他們打手式，竟成了啞吧。
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他供職的日子已滿，就回家去了。
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這些日子以後，他的妻子以利沙伯懷了孕，就隱藏了五個月，
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說：主在眷顧我的日子，這樣看待我，要把我在人間的羞恥除掉。
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到了第六個月，天使加百列奉神的差遣往加利利的一座城去，這城名叫拿撒勒，
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到一個童女那裡，是已經許配大衛家的一個人，名叫約瑟。童女的名字叫馬利亞；
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天使進去，對他說：蒙大恩的女子，我問你安，主和你同在了！
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馬利亞因這話就很驚慌，又反復思想這樣問安是甚麼意思。
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你要懷孕生子，可以給他起名叫耶穌。
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他要為大，稱為至高者的兒子；主神要把他祖大衛的位給他。
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天使回答說：聖靈要臨到你身上，至高者的能力要蔭庇你，因此所要生的聖者必稱為神的兒子（或作：所要生的，必稱為聖，稱為神的兒子）。
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況且你的親戚以利沙伯，在年老的時候也懷了男胎，就是那素來稱為不生育的，現在有孕六個月了。
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因為，出於神的話，沒有一句不帶能力的。
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馬利亞說：我是主的使女，情願照你的話成就在我身上。天使就離開他去了。
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那時候，馬利亞起身，急忙往山地裡去，來到猶大的一座城；
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進了撒迦利亞的家，問以利沙伯安。
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以利沙伯一聽馬利亞問安，所懷的胎就在腹裡跳動。以利沙伯且被聖靈充滿，
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高聲喊著說：你在婦女中是有福的！你所懷的胎也是有福的！
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因為你問安的聲音一入我耳，我腹裡的胎就歡喜跳動。
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因為他顧念他使女的卑微；從今以後，萬代要稱我有福。
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那有權能的，為我成就了大事；他的名為聖。
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他憐憫敬畏他的人，直到世世代代。
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他用膀臂施展大能；那狂傲的人正心裡妄想就被他趕散了。
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叫飢餓的得飽美食，叫富足的空手回去。
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他扶助了他的僕人以色列，
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為要記念亞伯拉罕和他的後裔，施憐憫直到永遠，正如從前對我們列祖所說的話。
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以利沙伯的產期到了，就生了一個兒子。
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到了第八日，他們來要給孩子行割禮，並要照他父親的名字叫他撒迦利亞。
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他們就向他父親打手式，問他要叫這孩子甚麼名字。
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他要了一塊寫字的板，就寫上，說：他的名字是約翰。他們便都希奇。
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撒迦利亞的口立時開了，舌頭也舒展了，就說出話來，稱頌神。
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周圍居住的人都懼怕；這一切的事就傳遍了猶太的山地。
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凡聽見的人都將這事放在心裡，說：這個孩子將來怎麼樣呢？因為有主與他同在。
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主─以色列的神是應當稱頌的！因他眷顧他的百姓，為他們施行救贖，
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向我們列祖施憐憫，記念他的聖約─
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孩子阿！你要稱為至高者的先知；因為你要行在主的前面，預備他的道路，
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叫他的百姓因罪得赦，就知道救恩。
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要照亮坐在黑暗中死蔭裡的人，把我們的腳引到平安的路上。
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那孩子漸漸長大，心靈強健，住在曠野，直到他顯明在以色列人面前的日子。
