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).

5068. The reason the Lord calls Himself 'the King' in the following words - 'When the Son of Man comes in His glory, He will sit on the throne of [His] glory.....Then the King will say to them' - is that the Lord's kingly rule is Divine Truth, on which judgement is based and in accordance with which it is executed. But the basis and execution of judgement in the case of the good is different from what it is with the evil. Because the good have accepted Divine Truth, the basis on which they are judged is good, and so mercy; but because the evil have not accepted Divine Truth, the basis of their judgement is truth, but not mercy, for the reason that they have cast mercy aside and as a consequence are constantly casting it aside in the next life. The acceptance of Divine Truth implies not only possessing faith but also expressing that faith in action, that is, making what doctrine teaches a matter of life. These are the reasons why the Lord calls Himself 'the King'. The Lord's kingly rule consists in Divine Truth, see 1728, 2015(end), 3009, 3670, 4581, 4966.