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).

8289. 'The enemy said' means the thought of those ruled by evils and the falsities arising from them, before the Lord's Coming. This is clear from the meaning of 'said' as thought, as in 3395, 7244, 7937; and from the meaning of 'the enemy' as those ruled by evils and falsities, since no others are meant in the spiritual sense by 'the enemy', 8282. The reason why their thought before the Lord's Coming is meant is that the hellish crew were prowling around at that time in almost complete freedom, molesting all who were there and trying to place them in subjection. Their thought at that time is described in the present verse by 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my soul will be filled. I will unsheathe the sword, my hand will drive them out'. But when the Lord came into the world their boasting was changed to lamentation, described in the verse immediately following by 'You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them over; they sought a deep place like lead in the mighty waters'. Regarding their change of state brought about by the Lord's Coming, see 6854, 6914, 7091, 7828, 7932, 8018, 8054.