4229. 第32章

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).

535. And I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth, signifies the knowledges of truth falsified, and thus turned into falsities. This is evident from the signification of "stars," as being the knowledges of good and truth (of which above, n. 72, 402); and from the signification of "gliding" and "falling from heaven," as being to perish; and the knowledges of truth perish when denied and when falsified, here when falsified; for this book does not treat of those who deny truths, but of those who falsify them. For those who deny truths are not among those who are in "the former heaven," and who are cast down therefrom into hell at the day of the Last Judgment, for such are cast down thither immediately after death. But in this book those who, for various reasons, falsify truths are treated of, for such made for themselves a heaven that was afterwards destroyed. Those falsify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word who acknowledge the Word but apply it to favor their loves and to favor principles that are from self-intelligence, thus they turn the truths of the Word into falsities, and thus the knowledges of good and truth with them perish. From this it can be seen that "a star from heaven fallen unto the earth" signifies that the knowledges of truth are falsified, and thus turned into falsities (See above, n. 517).

[2] "To fall down" or "to fall from heaven unto the earth" signifies to perish, that is, to have no longer any place in heaven but to be cast down therefrom and conjoined with hell, as is evident from what follows, where it is said "there was given unto him the key of the pit of the abyss, and he opened it," "the pit of the abyss" signifying the hell where and from which are the falsities of evil. "To fall from heaven unto the earth" has a similar signification above in Revelation:

And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth (Revelation 6:13).

The dragon with his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth (1 Revelation 12:4).

In Daniel:

The horn of the he-goat waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground and trampled upon them (Daniel 8:10).

In Matthew:

Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the stars shall fall from heaven (Matthew 24:29).

The like is signified by the Lord's words in Luke:

Jesus said, I beheld Satan as lightning falling from heaven (Luke 10:18).

"Satan" means every falsity that destroys truth, for the hells where and from which are such falsities are called "Satan," while the hells where and from which are the evils that destroy goods, are called the "devil," therefore "Satan as lightning falling from heaven" means that every falsity that destroyed the truth of the Word was cast down out of heaven. So in Revelation:

The great dragon was cast down to the earth, and his angels with him, and their place was not found anymore in heaven (Revelation 12:8, 9).

From this it can be seen that "to glide down," "to fall" and "to be cast down out of heaven to the earth" signify to have place no more in heaven, but in hell, thus to perish, the "earth" here also signifying what is cursed (as was shown above at the end of n. 304.

[3] Because heaven is conjoined with man by means of the Word, those who falsify the truths of the Word by interpretations to confirm evils of life avert themselves from heaven and turn themselves to hell. For heaven is in the spiritual sense of the Word, and man is in its natural sense; consequently heaven is conjoined with the world by means of the Word. For this reason the Word is also called a "covenant" and a covenant is a conjunction. This is why those who apply the Word to evils of life and to the false principles that are from self-intelligence cannot be conjoined with heaven; and those who are not conjoined with heaven are conjoined with hell; for man must be either in heaven or in hell; it is not permitted him to hang between the two. But those who apply the Word to such falsities as do not disagree with the good of life, such as exist with the upright Gentiles that do not have the Word and with the simple in the church who believe in the Lord and lead a good life, because from their falsities they look to good, have such falsities applied by the Lord to good, and are turned towards heaven; for the essential thing in heaven is the good of life, which is the same as the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbor; for in heaven everyone has perception of truth, intelligence, and wisdom, in accordance with that good. This makes clear what is meant by falsifying the truth from the Word, which is here signified by "a star from heaven fallen unto the earth."