408、当一个教会彻底荒废，以至于信荡然无存时，就在这时而不是之前，便会有一个新的开始，也就是说，新光开始照耀，这在圣言中被称为“早晨”。新光或“早晨”之所以直到教会荒废才照耀，是因为构成信和仁的事物已经和亵渎的事物混在一起；只要它们混在一起，光或仁就不可能被引入，因为“稗子”会毁掉所有“好种”。不过，一旦信荡然无存，就不能再遭到亵渎，因为人们不再相信告诉他们的话。那些不承认，不相信，仅仅知道的人不能亵渎，如前所述。如今的犹太人便是这种情形，他们生活在基督徒当中，不能不知道基督徒承认主就是他们，即犹太人一直等候、如今仍在等候的弥赛亚；然而，他们不能亵渎，因为他们不承认，也不相信这些事。听说过主的伊斯兰教徒和外邦人也一样。正因如此，一直等到犹太教会什么也不承认，什么也不信，主才降世。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]408. When a church has been so thoroughly devastated that no more faith remains, it makes a new start; a new light shines out. In the Word, this is called "morning." The reason why the new light or morning does not dawn before devastation is complete is that any manifestation of faith or charity is mingled with something profane, and as long as they are mingled, no light or charity can be introduced. Tares destroy all the good seed.{*1} When there is no faith, faith can no longer be profaned, because no one believes what is said anyway.
Those who do not acknowledge and believe something but only know it cannot profane it, as pointed out earlier [302-303].
Jews these days, for instance, because they live among Christians, necessarily realize that Christians acknowledge the Lord as the Messiah that they (Jews) waited and are still waiting for. But they cannot profane the idea because they do not acknowledge or believe it. The same is true of Muslims and the people of unbaptized nations who have heard of the Lord. This was why the Lord came into the world at a time when the Jewish church no longer acknowledged or believed anything.
Footnotes:
{*1} This is an allusion to Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, a parable in which tares (the growth of some type of weed, probably darnel) are compared to "the children of the wicked one." They arise in the field of the world alongside the good and are not gathered in until the harvest (the end of the world), when they are separated from the good and burned. [SS, LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 408
408. When a church has been so vastated that there is no longer any faith, then and not before, it begins anew, that is, new light shines forth, which in the Word is called the "morning." The reason why the new light or "morning" does not shine forth until the church is vastated, is that the things of faith and of charity have been commingled with things profane; and so long as they remain in this state it is impossible for anything of light or charity to be insinuated, since the "tares" destroy all the "good seed." But when there is no faith, faith can no longer be profaned, because men no longer believe what is declared unto them; and those who do not acknowledge and believe, but only know, cannot profane, as was observed above. This is the case with the Jews at the present day, who in consequence of living among Christians must be aware that the Lord is acknowledged by Christians to be the Messiah whom they themselves have expected, and still continue to expect, but yet they cannot profane this because they do not acknowledge and believe it. And it is the same with the Mohammedans and Gentiles who have heard about the Lord. It was for this reason that the Lord did not come into the world until the Jewish Church acknowledged and believed nothing.
Elliott(1983-1999) 408
408. Once the Church has been so vastated that faith exists no longer a fresh start is made, that is, new light begins to shine, which in the Word is called 'the morning'. The reason new light or the morning does not shine before the Church has been vastated is that the things constituting faith and charity have been mingled with things that are unholy, and as long as they are mingled no light or charity can possibly be introduced, for tares are ruining all the good seed. But once faith is no more, it is no longer possible for faith to be profaned, since people do not believe what is said. People who do not acknowledge and believe something but merely know it are, as stated already, incapable of profaning it. A similar situation exists at the present time in the case of Jews who, because they live among Christians, cannot help knowing that the Lord is acknowledged by Christians to be the Messiah whom they, the Jews, have been waiting for and are awaiting still. Yet they are incapable of profaning because they do not acknowledge and believe these matters. Nor, in a similar way, can Moslems and gentiles who have heard about the Lord do so. This was the reason why the Lord did not come into the world until the Jewish Church had ceased to acknowledge and believe anything.
Latin(1748-1756) 408
408. Cum Ecclesia ita vastata est ut amplius nulla fides, tunc e novo primum incohat, seu nova lux effulget, quae in Verbo dicitur 'mane'; causa est {1} quod non prius nova lux aut mane quam cum vastata est, quod illa quae sunt fidei et charitatis commixta sint profanis, et quamdiu commixta, nusquam aliquid lucis aut charitatis insinuari potest, nam zizaniae perdunt omne bonum semen; at cum nulla fides: tunc profanari amplius fides non potest, quia non credunt quod dicitur: qui non agnoscunt et credunt sed solum sciunt, non profanare possunt ut prius dictum est; sicut hodie Judaei, qui quia inter Christianos vivunt, non possunt aliter ac scire quod Dominus agnoscatur a Christianis pro Messia quem exspectarunt et adhuc exspectant, sed non profanare possunt quia non agnoscunt et credunt: ita nec Mahumedani et gentiles qui audiverunt de Domino: haec causa fuit quod Dominus in mundum non venit priusquam Ecclesia Judaica nihil agnovit et credidit. @ 1 Est here appears redundant, possibly a printer's slip, or to avoid repetition of est in line below. A comma after vastata would correct the sentence.$