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).

4060. 因此, 前面 (4056节) 所引用的那些话表示那时教会在良善, 就是在对邻之仁和对主之爱方面的状态. 这一点从它们的内义明显可知, 内义如下:

“那些日子的灾难一过去” 表示教会在信之真理方面的状态, 如刚才所述. 在圣言中, 真理的荒废在各处都被称作 “灾难”, “日子” 是指状态 (参看23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785节). 由此明显可知, 这些话表示, 一旦信不复存在, 仁也就不存在了. 事实上, 信通向仁, 因为信教导何为仁, 仁从信之真理接受其品质. 然而, 信之真理从仁接受其本质和生命, 这一点在前几卷已反复说明.

“日头就变黑了, 月亮也不放光” 表示对主之爱, 就是 “日头”; 对邻之仁, 就是 “月亮”. “就变黑了” 和 “也不放光” 表示那爱与仁不会出现, 因而会消失. “日头” 表示爱的属天种类, “月亮” 表示爱的属灵种类; 也就是说, “日头” 表示对主之爱, “月亮” 表示通过信而来的对邻之仁 (参看1053, 1529, 1530, 2120, 2441, 2495节). 太阳和月亮之所以具有这样的含义, 是因为在来世, 主向那些处于对主之爱, 被称为属天的人显为一轮太阳, 向那些处于对邻之仁, 被称为属灵的人显为一轮月亮 (参看1053, 1521, 1529-1531, 3636, 3643节).

天上的太阳和月亮, 也就是主从不变黑, 也不会失去它们的光, 而是永远发光; 因而在天上, 属天天使所具有的对主之爱不会变黑, 属灵天使所具有的对邻之仁也不会失去它的光; 地上与这些天使同在的人, 也就是那些处于爱与仁的人也不会. 然而, 那些没有爱与仁, 而是陷入自我之爱和尘世之爱, 因而陷入仇恨和报复的人就给自己招来这种 “变黑”. 这就像是这个世界的太阳不断发光, 但当有乌云介入时, 这太阳就看不见了 (2441节).

“众星要从天上坠落” 表示对良善与真理的认知要灭亡. 在圣言中, 当提及 “众星” 时, 它们没有其它含义 (1808, 2849节). “天势都要震动” 表示教会的根基, 当这些认知灭亡时, 就说这些根基 “震动” 或 “摇撼”. 这是因为地上的教会就是天堂的根基; 良善与真理从主经由天堂的流注最后终结于教会成员所具有的良善与真理. 所以, 当教会成员的状态如此败坏, 以致他不再允许良善或真理流入他里面时, 就说天势要 “震动”. 正因如此, 主一直规定, 教会的某种遗迹要存留下来; 并且当旧教会灭亡时, 一个新教会要再次兴起.

“那时, 人子的兆头要显在天上” 表示那时神性真理的显现; “兆头” 表示显现; “人子” 表示神性真理方面的主 (参看2803, 2813, 3704节). 门徒们所问的, 就是这种显现或 “兆头”, 当时他们对主说:

请告诉我们, 什么时候有这些事? 你降临和这时代的完结, 有什么预兆呢? (马太福音 24:3)

因为他们从圣言知道, 当世代要终结时, 主就会到来; 他们从主自己得知, 祂会 “再来”, 他们将主的 “再来” 理解为主第二次降世; 殊不知每当教会被毁时, 主都会到来, 但不是以人的形式到来, 如祂通过生在世上披上人身并使这人身变成神性时的情形, 而是通过祂自己的显现或显明到来, 如当祂在幔利向亚伯拉罕显现, 在荆棘中向摩西显现, 在西乃山向以色列人显现, 在约书亚进入迦南地的时候向他显现时的情形; 或不是如此显现, 而是通过领受启示并由此给出圣言, 后来则通过圣言本身显现时的情形. 因为主就存在于圣言中; 圣言中的一切细节都出自祂, 并论及祂, 这一点从直到目前的多次说明可以看出来. 这后者就是此处 “人子的兆头” 所表示的显现, 也就是本节所论述的主题.

“地上的众支派都要哀哭” 表示所有处于爱之良善和信之真理的人都要悲伤. 这就是 “哀哭” 的意思 (参看撒迦利亚书 12:10-14); “支派” 表示良善与真理的一切事物, 就是爱与信的一切事物, 因而表示那些处于这些事物的人 ( 参看3858, 3926节). 经上之所以用 “地上的支派” 这个词, 是因为所指的是那些在教会之内的人, “地” 是指教会 (参看662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2928, 3355节).

“他们要看见人子有能力, 有大荣耀, 驾着天上的云降临” 表示那时圣言的内义将被揭示出来, 主就存在于内义中. “人子” 表示圣言里面的神性真理 (2803, 2813, 3704节); “云” 表示字义; “能力” 论及良善, “荣耀” 论及其中的真理. “看见人子驾着天上的云降临” 表示这些事 (参看18章的序言). 这就是此处所指的主的到来, 不是字面上所说的祂要显现在云中. 接下来的主题是一个新教会的建立, 一旦旧教会被毁坏和抛弃, 这种事就会发生.

“祂要差遣祂的使者, 用号筒的大声” 表示拣选, 不是通过可见的天使, 更不是通过号筒的大声拣选, 而是通过从主经由天使而来的神圣良善与神圣真理的流注拣选; 因此, 在圣言中, “使者或天使” 表示本质上属于主的某种事物 (1925, 2821, 3039节); 在此表示出于主并涉及主的事物. “号筒” 和 “大声” 表示福音传播, 和在圣言别处的一样.

“将祂的选民从四风, 从天这边到天那边, 都招聚了来” 表示一个新教会的建立. “选民” 是指那些处于爱与信之良善 (3755-3900节); 他们要被招聚所来的 “四风” 是指良善与真理的一切状态 (3708节); “从天这边到天那边” 表示教会的内在和外在. 这些就是主的这些话所表示的事.

229. The beginning of the working of God, signifies faith from Him, which in appearance is the first thing of the church. This is evident from the signification of "beginning," as being the first; and from the signification of "the working of God," as being the church (of which presently). Faith is what is meant by "the beginning of the working of God," for this is the subject treated of in what is written to the angel of this church; but that faith is "the beginning of the working of God," that is, in appearance the first thing of the church, shall now be explained. By faith here is meant faith from the Lord, for faith not from the Lord is not the faith of the church; but faith from the Lord is the faith of charity. This faith is in appearance the first thing of the church, because it is the first to appear to the man of the church. But charity itself is actually the first thing of the church, because this is what makes the church with man.

[2] There are two things that make the church, charity and faith. Charity is of affection, and faith is of thought therefrom. Affection is the very essence of thought, for apart from affection no one can think; everything of life that is in thought is from affection. From this it is clear that the first thing of the church is the affection that is of charity or love. But faith is called the first thing of the church because it is the first to appear; for what a man believes, that he thinks, and by thought sees; but that whereby he is spiritually affected he does not think, and therefore does not see in thought, but he perceives it by a certain sensation that has no relation to sight, but to another feeling called the feeling of enjoyment. This enjoyment, as it is spiritual and is above the sense of natural enjoyment, man does not perceive, except when he has become spiritual, that is, when he has been regenerated by the Lord. For this reason the things that are of faith, and thus of sight, are believed to be the first things of the church, although they are not first except in appearance. This therefore is called "the beginning of the working of God," because the Word in the letter is according to appearance, since it is for the simple. But spiritual men, like the angels, are lifted above appearances, and perceive the Word as it is in its internal sense; consequently they perceive that charity is the first thing of the church, and that faith is therefrom; for as was said above, the faith that is not from charity and that is not of charity, is not faith (about which, see also in the small work on The Last Judgment 33-39).

[3] Even from ancient times, what the first thing of the church is, whether faith or charity, has been a disputed point; and those who have not known what charity is have declared that faith is the first things; but those who have known what charity is have declared that charity is the first thing, and that faith is charity in its manifestation, since the affection of charity made manifest to sight in thought, is faith; for when the delight of affection passes from the will into the thought it takes form, and presents itself to view in a variety of forms. This the simple have not apprehended, consequently they have taken that which appeared before the sight of their thought to be the first thing of the church; and because the Word in the letter is according to appearances, this therefore is there called "the first," "the beginning," and "the firstborn." For the same reason, Peter, by whom the faith of the church was represented, was called the first of the apostles; when yet John was the first, because by "John" the good of charity was represented. That John, not Peter, was the first of the apostles, is clear from this, that it was John who leaned on the breast of the Lord, and that he, and not Peter, followed the Lord (John 21:20-22). (That the twelve disciples of the Lord represented all the truths and goods of the church, see Arcana Coelestia 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; that Peter represented faith, n. 4738, 6000, 6073, 6344, 10087, 10580; and that John represented the good of charity, n. 3934, 6073, 10087).

[4] For the same reason, by Reuben also, because he was the firstborn of the sons of Jacob, faith was represented, and it was believed that the tribe that had its name from him was the first; but yet that tribe was not the first, but the tribe of Levi, since by Levi the good of charity was represented; and for this reason the tribe of Levi was appointed to the priesthood, and the priesthood is the first of the church. (That the twelve sons of Jacob, or the twelve tribes named from them, represented all the truths and goods of the church, see, n. Arcana Coelestia 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335, 7836, 7891, 7996; that Reuben represented faith, n. 3861, 3866, 4605, 4731, 4734, 4761, 6342-6345; and that Levi represented the good of charity, n. 3875, 4497, 4502, 4503.) For the same reason in the first chapter of Genesis, where in the sense of the letter the creation of heaven and earth is treated of, but in the internal sense the new creation or regeneration of the man of the church at that time, it is said that light was first made, and afterwards the sun and the moon (See verses 3-5, 14-19); when yet the sun is first, and light is from it. Light was said to be the first of creation, because "light" signifies the truth of faith, and "the sun and moon" the good of love and of charity. (That by the creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Genesis, in the spiritual sense, the new creation of the man of the celestial church, or his regeneration, is meant and described, see the explanation of that chapter in the Arcana Coelestia, also n.8891, 9942, 10545. That "light" signifies truth from good, thus also the truth of faith, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 126-140; and that "the sun" signifies the good of love, and "the moon" the good of charity, both from the Lord, in the same work, n. 116-125, 146.) From this it can now be seen what "the beginning of the working of God" signifies, namely, faith from the Lord, which in appearance is the first thing of the church.