879# “说，巴比伦倾倒了，倾倒了”表示对那些将主的神性权柄转到自己身上之人的定罪和摧毁。这从“倾倒了，倾倒了”和“巴比伦”的含义清楚可知：“倾倒了，倾倒了”是指他们被定罪，并完全被摧毁；“巴比伦”是指那些将主的神性权柄转到自己身上的人。经上说“倾倒了，倾倒了”，是因为它论及作为一座城的巴比伦；但当“巴比伦”表示那些将主的神性权柄转到自己身上的人，“大城”表示他们教义的一切事物时，“倾倒了”表示被摧毁。根据主题的意义，“倾倒了”就这样变成“被摧毁”。在论述巴比伦及其毁灭的第17和18章，我们将解释“巴比伦”总体和具体地表示什么。本节经文论述巴比伦；接下来的四节经文论述龙的兽；再接下来的经文直到本章末尾，论述教会总体上的毁灭。此处之所以论述巴比伦和龙的兽，是因为接下来的几节经文论述教会的毁灭，首先论述总体上的毁灭，然后论述具体的毁灭，最后论述最后的审判。
但关于教会的毁灭，必须提前说明这些事。每个教会一开始都处于对行善的爱和对认识真理的爱；但随着时间推移，它在良善和真理方面遭到摧毁，因为教会不再有任何良善或任何真理。首先，对利用神圣事物逐渐统治人们的灵魂，最终统治天堂和主自己的爱摧毁了它。启示录以“巴比伦”和“骑在朱红色兽上的妓女”描述了这一点。其次，与仁，因而与生活的良善分离的信摧毁了它；最后没有任何真理在其中的唯信摧毁了它。启示录以“龙”和“他的两只兽”描述了这一点。教会初始的爱，也就是对行善的爱和对认识真理的爱，如前所述，就因这两点而衰落或结束了；当这一切发生时，教会就被摧毁了。对行善的爱逐渐变成对行恶的爱，这些邪恶被称为良善；对认识真理的爱变成对认识虚假的爱，这些虚假被称为真理。
对“巴比伦”所描述的那些人来说，教会的一切良善都被玷污或掺假了，教会的一切真理也由此被玷污或掺假了，因为这一个是那一个的结果。但对“龙”所描述的那些人来说，教会的一切真理都被歪曲了，教会的一切良善由此也被歪曲了，因为这一个是那一个的结果。这后者发生在改革宗教徒当中，他们把唯信当成教会的本质来接受；而前者发生在天主教徒当中，他们把统治天上的圣物当成教会的本质。前面已经说明，唯信是如何摧毁教会的，那里论述了“龙和他的两只兽”；在解释第17和18时，我们将说明，对天上圣物的统治是如何摧毁教会的。由此可见，为何本节经文论述巴比伦，接下来的四节经文论述龙的兽，从这里直到本章末尾论述教会总体上的毁灭；然后第15和16章论述教会具体的毁灭。
879. Saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen. That this signifies the damnation and destruction of those who have transferred to themselves the Lord's Divine power, is evident from the signification of is fallen, is fallen, as denoting the being condemned and altogether destroyed; and from the signification of Babylon, as denoting those who have transferred to themselves the Lord's Divine power. It is said, "is fallen, is fallen," because it is said of Babylon as a city. But when by Babylon are meant those who have transferred to themselves the Lord's Divine power, and by a great city, all things of their doctrine, then by falling is signified to be destroyed. "To fall" is thus changed into "to be destroyed," according to the meaning of the subject.
What is signified by Babylon in general and particular will be explained in chapters 17 and 18, where Babylon and its destruction are treated of.
The subject treated of in this verse is Babylon; and in the four following, the beast of the dragon; and afterwards, to the end of this chapter, the devastation of the church in general. The reason why Babylon and the beast of the dragon are here treated of is, that the devastation of the church, first in general, and afterwards specifically, and finally the Last Judgment, are treated of in the verses that follow.
[2] But concerning the devastation of the church these things must be stated. Every church in its beginning is in the love of doing goods, and in the love of knowing truths; but in process of time it is devastated as to goods and as to truths, because good and truth exist no longer in the church. It is devastated, first, by the love of ruling, by means of holy things, successively over men's souls, and at length over heaven and over the Lord Himself. And this is described in the Apocalypse by Babylon, and by the whore sitting upon the scarlet beast. It is devastated, secondly, by faith separated from charity, thus from the goods of life; and at length by faith alone, in which there is nothing of truth. This is described in the Apocalypse by the dragon and by his two beasts.
[3] These are the two things into which the primitive loves of the church, which, as was said, were the love of doing goods and the love of knowing truths, decline; and when this comes to pass, the church is devastated. The love of doing goods is successively changed into the love of doing evils, which are then called goods; and the love of knowing truths into the love of knowing falsities, which are then called truths. In the case of those who are described by Babylon, every good of the church is adulterated, and hence, also, every truth thereof, the one being a result of the other. But with those who are described by the dragon, every truth of the church is falsified, and hence, too, every good thereof, the one being a result of the other. And this happens among the Reformed, who have adopted faith alone as the essential of the church; but the former occurs among the Papists, who have made dominion over the holy things of heaven the essential of the church. But how faith alone has devastated the church, has been shown above, where the dragon and his two beasts are treated of; and how the dominion over the holy things of heaven has devastated the church, will be shown in the explanation of chapters xvii. and xviii.
From these things it is now evident whence it is that Babylon is treated of in this verse, the beast of the dragon in the four following, and thence to the end of the chapter the devastation of the church in general; and afterwards, in chapters xv. and xvi., the devastation of the church in particular.
879. Saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon, signifies the condemnation and destruction of those who have transferred to themselves the Lord's Divine authority. This is evident from the signification of "Fallen, fallen," as being that they were condemned and wholly destroyed; also from the signification of "Babylon," as being those who have transferred to themselves the Lord's Divine authority. It is said, "Fallen, fallen," because it is said of Babylon as a city; but when "Babylon" means those who have transferred to themselves the Lord's Divine authority, and "a great city" means all things of their doctrine, then "to fall" signifies to be destroyed. "To fall" is thus changed into "to be destroyed" in accordance with the subject predicated. What "Babylon" signifies in general and in particular will be told in chapters 17 and 18 which treat of Babylon and its destruction. This verse treats of Babylon; and the four following of the beast of the dragon; and what follows, to the end of this chapter, of the devastation of the church in general. Babylon and the beast of the dragon are here treated of because the devastation of the church, first in general and afterwards in particular, and finally the Last Judgment, are treated of in the verses that follow.
[2] But respecting the devastation of the church this must be premised. Every church in its beginning is in the love of doing goods, and in the love of knowing truths; but in process of time it is so devastated in respect to goods and truths that there is no longer any good or any truth in the church. In the first place, by degrees, it is devastated by the love of ruling over the souls of men, by means of holy things, and finally over heaven and over the Lord Himself. This is described in Revelation by "Babylon," and by "the harlot sitting upon the scarlet beast." Secondly, it is devastated by faith separated from charity and thus from the goods of life, and finally by faith alone in which there is nothing of truth. This is described in Revelation by "the dragon" and "his two beasts." In these two, the primitive loves of the church, which were, as has been said, the love of doing goods and the love of knowing truths, came to an end; and when they had come to an end in these the church was devastated. The love of doing goods is changed by degrees into the love of doing evils that are called goods; and the love of knowing truths is changed into the love of knowing falsities that are called truths.
[3] With those who are described by "Babylon" every good of the church is adulterated, and thus every truth of it, for the one is a consequence of the other; while with those who are described by "the dragon" every truth of the church is falsified, and thus every good of it, for the one is a consequence of the other. This latter takes place with the Reformed, who have accepted faith alone as the essential of the church; but the former takes place with the Papists, who have made dominion over the holy things of heaven the essential of the church. But in what way faith alone has devastated the church has been shown above, where "the dragon and his two beasts" are treated of; and how dominion over the holy things of heaven has devastated the church will be shown in the explanation of chapters 17 and 18. From all this it can now be seen why Babylon is spoken of in this verse, the beast of the dragon in the four verses that follow, and the devastation of the church in general from that to the end of the chapter, and afterwards the devastation of the church in particular in chapters 15 and 16.
879. "Dicens, Cecidit, cecidit Babylon." Quod significet damnationem et destructionem illorum qui Divinam Domini potestatem in se transtulerunt, constat ex significatione "Cecidit, cecidit", quod sit quod damnati et prorsus destructi sint; et ex significatione "Babylonis", quod sint qui Divinam Domini potestatem in se transtulerunt. Dicitur, "Cecidit, cecidit", quia de Babylone ut urbe; sed cum per "Babylonem" intelliguntur illi qui Divinam Domini potestatem in se transtulerunt, et per "urbem magnam" omnia doctrinae illorum, tunc per "cadere" significatur destrui; sic vertitur "cadere" in destrui, secundum praedicationem subjecti. Quid "Babylon" in genere et in specie significat, infra (ad cap. 17 et 18), ubi de Babylone et ejus destructione agitur, dicetur. Agitur in hoc versu de Babylone, et in quatuor sequentibus de bestia draconis, ac postea ad finem hujus capitis de devastatione ecclesiae in genere: causa quod de Babylone et de draconis bestia agatur, est quia in sequentibus de devastatione ecclesiae primum in genere, et postea in specie agitur, et demum de ultimo judicio.
[2] Sed de devastatione ecclesiae haec praemittenda sunt: Omnis ecclesia in principio suo est in amore faciendi bona, et in amore sciendi vera; at temporis tractu devastatur illa quoad bona et quoad vera, usque adeo ut amplius non sit aliquod bonum nec aliquod verum in ecclesia. Devastatur primum per amorem imperandi per sancta, et successive super animas hominum, et tandem super caelum, et super Ipsum Dominum; hoc in Apocalypsi describitur per "Babylonem", et per "meretricem sedentem super bestia coccinea": secundo devastatur per fidem separatam a charitate, ita a bonis vitae, et tandem per solam fidem, in qua nihil veri est; hoc in Apocalypsi describitur per "draconem" et per "binas ejus bestias." Illa duo sunt in quae primitiva ecclesiae, quae, ut dictum est, fuerunt amor faciendi bona et amor sciendi vera, desinunt; in quae cum desierunt, ecclesia devastata est: amor faciendi bona mutatur successive in amorem faciendi mala, quae vocant bona; et amor sciendi vera, in amorem sciendi falsa, quae vocant vera.
[3] Apud illos qui per "Babylonem" describuntur, omne bonum ecclesiae adulteratur, et inde quoque omne verum ejus, nam unum sequitur alterum; apud illos autem qui per "draconem" describuntur, falsificatur omne verum ecclesiae, et inde quoque omne bonum ejus, unum enim sequitur alterum: hoc fit apud Reformatos, qui solam fidem pro essentiali ecclesiae acceptarunt; illud apud Pontificios, qui dominium super sancta caeli essentiale ecclesiae fecerunt. Sed quomodo sola fides devastavit ecclesiam, supra ostensum est, ubi de "dracone" et de "binis ejus bestiis" actum est; at quomodo dominium super sancta caeli ecclesiam devastavit, infra, ad caput 17 et 18 dicetur. Ex his nunc constare potest, unde est quod in hoc versu dicatur de "Babylone", in quatuor sequentibus de "bestia draconis", et inde ad finem hujus capitis de devastatione ecclesiae in genere, ac postea (cap. 15 et 16) de devastatione ecclesiae in specie.