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創世記第18章

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1 耶和華在幔利橡樹那裡向亞伯拉罕顯現出來。那時正熱,亞伯拉罕在帳棚口,

2 舉目觀,見有個人在對面站著。他一見,就從帳棚口跑去迎接他們,俯伏在

3 :我,我若在你眼前蒙恩,求你不要離開僕人往前去。

4 容我拿點來,你們,在歇息歇息。

5 我再拿一點餅來,你們可以加添力,然往前去。你們既到僕人這裡來,理當如此。他們:就照你的行罷。

6 亞伯拉罕急忙進帳棚見撒拉,:你速速拿細亞細麵調和作餅。

7 亞伯拉罕又跑到牛群裡,牽了一隻又嫩又犢來,交僕人,僕人急忙預備了。

8 亞伯拉罕又取了奶油和奶,並預備好的牛犢來,擺在他們面前,自己在站在旁邊,他們就吃了

9 他們問亞伯拉罕:你妻子撒拉在那裡?他:在帳棚裡。

10 三人中有一位:到明年這時候,我必要回到你這裡;你的妻子撒拉必生一個兒子。撒拉在那人邊的帳棚口也見了這話。

11 亞伯拉罕和撒拉年紀老邁,撒拉的月經已斷絕了。

12 撒拉心裡暗笑,:我既已衰敗,我也老邁,豈能有這喜事呢?

13 耶和華亞伯拉罕:撒拉為甚麼暗笑,:我既已年老,果真能生養麼?

14 耶和華豈有難成的事麼?到了日期,明年這時候,我必回到你這裡,撒拉必生一個兒子

15 撒拉就害怕,不承認,:我沒有笑。那位:不然,你實在笑了。

16 三人就從那裡起行,向所多瑪觀看,亞伯拉罕也與他們同行,要送他們一程。

17 耶和華:我所要作的事豈可瞞著亞伯拉罕呢?

18 亞伯拉罕必要成為強的國;上的萬國都必因他得福。

19 我眷顧他,為要叫他吩咐他的眾子和他的眷屬遵守我的道,秉公行,使我所應許亞伯拉罕的話都成就了。

20 耶和華所多瑪和蛾摩拉的惡甚重,聲聞於我。

21 我現在要去,察他們所行的,果然盡像那達到我耳中的聲音一樣麼?若是不然,我也必知道

22 二人轉身離開那裡,向所多瑪去;但亞伯拉罕仍舊站在耶和華面前。

23 亞伯拉罕前來,:無論善惡,你都要剿滅麼?

24 假若那城裡有五十人,你還剿滅那地方麼?不為城裡這五十人饒恕其中的人麼?

25 人與惡人同殺,將人與惡人一樣看待,這斷不是你所行的。審判全的主豈不行公麼?

26 耶和華:我若在所多瑪城裡見有五十人,我就為他們的緣故饒恕那地方的眾人。

27 亞伯拉罕:我雖然是灰塵,還敢對主說話

28 假若這五十人短了五個,你就因為短了五個毀滅全城麼?他:我在那裡若見有四十五個,也不毀滅那城。

29 亞伯拉罕又對他:假若在那裡見有四十個怎麼樣呢?他:為這四十個的緣故,我也不作這事。

30 亞伯拉罕:求主不要動怒,容我,假若在那裡見有三十個怎麼樣呢?他:我在那裡若見有三十個,我也不作這事。

31 亞伯拉罕:我還敢對主說話,假若在那裡見有二十個怎麼樣呢?他:為這二十個的緣故,我也不毀滅那城。

32 亞伯拉罕:求主不要動怒,我再這一次,假若在那裡見有個呢?他:為這個的緣故,我也不毀滅那城。

33 耶和華亞伯拉罕說完了話就走了;亞伯拉罕也回到自己的地方去了。

   

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Apocalypse Explained#397

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397. Until their fellow-servants and their brethren, who should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. That this signifies until evils have been consummated, is plain from the signification of, they should be fulfilled, as denoting until they are consummated. And from the signification of "their fellow-servants and their brethren, who should be killed as they were," as denoting evils, for to kill them denotes evil. By fellow-servants are meant those who are in truths, and by brethren are meant those who are in goods; and by fellow-servants and brethren together are meant those who are in truths from good, for in the internal sense the two are conjoined into one. Consummation is mentioned in some passages in the Word, also when evils are consummated; but scarcely any one at this day knows what is signified thereby. In three articles above, n. 391, 392, 394, it was shown that the former heaven consisted of such as had led a moral life in externals, and yet in their internals were evil, and that they dwelt in high places in the spiritual world, and thence supposed that they were in heaven. These, because they were inwardly evil, would not tolerate among them those that were inwardly good, and this on account of the disagreement of their affections and thoughts. For all consociations in the spiritual world are effected according to the agreement of the affections, and thence of the thoughts, for angels and spirits are nothing but affections and the thoughts thence in a human form; and because those who were then on the high places, could not suffer the presence of those who were inwardly good, they, therefore, cast them out from among them, and wherever they saw them they treated them in an evil and disgraceful manner, therefore they were removed from their violence by the Lord, and concealed under heaven, and preserved. And this was taking place from the time when the Lord was in the world until this time when the judgment took place; and then those who were on high places were cast down, and those who were under heaven, raised up. The reason why the evil were so long tolerated upon high places, and the good so long detained under heaven, was that both the latter and the former might be completed, that is, that the good might amount to such a number as to be sufficient to form a new heaven, and also that the evil might fall down of themselves into hell; for the Lord casts no one down into hell, but the evil itself which is with evil spirits, casts them down (as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 545-550). This is effected at the time when evils are consummated, that is, are completed.

[2] This also is what is meant by the Lord's words in Matthew:

"The servants of the householder coming, said, Didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? whence then are the tares? And they said, Wilt thou, therefore, that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest in gathering the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into the barn. So shall it be in the consummation of the age" (13:27-30, 42).

The consummation of the age is the last time when the judgment [takes place]; the time of harvest is when all things are consummated or completed; the tares denote evils or those in whom evils are, and the wheat denotes goods or those in whom goods are. But concerning these more may be seen in the small work concerning the Last Judgment 65-72. From these considerations it may in some degree be known why it was said to them, that they should rest yet for a little time until their fellow-servants and their brethren, who should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. By being killed is here signified the same as being slain (above, n. 392), namely, to be rejected by the evil on account of the Divine truth, and on account of their confession of the Lord.

[3] From these known circumstances it may be known what is signified by consummation, and by iniquity being consummated, in the following passages.

In Moses:

Jehovah said, "I will go down, and see whether they have made a consummation, according to the cry which is come unto me" (Genesis 18:21).

This is said of Sodom. In the same:

"For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet consummated (fulfilled)" (Genesis 15:16).

In Isaiah:

"I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of hosts a consummation and a decision upon the whole earth" (28:22).

In the same:

"A consummation is determined, justice has overflowed. For the Lord Jehovih of hosts maketh a consummation, and a decision, in the whole earth" (10:22, 23).

In Zephaniah:

"In the fire of the zeal" of Jehovih of hosts "the whole land shall be devoured; for he shall make a consummation, and indeed speedily, with all the inhabitants of the land" (1:18).

In Daniel:

"At length upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation" (9:27; and elsewhere).

By consummation and decision, in these passages, is signified the last state of the church, which is when truth is no longer, because there is no good, or when there is faith no longer, because there is no charity; when such is the state of the church, then the Last Judgment is come. The reason why the Last Judgment then is come, is also that the human race is the basis or foundation of the angelic heaven, for the conjunction of the angelic heaven with the human race is perpetual, and the one subsists by the other; therefore when the basis does not correspond, the angelic heaven is shaken, therefore there is then a judgment upon those who are in the spiritual world, in order that all things, in the heavens as well as in the hells, may be reduced to order. (That the human race is the basis and foundation of the angelic heaven, and that the conjunction is perpetual, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 291-310.) From these things it may be known, that by consummation is meant the last state of the church, when there is faith no longer because there is no charity. This state of the church is also called in the Word vastation and desolation, and by the Lord the consummation of the age (Matthew 13:39, 40, 49; 24:3; 28:20).

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.