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).

35. 从圣言可知, 教会若丧失信德, 就走到了尽头。人不知道的是, 教会若丧失仁爱, 也就丧失了信德。既然不知, 就有必要加以说明。在教会末期, 信德将要丧失, 这是主曾预言的。祂说:"人子来的时候, 遇得见世上有信德吗？"(路加福音18:8)同样, 仁爱也将丧失, 正如主说:"(在时代的末了)...只因不法的事增多, 许多人的爱心才渐渐冷淡了...这天国的福音要传遍天下, 对万民作见证, 然后末期才来到。"(马太福音 如申命记24:12, 14)

"时代的末了"指教会的末了。在这一章中, 主描述了教会是如何逐步丧失仁爱与信德的。不过主是用对应来描述的, 若不了解每句话所对应的灵义, 主的预言就无从领会。因此, 主许我解释当中的灵义, 涉及到时代的末了, 主的再临, 教会的逐渐堕落, 最后的审判等。相关解释, 可参看《天国的奥秘》一书(天国的奥秘3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4424, 4635-4638, 4661-4664, 4807-4810, 4954-4959, 5063-5071)。

8. INTRODUCTION TO THE DOCTRINE.

The end of the church is when there is no faith because there is no charity. This is shown in the small work on The Last Judgment and Babylon Destroyed (n. 33-39 seq.). Because the churches in the Christian world have separated themselves from each other solely by such things as are of faith, when yet there is no faith where there is no charity, I will, by way of introduction to the doctrine which follows, make some observations concerning the doctrine of charity with the ancients. It is said "the churches in the Christian world," and by them is meant the churches with the Reformed or Evangelical and not the Papists, since the Christian church is not there; for where the church exists the Lord is adored and the Word is read; whereas, with the Papists, they adore themselves instead of the Lord; they forbid the Word to be read by the people; and affirm the Pope's decree to be equal, yea, even above it.