1. 새 하늘과 새 땅과 새 예루실렘이 갖는 의미에 대하여

1. 요한계시록에서 주님은 아래와 같이 말씀하신다.

"또 내가 새 하늘과 새 땅을 보니 처음 하늘과 처음 땅이 없어졌고, 내가 보매 거룩한 성 새 예루살렘이 하나님께로부터 하늘에서 내려오니 그 예비한 것이 신부가 남편을 위하여 단장한 것 같더라. 크고 높은 성곽이 있고 열 두 문이 있는데 문에 열 두 천사가 있고 그 문들 위에 이름을 썼으니 이스라엘 자손 열 두 지파의 이름들이라. 그 성에 성곽은 열 두 기초석이 있고 그 위에 어린 양의 십 이 사도의 열 두 이름이 있더라. 내게 말하는 자가 그 성과 그 문들과 성곽을 척량하려고 금 갈대를 가졌더라. 그 성은 네모가 반듯하여 장광이 같은지라 그 갈대로 그 성을 척량하니 12,000 스다디온이요 장과 광과 고가 같더라. 그 성곽을 척량하매 144 규빗이니 사람의 척량 곧 천사의 척량이라. 그 성곽은 벽옥으로 쌓였고 그 성은 정금인데 맑은 유리 같더라. 그 성의 성곽의 기초석은 각색 보석으로 꾸몄다. 열두 문은 열두 진주니 문마다 한 진주요 성의 길은 맑은 유리같은 정금이더라. 하나님의 영광이 비취고 어린 양이 그 등이 되심이라. 만국이 그 빛 가운데로 다니고 땅의 왕들이 자기 영광을 가지고 그리로 들어오리라."(요한계시록 21:1-2; 12-24)

이 말씀을 읽고 단지 문자적인 의미로만 이해한 사람은 하늘과 땅이 멸망하고, 새 하늘이 있게 될 것이며, 위에서 기술한 대로 길이나 넓이 그리고 높이가 다 일치할 것으로 안다. 그러나 천사들은 이 말씀을 사람들과 아주 다르게 이해한다. 사람들이 자연적으로 이해한 것을 천사들은 영적으로 이해한다. 말씀의 참된 의미는 천사들이 이해하는 것처럼 말씀의 내적이고 영적인 뜻에 있다.

"새 하늘과 새 땅"은 천사들이 이해하는 내적이고 영적인 의미로, 하늘(천국)과 땅 양쪽의 새교회를 의미한다.(하늘과 땅의 새교회에 대해서는 후에 더 자세히 말하게 될 것이다.) "하나님께로부터 하늘에서 내려 온 예루살렘 성"은 새교회의 신성한 가르침을 의미한다. "길이, 폭, 높이가 다 같다."는 것은 종합된 새교회의 가르침에 담겨진 모든 선과 진리를 뜻한다. "성의 벽"은 그것을 보호하는 진리를 뜻하고, "사람의 척량 즉 천사의 척량으로 벽이 144규빗인 것"은 전체로서 그것을 보호하는 모든 진리와 그 진리의 질을 의미한다.

"진주로 만든 열두 문"은 그곳으로 이끄는 진리를 뜻하고, "문의 열두 천사"도 같은 의미를 갖는다. "각색 보석으로 된 벽의 기초"는 가르침이 기초가 된 위에 말씀드린 지식을 뜻한다. "이스라엘의 열두 부족"과 "열두 제자"는 교회에 속한 일반적이고 특수적인 모든 것을 의미한다. "성과 그 거리를 만든 순수한 유리 같은 금"은 사랑에 속한 선에서 나온 가르침과 그것의 진리가 명백한 것을 의미한다. "구원이 된 만국과 그것으로 거룩과 영광을 가져오는 땅의 왕들"은 선과 진리를 가진 교회 안의 모든 사람들을 의미한다. "하나님과 어린양"은 신성 그 자체로서 그리고 신적 인성으로서의 주님을 의미한다.

이와 같은 것이 말씀의 영적인 의미이다. 자연적 또는 문자적인 의미는 영적인 의미의 기초로서 역할을 한다. 그러나 여전히 영적이고 자연적인 두 의미는 그들의 상응에 의해 하나로 연결된다. 여기서는 영적인 의미가 담고 있는 모든 상세한 기술을 다 말할 수 없다. 그러나 <천국의 비밀(Arcana Coelestia)>에서 상세한 설명을 볼 수 있을 것이다.

39. And all the tribes of the earth shall lament over Him, signifies that the falsities of the church will oppose. This is evident from the signification of "lamenting" as being to mourn, to grieve, to be displeased, to be angry, to be averse from, thus also to oppose; and from the signification of "tribes," as being all truths and goods in the complex, and in the contrary sense, all falsities and evils in the complex (of which in what follows); also from the signification of "the earth," as being the church (See above, n. 29). By "all the tribes of the earth," then, the whole church is meant, and by "their lamenting over Him" is signified that truth and good will be no more, because falsities and evils are to prevail and oppose. For this verse treats, in general, of what the state of the church will be at its end, when there will be no longer any faith, because no charity, namely, that the Lord will then reveal Himself, and that all who are in truths from good will acknowledge Him, and that they also will see Him, who are in falsities from evil, but that the falsities of the church will oppose. (That Revelation does not treat of the successive states of the church, but of its last state when it is at its end, see above, n. 5; and that its end is when there is no faith, because no charity, see the little work on The Last Judgment 33-39 seq.; and when there is no faith, because no charity, falsities from evil prevail and oppose truths from good.)

[2] In the Word "tribes" are often mentioned, inasmuch as the Israelitish people were divided into twelve tribes, and one who does not know the internal sense of the Word supposes that by "tribes" are meant the tribes of Israel; but by "tribes" are not meant tribes, nor by "Israel" is Israel meant, but by "tribes" are meant all those who are in truths from good, and by "Israel" the Lord's church. He who is ignorant of this will easily adopt the common belief that the sons of Israel were chosen in preference to all others on earth, and that they are also to be brought at last into the land of Canaan; indeed, that heaven also is to be formed chiefly from them; when, in fact, by their names they are not meant, but they who are in truths from good, thus those who are of the church; by the twelve tribes, all such, and by each tribe, some particular truth and good pertaining to those who are of the church.

[3] When this is understood, what is meant by these words in Revelation can be seen:

I heard the number of them which were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand sealed of all the tribes of the sons of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Naphtali were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zebulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand (Revelation 7:4-8).

Here those who are of the Israelitish nation are not meant, but all, how many soever, who are in the truths from good, for all such are sealed for heaven. Moreover, the numbers "one hundred and forty-four thousand" and "twelve thousand" signify all; and each tribe signifies all who are in that truth or good which is signified by its name, as may appear from what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia; as what good and truth are signified by "Judah," n. 3881, 6363; what by "Reuben," n. 3861, 3866, 4605, 4731, 4734, 4761, 6342-6345; what by "Gad," n. 3934, 3935; what by "Asher," n. 3938, 3939, 6408; what by "Naphtali," n. 3927, 3928; what by "Manasseh," n. 3969, 5351, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296; what by "Simeon," n. 3869-3872, 4497, 4502-4503, 5482, 5626, 5630; what by "Levi," n. 3875, 3877, 4497, 4502-4503; what by "Issachar," n. 3956, 3957; what by "Zebulon," n. 3960, 3961, 6383; what by "Joseph," n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417; and what by "Benjamin," n. 3969, 4592, 5411, 5413, 5443, 5639, 5686, 5688, 5689, 6440. That all numbers in the Word signify things, see n. 482, 487, 647-648, 755, 813, 1963, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175, 9488, 9659, 10217, 10253. That "twelve" signifies all, and all things in respect to truths from good, see n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913, likewise the numbers "72," "144," "1200," "144, 000," because they arise from the number 12 by multiplication, n. Arcana Coelestia 7973. That composite numbers have a like meaning with the simple numbers from which they are produced by multiplication, see n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973).

[4] He who is not aware that numbers signify things, and what the numbers "twelve," "one hundred and forty-four," and "twelve thousand" signify, likewise what "tribes" and "apostles" signify, cannot know what is signified by these words in Revelation:

The holy city, New Jerusalem, had a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and in the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; and the wall had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the apostles of the Lamb. The wall was a hundred and forty and four cubits, and the length and the breadth of the city twelve thousand furlongs (Revelation 21:12, 21:14, 16-17).

What is signified by all this you will see explained in the small work on The New Jerusalem and its Doctrine 1); namely, that by "Jerusalem" is signified the church in respect to doctrine; by its "wall," protecting truths; by the "gates," introductory truths; by the" foundations," the knowledges on which doctrine is based; by "twelve angels," and by "twelve tribes," all truths and goods in the complex; "the twelve apostles," have a like signification, and the numbers "twelve," "one hundred and forty-four," and "twelve thousand," signify all things and all persons.

[5] Furthermore, he who is aware that such things are signified by the twelve tribes can see the arcanum in this:

Why the names of the twelve tribes were engraved on the precious stones in the Urim and Thummim, likewise what that breastplate signified (Exodus 28:21; 39:10-15).

(This arcanum may be seen unfolded in Arcana Coelestia 3858, 6335, 6640, 9863, 9865, 9873, 9874, 9905) He can also see what is signified by this:

That the twelve apostles should sit upon twelve thrones, and are to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28);

namely, that the Lord alone will judge everyone by truths from good (n. 2129, 6397). Also what is meant by:

The predictions of Israel, the father, respecting his sons (Genesis 49:2-28);

as well as numerous other passages of the Word, where tribes are mentioned (as in Isaiah 19:13; 49:6; 63:17; Jeremiah 10:16; Ezekiel 48:1 seq.; Psalms 122:3-5; Deuteronomy 32:8; Numbers 24:2; Revelation 5:9; 7:4-9; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6

[6] Again, what is meant by the Lord's Word respecting the consummation of the age and His coming:

After the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth lament; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory (Matthew 24:29-30).

(These words can be seen explained in detail in the work on Heaven and Hell 1; and in the following passages in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that the twelve tribes of Israel represented and thence signified all truths and goods in the complex, thus all things of faith and love, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335; that like things are signified by the twelve apostles, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; and that their signification varies according to the order in which they are named, n. 3862, 3926, 3939, 4603, seq., 6337, 6640, 10335)