From Swedenborg's Works

 

属天的奥秘 #4229

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4229. 第32

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).

  
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Thanks to our friends at swedenborgwork.com for their permission to use this translation on the New Christian Bible Study site. ( 衷心感谢”史威登堡著作中文网”许可我们使用该中文译文)

The Bible

 

马太福音 24

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1 耶稣出了圣殿,正走的时候,门徒进前来,把殿宇指给他看。

2 耶稣对他们:你们不是看见这殿宇麽?我实在告诉你们,将来在这里没有一块石头留在石头上,不被拆毁了。

3 耶稣在橄榄山上坐着,门徒暗暗的来:请告诉我们,甚麽时候有这些事?你降临和世界的末了有甚麽豫兆呢?

4 耶稣回答:你们要谨慎,免得有人迷惑你们。

5 因为将有好些人冒我的名,说:我是基督,并且要迷惑许多人。

6 你们也要见打仗和打仗的风声,总不要惊慌;因为这些事是必须有的,只是末期还没有到。

7 民要攻打民,国要攻打国;多处必有饥荒、地震。

8 这都是灾难(灾难:原文是生产之难)的起头。

9 那时,人要把你们陷在患难里,也要害你们;你们又要为我的名被万民恨恶。

10 那时,必有许多人跌倒,也要彼此陷害,彼此恨恶;

11 且有好些假先知起来,迷惑多人。

12 只因不法的事增多,许多人的爱心才渐渐冷淡了。

13 惟有忍耐到底的,必然得

14 这天国的福音要传遍天下,对万民作见证,然後末期才来到。

15 你们看见先知但以理所的那行毁坏可憎的站在圣地(读这经的人须要会意)。

16 那时,在犹太的,应当逃到山上;

17 在房上的,不要下来拿家里的东西;

18 在田里的,也不要回去取衣裳。

19 当那些日子,怀孕的和奶孩子的有了。

20 你们应当祈求,叫你们逃走的时候,不遇见冬天或是安息日。

21 因为那时必有大灾难,从世界的起头直到如今,没有这样的灾难,後来也必没有。

22 若不减少那日子,凡有血气的总没有一个得的;只是为选民,那日子必减少了。

23 那时,若有人对你们基督在这里,或基督在那里,你们不要信!

24 因为假基督、假先知将要起来,显大神迹、大奇事,倘若能行,连选民也就迷惑了。

25 看哪,我预先告诉你们了。

26 若有人对你们:看哪,基督在旷野里,你们不要出去!或:看哪,基督在内屋中,你们不要信!

27 闪电从东边发出,直照到西边。人子降临,也要这样。

28 尸首在那里,鹰也必聚在那里。

29 那些日子的灾难一过去,日头就变黑了,月亮也不放光,众要从上坠落,势都要震动。

30 那时,人子的兆头要显在上,地上的万族都要哀哭。他们要看见人子,有能力,有大荣耀.,驾着上的云降临。

31 他要差遣使者,用号筒的大声,将他的选民,从四方(方:原文是风),从这边到那边,都招聚了来。

32 你们可以从无花果树学个比方:当树枝发嫩长的时候,你们就知道夏天近了。

33 这样,你们看见这一切的事,也该知道人子近了,正在口了。

34 我实在告诉你们,这世代还没有过去,这些事都要成就。

35 地要废去,我的话却不能废去。

36 那日子,那时辰,没有人知道,连上的使者也不知道,子也不知道,惟独父知道。

37 挪亚的日子怎样,人子降临也要怎样。

38 当洪水以前的日子,人照常吃喝嫁娶,直到挪亚进方舟的那日;

39 不知不觉洪水了,把他们全都冲去。人子降临也要这样。

40 那时,两个人在田里,取去一个,撇下一个。

41 两个女人推磨,取去一个,撇下一个。

42 所以,你们要儆醒,因为不知道你们的主是那一天到。

43 家主若知道几更天有,就必儆醒,不容人挖透房屋;这是你们所知道的。

44 所以,你们也要预备,因为你们想不到的时候,人子就了。

45 谁是忠心有见识的仆人,为主人所派,管理家里的人,按时分粮给他们呢?

46 主人到,看见他这样行,那仆人就有福了。

47 我实在告诉你们,主人要派他管理一切所有的。

48 倘若那恶仆心里:我的主人必得迟,

49 就动手打他的同伴,又和酒醉的人一同吃喝。

50 在想不到的日子,不知道的时辰,那仆人的主人要来,

51 重重的处治他(或作:把他腰斩了),定他和假冒为善的人同罪;在那里必要哀哭切齿了。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #187

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187. Verse 2. Be wakeful, signifies that they should acquire for themselves life. This is evident from the signification of "being wakeful," as meaning to be in spiritual life; but here, since those whose life is moral and not yet spiritual are treated of, "Be wakeful" is that they should acquire for themselves spiritual life. This life is meant by "wakefulness" and "being awake," because spiritual life is to moral life, apart from spiritual life, as wakefulness is to sleep, or as noonday light is to the evening, yea, to darkness. But that this is so is not known or perceived by those who are in natural life alone, neither by those who are in moral life apart from spiritual life, for this life also is natural life. They do not know or perceive this, because they are in natural lumen only, and this lumen in comparison with spiritual light is as the darkness of evening to the light of noonday. Moreover, to such the darkness of evening seems like light; for their interior sight, which is that of the thought, is adapted to that darkness, just as the sight of owls, bats, and other birds that fly by night, is adapted to the shade. Consequently they believe themselves to be in light because they are able to reason, when yet they are in darkness. That this is so is manifest from the state of such after death, when they become spirits. They then believe, when with their companions, that they are in light, because they not only see all things that are about them, but also are able to think and speak about any matter whatever; and yet their light, when the light of heaven flows in with them, is changed into darkness, and they become so blind in respect to the understanding as not to be able to think at all. Moreover, when angels who are in the heavens look down on those who are in such lumen, they see nothing there but mere darkness. That spiritual life compared with moral life apart from spiritual life is as wakefulness compared with sleep, can be further seen from this, that those who are in spiritual light are in angelic wisdom and intelligence, which is such as to be incomprehensible and ineffable to those who are in natural lumen alone, and this not only with men while living in the world, but also with the same when after death they become spirits; and when intelligence and wisdom constitute wakefulness. From this it can now be seen that "Be wakeful" here signifies that they should procure for themselves spiritual life.

[2] To "be awake" has a similar signification in the following passages. In Matthew:

Be awake, therefore, for ye know not in what hour your Lord cometh (Matthew 24:42).

In Mark:

Be ye awake, for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, at evening, or at midnight, or at cock-crowing; 1 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. What I say unto you I say unto all, Be awake (Mark 13:35-37).

He that is ignorant of the internal sense of the Word may believe that these words refer to the Last Judgment, and that everyone should be prepared for that; but man's state in respect to love and faith when he dies is what they refer to, for then is his judgment. "Evening," "night," and "cock-crowing" signify such states; "evening" signifying a state of waning faith and charity, which is man's state when he comes into the exercise of his own judgment, and is extinguishing in himself the things that he imbibed in childhood; "night" signifying a state of no faith and charity; "cock-crowing" or "daybreak" the state when faith and charity are beginning, which is, when man loves truths and wishes to be reformed by them.

In whatever state a man dies he remains, and according to that he is judged. From this it is evident what is meant by "Be ye awake, lest the Lord coming suddenly find you sleeping. What I say unto you I say unto all, Be awake," namely, that "to be awake" means to receive life from the Lord, which life is spiritual life, and that "sleeping" means living a natural life apart from a spiritual life. (That "evening" signifies a state of waning faith and charity, see Arcana Coelestia 3056, 3197, 3833, 8431, 10134, 10135; "night" a state of no faith or charity, n. 221, 709, 2353, 6000, 7870, 7947; and "daybreak" before morning, or "cock-crowing," the state when faith and charity are beginning, n. 10134.)

[3] In Luke:

Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when He cometh shall find awake; verily I say unto you, He shall gird himself, and make them recline to eat, and drawing near will minister unto them. Be ye ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man will come (Luke 12:37, 40).

Here also, those that "are awake" mean those who are spiritually awake, that is, those who receive spiritual life from the Lord, for these come into the light of intelligence and wisdom respecting Divine truths; but those who do not receive spiritual life remain in obscurity and thick darkness respecting those truths; these, therefore, are asleep, while the former are awake. His "girding himself, making them recline to eat, and drawing near to minister unto them," signifies to communicate to them the goods of heaven, which are all from the Lord.

[4] In Matthew:

The kingdom of the heavens is like unto ten virgins, five of them were prudent, and five were foolish. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept; but the bridegroom coming, they all arose and trimmed their lamps. And when the foolish came, who had no oil in their lamps, and said, Lord, Lord, open to us, the Lord answered, I say unto you, I know you not. Be awake, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh (Matthew 25:1-13).

By "the ten virgins" all who are of the church are meant; by "five" some of them are meant; this is what these numbers signify; by "lamps" the things of faith are signified; by "oil" the things of love. By "the five prudent virgins," therefore, those who are in love and in faith therefrom are meant; but by "the five foolish virgins" those who are in no love, but in faith alone. As such are in no spiritual life (for only those who are in love and charity have spiritual life, because they only are in faith), so because such as these are shut out of heaven, it is said unto them, "I say unto you, I know you not." From this it is most evident what is signified by "Be awake, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh," namely, that they should receive spiritual life, which those have who are in love and in faith therefrom. (But these things may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia 4635-4638.)

[5] In Luke:

Be wakeful, therefore, praying at every season, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36).

Here, also, "to be wakeful" means to receive spiritual life; "to pray at every season" signifies to prepare oneself.

[6] In Revelation:

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that is awake, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked (Revelation 16:15).

Here "to be awake" signifies to receive spiritual life from the Lord, as is evident from its being said, "Blessed is he that is awake and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked;" "garments" signifying the knowledges of truth and good by means of which man has spiritual life; and "to walk naked" signifying life without such knowledges as means, thus life not spiritual but merely natural. (That "garments" signify the knowledges of truth and good, see below, n. 195, and that by "naked" is signified the deprivation of these, see Arcana Coelestia 1073, 5433, 5954, 9960)

[7] In Lamentations:

Arise, cry aloud in the night, at the beginning of the watches; lift up thy hands to the Lord respecting the soul of thy babes, who have fainted through hunger at the head of every street (Lamentations 2:19);

here, as above, "night" signifies a state of no faith; "the beginning of the watches" signifies the state when faith begins, thus a state of illustration, which is when man becomes spiritual. By "babes" are meant those who love truths, and long for them; "to faint through hunger at the head of every street" is to be deprived of spiritual life through a lack of the knowledges of truth and good. (That "hunger" means a lack of knowledges and a longing for them, see Arcana Coelestia 1460[1-4], 3364, 5277, 5279, 5281, 5300, 5360, 5376, 5893; and that "streets" are the truths of doctrine, 2336)

[8] Because "to be awake" signifies to receive spiritual life, therefore "sleeping" signifies natural life apart from spiritual life, since natural life compared with spiritual life is as sleep compared with wakefulness, as has been said above. This is what "sleeping" signifies in Matthew:

The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat (Matthew 13:24-25).

In Jeremiah:

When they have grown warm, I will set their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may sleep the sleep of an age, and not awake (Jeremiah 51:39, 57).

In David:

Look! answer me, Jehovah my God! lighten Thine eyes 2 lest I sleep death (Psalms 13:3).

In the same:

The strong in heart have become a spoil, they have slumbered their sleep; at Thy rebuke both the chariot and the horse have fallen into a deep sleep (Psalms 76:5-6).

"Chariot and horse" signify the doctrine of the church and the understanding of doctrine; these are said "to fall into a deep sleep" when they are without truths, and when consequently the man of the church is without spiritual life by means of truths. (That "chariots and horses" in the Word signify doctrine and the intellectual, see in the small work onThe White Horse 1-5.)

Footnotes:

1. For "cock-crowing" the Latin has "belonging to chickens."

2. For "thine" the Hebrew has "mine," as found in Apocalypse Explained 152; Arcana Coelestia 212, 6119.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.