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).

3899. The subject in the verses prior to these in this chapter of Matthew was the progressive ruination of the Church. That is to say, first of all people ceased to know any longer what good or truth was, and instead began to argue with one another about these; after that they treated them with contempt; then in a third phase they did not acknowledge them; and in a fourth they profaned them, see 3754. But now the subject is the kind of doctrine that is taught generally in the Church, and especially by those whose worship is outwardly holy but inwardly profane; that is, those who with their lips praise the Lord in holy and reverent ways, but in their hearts they worship self and the world, so that for them worshipping the Lord is a means by which they gain position and wealth. When this is what their worship becomes, then to the extent they have come to acknowledge the Lord, the heavenly life and faith, they profane the same. This state of the Church is the subject now, as may be seen more clearly from the internal sense of the Lord's words quoted above, which is as follows: