46. Sed sciendum est, quod ultimum judicium factum sit super illos qui vixerunt a tempore Domini ad hunc diem, non autem super illos qui antea vixerunt. In hac tellure enim ultimum judicium prius bis exstiterat; unum quod in Verbo describitur per "diluvium;" alterum ab Ipso Domino cum fuit in mundo, quod etiam intelligitur per Domini verba,

"Nunc judicium est mundi hujus, nunc princeps mundi hujus ejicitur foras" (Johannes 12:31 ¹ );

Et alibi,

"Haec locutus sum vobis, ut in Me pacem habeatis;... confidite, Ego vici mundum" (Johannes 16:33):

Et quoque per haec apud Esaiam,

"Quis hic qui venit ex Edom,... incedens in multitudine roboris... magnus ad salvandum; torcular calcavi solus,... propterea calcavi eos in ira mea unde sparsa est victoria eorum super vestes meas; nam dies vindictae in corde meo, et annus redemptorum meorum venit; ideo factus est in Salvatorem" (Esaiam 63:1-8):

Et alibi pluries. Quod bis in hac tellure prius exstiterit ultimum judicium est causa, quia omne judicium existit in fine ecclesiae (ut supra in suo articulo ostensum est); et in hac tellure fuerunt binae ecclesiae, prima ante diluvium, et altera post diluvium. Ecclesia ante diluvium describitur in primus capitibus Geneseos per novam creationem caeli et terrae, et per paradisum; et ejus finis per esum ex arbore scientiae, ac postea in specie; et ejus ultimum judicium describitur per diluvium~ et omnia illa secundum stilum Verbi per meras correspondentias: in cujus sensu interno seu spirituali per "creationem caeli et terrae" intelligitur instauratio novae ecclesiae (videatur supra in primo articulo); per "paradisum in Edene" caelestis illius ecclesiae sapientia; per "arborem scientiae" scientificum quod illam ecclesiam destruxit, simile per "serpentem " ibi; et per "diluvium" intelligitur ultimum judicium super illos qui fuerunt ab illa ecclesia. Altera autem ecclesia, quae fuit post diluvium, describitur etiam aliquibus in locis in Verbo (ut Deuteronomium 32:7-14, et alibi): haec per multum orbis Asiatici extensa fuit, et continuata apud posteros ex Jacobo; finis ejus fuit cum Dominus in mundum venit; ab ipso tunc ultimum judicium factum est super omnes a prima illius ecclesiae instauratione, et simul tunc super residuos a prima ecclesia. Dominus ob illum finem in mundum venit, ut omnia in ordinem redigeret in caelis, et per caelos in terris, et simul ut Humanum suum Divinum faceret; quod nisi factum fuisset, nemo potuisset salvari. Quod binae ecclesiae ante Domini adventum in hac tellure fuerint, ostensum est variis in locis in Arcanis Caelestibus, ex quibus Collecta videantur ad finem hujus articuli: ² , ³ et quod Dominus in mundum venerit, ut redigeret omnia in ordinem in caelis et per illos in terris, utque Humanum suum Divinum faceret. ⁴ Tertia ecclesia in hac tellure est Christiana; super hanc, et simul super omnes qui a tempore Domini in primo caelo fuerunt, factum est ultimum judicium de quo nunc agitur.

(EX ARCANIS CAELESTIBUS.)

Footnotes:

46. It needs to be known that the Last Judgment took place on those who lived between the time of the Lord and the present day, not on those who lived before that date. For on this planet a last judgment has taken place twice before. One was described in the Word by the flood; the other was accomplished by the Lord Himself when He was in the world. This is meant by the Lord's words:

Now is the judgment of this world, now is the prince of this world cast out. John 12:31.

Also:

I have said this to you so that in Me you should have peace; be confident, I have overcome the world. John 16:33.

Also these words in Isaiah:

Who is this who comes from Edom, striding out in the excess of his strength? Mighty [am I] to save. I have trodden the wine-press alone. Therefore I trod them down in my anger. Hence their victory is sprinkled over my clothing. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come. Therefore he became a saviour. Isaiah 63:1-8.

There are many other such passages.

[2] The reason why there have been two previous last judgments on this planet is that every judgment occurs at the end of a church, as was shown above in the chapter on this subject [33-39]; and on this earth there have been two earlier churches, the first before the flood, the second after it. The church before the flood is described in the first chapters of Genesis by the new creation of heaven and earth, and by the garden [of Eden]. Its end was described by eating of the tree of knowledge, and the incidents which followed. Its last judgment was described by the flood. All of these were described by straight correspondences after the manner of the Word's style. In the internal or spiritual sense the creation of heaven and earth means the setting up of a new church (see the first chapter [1-5] above). The garden in Eden means the wisdom of that celestial church. The tree of knowledge means the factual knowledge which destroyed that church, and so does the serpent there. The flood means the last judgment on those who belonged to that church.

[3] The second church, however, which came after the flood, is also described in several passages of the Word (such as Deuteronomy 32:7-14 and elsewhere). This extended over much of the Asian continent, and was continued by the descendants of Jacob. It came to an end when the Lord came into the world. He then carried out a last judgment on all who had lived from the date on which that church was first set up, and at the same time on all the survivors of the first church. The Lord's purpose in coming into the world was to reduce to order everything in the heavens, and by their means everything on earth, and at the same time to make His human Divine. No one could have been saved if this had not been done. The existence of two churches on this earth before the Lord's coming was demonstrated in various passages of ARCANA CAELESTIA; a summary of these will be found in the notes at the end of this chapter. ¹ It was also shown that the Lord came into the world to reduce to order everything in the heavens and by their means everything on earth, and to make His human Divine. ²

The third church on this earth is the Christian. It was on this, and at the same time on all in the first heaven from the time of the Lord, that the last judgment now being described took place.

Footnotes:

33. (VI.) QUOD ULTIMUM JUDICIUM EXISTAT, QUANDO FINIS ECCLESIAE EST; ET QUOD FINIS ECCLESIAE SIT, QUANDO NON FIDES QUIA NON CHARITAS.

Quod ultimum judicium existat quando finis ecclesiae est, sunt plures causae. Primaria est, quod tunc perire incipiat aequilibrium inter caelum et infernum, et cum aequilibrio ipsum liberum hominis; et cum liberum hominis perit, tunc non amplius salvari potest; ex libero enim tunc fertur ad infernum, et non in libero duci potest ad caelum; nam absque libero nemo reformari potest, et omne liberum hominis est ex aequilibrio inter caelum et infernum: quod ita sit constare potest ex binis articulis in opere De Caelo et Inferno; ubi actum est De Aequilibrio inter Caelum et Infernum (589-596); et, Quod Homo in Libero sit per Aequilibrium inter Caelum et Infernum (597-603); et quoque ibi, quod nemo reformari queat quam in libero.