4230. 旧教会结束, 新教会即将开始之时, 就是最后审判之时. 这就是圣言中 “最后的审判”, 以及 “人子降临” 所指的时候 (参看2117-2133, 3353, 4057节).

现在所论述的主题正是这降临, 就是门徒问主时所提到的降临:

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

因此, 现在要解释的是主关于祂的降临和今世完结, 也就是最后审判的预言.

不过, 本章开头这几节仅涵盖32-35节的内容, 这几节经文如下:

你们可以从无花果树学个比方: 当树枝发嫩长叶的时候, 你们就知道夏天近了. 这样, 你们看见这一切的事, 也该知道人子近了, 正在门口了. 我实在告诉你们: 这世代还没有过去, 这些事都要成就. 天地要废去, 我的话却不能废去. (马太福音 24:32-35)

这些话的内义如下.

3486. 前一章头几节 (3353-3356节) 解释了主关于世代的末了或教会末日 (马太福音 24:3-7) 的论述和预言. 蒙主的神圣怜悯, 此处将解释那一章接下来的几节经文 (马太福音 24:8-14), 在那里, 经上说:

这一切事却只是灾难的起头. 那时, 人必将你们送交苦难中, 杀害你们; 你们必为我的名为各民族所憎恨. 那时, 必有许多人跌倒, 也要彼此出卖, 彼此憎恨; 且有好些假先知起来, 迷惑多人. 只因不法的事泛滥, 许多人的爱心才渐渐冷淡了. 惟有忍耐到底的, 这人必然得救. 这天国的福音要传遍整个可居之地, 对列族作见证, 然后末期才来到. (马太福音 24:8-14)

4229. CHAPTER 32

In Volume Three ¹ an explanation was begun of what the Lord has foretold in Matthew 24 about the Last Judgement. The explanation stands in the preliminary sections to the final chapters of that volume and has been taken as far as Matthew 24:31, see 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3897-3901, 4056-4060. The internal sense in brief of all that He foretold is evident from the explanations contained in those paragraphs; that is to say, He foretold the progressive ruination of the Church and the establishment at length of a new Church, in the following order:

1. People ceased to know what good or truth was, and instead began to argue with one another about these.

2. They treated them with contempt.

3. They did not in their hearts acknowledge them.

4. They profaned them.

5. And because the truth of faith and the good of love would continue to exist with some who are called the elect, the state of faith as this will be at that time is described.

6. Then the state of charity as this will be.

7. And finally the beginning of a new Church is dealt with, which is meant by the words which were explained last of all, namely,

And He will send out His angels with a trumpet and a loud voice, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other end of them. Verse 31.

These words are used to mean the beginning of a new Church, see the end of 4060.

Footnotes: