----中文待译----
988. (Verse 10) And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast. That this signifies the state of the church manifested as to the doctrine of faith, is evident from the signification of the angel pouring out the vial, as denoting the state of the church manifested as above, and from the signification of the throne of the beast, as denoting the doctrine of faith. The reason why the doctrine of faith is signified by the throne of the beast is, that by throne is signified the church as to the truth which reigns therein, and by the beast is signified faith such as exists in that church; hence by the throne of the beast is signified the church as to the doctrine of faith. This also follows from this fact, that the fourth angel poured out his vial into the sun, which signifies the state of the church manifested as to love (see above, n. 981). Hence it follows that by the vial poured out by this angel upon the throne of the beast, is signified a manifestation of the state of the church as to faith. For love and faith constitute the church, but they constitute it only when they are one, and not two. But by the throne of the beast is meant such faith as is at this day in that church, which is a faith separated from the goods of life.
[2] The reason why the doctrine of faith is meant by the throne of the beast is, that by throne, in the highest sense, is meant heaven and the church as to Divine truth; and Divine truth in the Christian Church is called faith. It was different in the Ancient Churches, in which it was not known what faith is, because faith involves something that is not understood, but is yet to be believed as if it were truth. Such are almost all the things of the church and of its doctrine at this day. As, for example, what is to be believed concerning the Trinity, as that there are three persons in the Godhead; that the Lord was born from eternity; that the Holy Spirit proceeds from them, and that this proceeding is a Person which is Himself God; and yet that there are not three but one, and thus that the trinity is in unity, and the unity in trinity.
[3] Moreover, that faith without its life, which is from the goods of charity or from good works, saves; that to one who is justified by faith alone, all his works, even such as are evil, are pardoned, and that the law does not condemn him, because the Lord has taken away the condemnation by the fulfilling of the law, and by the passion of the cross; that this is only to be believed, and man will be saved.
There are also several other things that are to be believed as truths, and are said to belong to faith, although whether they are truths cannot be seen; as, for example, what is said concerning free choice, the faith of infants, and the flesh and blood in the Holy Supper; also the things to be remembered about the life of man after death and the Last Judgment, these being called things to be believed, although the understanding sees in them merely paradoxes that are beyond all faith. As, again, that a man, after death, is a kind of shadowy, spiritual, or formless ethereal phantom, which neither sees, hears, nor speaks; and that thus he either flits about in the air, or elsewhere, and waits for the judgment that is to come with the destruction of the whole universe, not only of the visible heaven, the sun, moon, and stars, but also of the earth; and that then all parts of the body left in the world by death will come together again and clothe the soul; and that thus man will recover his senses; besides other similar things. Because these cannot fall into the understanding, they cannot be called truths, but faith. Such a faith is meant by the throne of the beast.
[4] Who cannot see that a man by such a faith may be induced to believe pure contradictions and falsities, provided they are laid down as dogmas by those placed in authority, and confirmed by others who, for various reasons, love to live in blind obedience? For by fallacies and sophisms falsities, even the most infernal, can be made to appear like truths, as, for example, that infernal falsity that nature is everything; that whatever appears is ideal; that man and beast differ but little, that neither live after death; that the Word is not holy; and other similar things. From which it is evident, that all blindness in spiritual things is induced by the faith of the present day.
This began and was brought to its utmost darkness by the Babylonish nation. From this darkness, indeed, the Reformed, who separated from that nation, came forth into some light by the reading of the Word, but not so far as to be able to see truths, as the ancients did. The reason was that they separated faith from life; and it is from life that a man has light, and not from any separated faith.
From these things it is now evident what is meant by the throne of the beast, just as previously,
By "the throne which the dragon is said to have given to the beast" (Apoc. 13:2; concerning which see above, n. Apoc. 2:13).
False doctrinals are also signified by thrones in other passages in the Word. As in Ezekiel:
"They shall come down from their thrones, all the princes of the sea, and shall cast away their mantles, and "shall be clothed with terrors" (26:16).
In Haggai:
"I will overturn the throne of the kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations" (2:22).
In Daniel:
"I saw until the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days sat" (7:9).
Continuation concerning the Sixth Precept:-
[5] How intrinsically holy, that is, from creation, marriages are, may be seen from this fact, that they are the seminaries of the human race. And because as the angelic heaven is from the human race, they are also the seminaries of heaven. Consequently, that by marriages not only worlds, but also the heavens, are filled with inhabitants. And since the end of the whole creation is the human race, and thence heaven, wherein the Divine Itself may dwell as in its own, and as if in Itself, and since the procreation of the human race according to Divine order was instituted by means of marriage, it is manifest how intrinsically holy marriages are, thus from creation, and how sacredly they ought therefore to be regarded.
The earth, indeed, might equally be filled with inhabitants through fornication and adultery as by marriage, but not heaven. The reason is, that hell is from adulteries, and heaven from marriages. The reason why hell is from adulteries is, that adultery is from the marriage of evils and falsities, as a result of this hell in its whole extent is called adultery. The reason why heaven is from marriage is, because marriage is from the marriage of good and truth, as a result of which, heaven in its whole extent is called a marriage, as was shown above in its own article.
[6] By adultery is meant, where the love thereof, which is called the love of adultery, reigns, whether in wedlock or without it; and by marriage is meant, where the love thereof, which is called conjugial love, reigns. That the earth might equally be filled with inhabitants by fornication and adultery as by marriage will be further explained in the following article.
When the procreations of the human race result from marriages, in which the holy love of good and truth from the Lord reigns, then it is on the earths as in the heavens, and the Lord's kingdom on the earths corresponds to the Lord's kingdom in the heavens. For the heavens consist of societies arranged according to all the varieties of celestial and spiritual affections, from which arrangement exists the form of heaven, which far surpasses all forms in the universe. A similar form would exist on earth if the procreations there resulted from marriages in which love truly conjugial reigns; for then in proportion as from one parent many families successively descended, in the same proportion images of heavenly societies would exist in similar variety. Families would then be like fruit-bearing trees of various kinds, from which as many gardens would be produced, each containing its own species of fruits; these gardens, taken together, would present the form of a heavenly paradise. But these things are said by way of comparison, because trees signify the men of the church; gardens, intelligence; fruits, the good of life; and paradise, heaven.
It has been told me from heaven that such correspondence of the families on the earths with the societies in the heavens existed with the most ancient people, of whom the first church on this earth was formed. It was called by ancient writers the Golden Age, because love to the Lord, mutual love, innocence, peace, wisdom, and chastity in marriage then prevailed. And it was also declared from heaven that they then inwardly shuddered at adulteries as at the abominable things of hell.
988. Verse 10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast, signifies the state of the church manifested as to the doctrine of faith. This is evident from the signification of "the angel pouring out the vial," as being the state of the church manifested (as above); also from the signification of "the throne of the beast," as being the doctrine of faith. "The throne of the beast" signifies the doctrine of faith because "throne" signifies the church as to the truth that reigns therein, and "the beast" signifies such faith as exists in that church, therefore "the throne of the beast" signifies the church as to the doctrine of faith. This follows also from what is said before, that "the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun," which signifies the state of the church manifested as to love (See above n. 981; consequently the vial poured out by this angel upon the throne of the beast signifies manifestation of the state of the church as to faith, since love and faith are what constitute the church, but only when they are one and not two. But "the throne of the beast" means such faith as there is at this day in that church, which is faith separated from the goods of life.
[2] The doctrine of faith is meant by "the throne of the beast," because "throne" means in the highest sense heaven and the church as to the Divine truth; and in the Christian Church the Divine truth is called faith; which was not done in the ancient churches, in which they did not know what faith is since faith involves something that is not understood and yet must be believed as if it were truth. Nearly everything of the church and of its doctrine at the present day is such; as for instance, what must be believed about the trinity, that there are three Persons of the Divinity, that the Lord was born from eternity, that the Holy Spirit proceeds from them, and that this proceeding is a Person which is God by Himself, and yet that there are not three but one, and thus that there is a trinity in the unity, and a unity in the trinity; furthermore, that faith is saving apart from its life, which is from the goods of charity or from good works; that to one who has been justified by faith alone, all works even such as are evil are pardoned, and the law does not condemn him, since the Lord has taken away the condemnation by the fulfilling of the law and by the passion of the cross; and that man will be saved when this is merely believed.
[3] There are many other things that must be believed as truths which are said to be matters of faith because whether they are true or not cannot be seen; as what is said about free will, about the faith of infants, about the flesh and blood in the Holy Supper, also about the life of man after death, and the Last Judgment, which are called things to be believed although the understanding sees in them mere paradoxes that transcend all faith; as that man after death is a shadowy or airy something, a formless phantom of ether that does not see, hear or speak, and thus is either flying in the air or is in a somewhere awaiting the judgment, which is to come with the destruction of the entire universe, both the visible heaven, the sun, moon and stars, and also the earth; and then all things of the body left in the world by death are to come together again and clothe the soul, and thus man's senses will be restored; with other like things. As these cannot fall into the understanding they cannot be called truths, but must be called faith. Such is the faith that is meant by "the throne of the beast."
[4] Who cannot see that by such a faith a man may be induced to believe mere absurdities and falsities, provided they are set up as dogmas by those placed in authority and are confirmed by others who for various reasons prefer to live in blind obedience? For by fallacies and sophistries, falsities, even infernal ones, can be so confirmed as to appear like truths, for instance, that infernal falsity that nature is everything; that whatever appears is ideal; that there is little difference between man and beast, that they die a like death and do not live after death; that the Word is not holy; and other like things; from which it is clear that all blindness in spiritual things has been induced by the faith of the present day, which was begun and brought to its densest darkness by the Babylonish nation; and although the Reformed, who separated from that nation, came forth from that thick darkness into some light by reading the Word they did not come into a light that enabled them to see truths as the ancient people did, and for the reason that they separated faith from the life, and it is from the life that a man has light, and not from any faith separated. All this makes clear what is meant by "the throne of the beast," the same as before by:
The throne that the dragon is said to have given to the beast (Revelation 13:2, see above, n. Revelation 2:13).
"Thrones" signify false doctrinals in other passages in the Word, as in Ezekiel:
All the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and shall cast away their mantles and they shall be clothed with terrors (Ezekiel 26:16).
In Haggai:
I will overthrow the throne of the Kingdoms and I will destroy the strength of the Kingdoms of the nations (Haggai 2:22).
And in Daniel:
I beheld till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit (Daniel 7:9).
(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)
[5] How holy in themselves, that is, from creation, marriages are can be seen from the fact that they are seminaries of the human race; and as the angelic heaven is from the human race they are also the seminaries of heaven; consequently by marriages not only the earths but also the heavens are filled with inhabitants; and as the end of the entire creation is the human race, and thus heaven, where the Divine Itself may dwell as in its own and as it were in itself, and as the procreation of mankind according to Divine order is accomplished through marriages, it is clear how holy marriages are in themselves, that is, from creation, and thus how holy they should be esteemed. It is true that the earth might be filled with inhabitants by fornications and adulteries as well as by marriages, but not heaven; and for the reason that hell is from adulteries but heaven from marriages. Hell is from adulteries because adultery is from the marriage of evil and falsity, from which hell in the whole complex is called adultery; while heaven is from marriages because marriage is from the marriage of good and truth, from which heaven in its whole complex is called a marriage, as has been shown above in its proper article. That is called adultery where its love reigns, which is called the love of adultery, whether it be within matrimony or out of it, and that is called marriage where its love reigns, which is called conjugial love. Whether the earth might be filled with inhabitants by fornications and adulteries as well as by marriages will be further considered in the following article.
[6] When procreations of the human race are effected by marriages in which the holy love of good and truth from the Lord reigns, then it is on earth as it is in the heavens, and the Lord's kingdom on earth corresponds to the Lord's kingdom in the heavens. For the heavens consist of societies arranged according to all the varieties of celestial and spiritual affections, from which arrangement the form of heaven springs, and this preeminently surpasses all other forms in the universe. There would be a like form on the earth if the procreations there were effected by marriages in which love truly conjugial reigned; for then, however many families might descend in succession from one head of a family, there would spring forth as many images of the societies of heaven in a like variety. Families would then be like fruit-bearing trees of various kinds, forming as many different gardens, each containing its own kind of fruit, and these gardens taken together would present the form of a heavenly paradise. This is said in the way of comparison, because "trees" signify men of the church, "gardens" intelligence, "fruits" goods of life, and "paradise" heaven. I have been told from heaven that with the most ancient people, from whom the first church on this globe was established, which was called by ancient writers the golden age, there was such a correspondence between families on the earth and societies in the heavens, because love to the Lord, mutual love, innocence, peace, wisdom, and chastity in marriage then reigned; and it was also told me from heaven that they were then inwardly horrified at adulteries, as at the abominable things of hell.
988. [Vers. 10.] "Et quintus angelus effudit [suam] phialam super thronum bestiae." - Quod significet statum ecclesiae manifestatum quoad doctrinam fidei, constat ex significatione "angeli effundentis phialam", quod sit status ecclesiae manifestatus (ut supra); et ex significatione "throni bestiae", quod sit doctrina fidei: quod per "thronum bestiae", significetur doctrina fidei, est quia per "thronum" significatur ecclesia quoad verum, quod ibi regnat, et per "bestiam" significatur fides, qualis in illa ecclesia est; inde per "thronum bestiae" significatur ecclesia quoad doctrinam fidei: hoc quoque sequitur ex eo, quod "quartus angelus effuderit phialam suam in solem", per quod significatur status ecclesiae manifestatus quoad amorem (videatur supra, n. 981); inde consequitur quod per "phialam ab hoc angelo effusam super thronum bestiae significetur manifestatio status ecclesiae quoad fidem; nam amor et fides faciunt ecclesiam, verum cum unum sunt et non duo; sed per "thronum bestiae" intelligitur fides qualis est hodie in illa ecclesia, quae est fides separata a bonis vitae.
[2] Causa quod doctrina fidei intelligatur per "thronum bestiae", est quia per "thronum" in supremo sensu intelligitur caelum et ecclesia quoad Divinum Verum, ac Divinum Verum in Ecclesia Christiana vocatur fides, aliter quam in ecclesiis antiquis; in his nesciebatur quid fides, quia fides involvit aliquid quod non intelligitur, et tamen usque credendum est sicut foret verum; talia sunt paene omnia ecclesiae et ejus doctrinae hodie; sicut quod credendum est de Trinitate, ut quod tres Personae Divinitatis sint, quod Dominus natus sit ab aeterno, quod Spiritus sanctus procedat ab illis, et quod procedens sit Persona, quae Deus, per se, et tamen quod non tres sint sed unum, et sic quod trinitas sit in unitate et unitas in trinitate; praeterea quod fides absque vita ejus, quae est ex bonis charitatis seu ex bonis operibus, salvet; quod justificato per solam fidem omnia opera etiam mala condonentur, et quod Lex illum non damnet, quia Dominus per impletionem Legis et per passionem crucis damnationem sustulit; quod hoc solum credendum sit, et homo salvabitur:
[3] sunt etiam plura alia, quae credenda sunt sicut vera, quae vocantur fidei, quia num vera sint, non videri potest; sicut quae de libero arbitrio, de fide infantum, de carne et sanguine in Sacra Cena, memorantur: tum quae de vita hominis post mortem, et de ultimo judicio, quae dicuntur credenda, tametsi intellectus in illis mera paradoxa, quae omnem fidem excedunt, videt; sicut quod homo post mortem sit quoddam umbratile, spiritale, ex aethere larva ineffigiata, quae non videt, audit, loquitur, et quod sic vel volitet in aere, vel sit in ubi, et exspectet judicium; quod venturum cum destructione totius universi, non modo caeli aspectabilis, solis, lunae, astrorum, sed etiam telluris; et quod tunc omnia corporis in mundo per mortem relicti, rursus coalitura sint ac induitura animam, et quod sic homo recepturus sit suos sensus; praeter alia similia: haec quia non possunt cadere in intellectum, non possunt dici veritates, sed fides. Talis fides intelligitur per "thronum bestiae."
[4] Quis non videre potest, quod homo per talem fidem possit induci credere mere absona et falsa, modo imponantur ut dogmata ab illis qui in auctoritate constituti sunt, et ab aliis [qui] in caeca obedientia ex pluribus causis amant vivere, confirmantur? Confirmari enim possunt falsa, etiam infernalia, usque ut appareant sicut vera, per fallacias et per sophismata; sicut id falsum infernale quod Natura sit omne; quod quicquid apparet sit ideale; quod homo et bestia parum differunt, similiter moriantur, et post mortem non vivant; quod Verbum non sanctum sit; et similia alia: ex quibus patet quod omnis caecitas in spiritualibus per fidem hodiernam inducta sit; incohata et ad summam caliginem redacta a gente Babylonica; e qua quidem caligine Reformati, qui ab illa gente recesserunt, in aliquam lucem per lectionem Verbi emerserunt, sed non in lucem, ut possint videre vera, sicut antiqui; causa erat quia fidem separaverunt a vita, et ex vita est homini lux et non ex aliqua fide separata. Ex his nunc constat quid per "thronum bestiae" intelligitur, similiter prius
Per "thronum" quem draco dicitur dedisse bestiae (Apocalypsis 13:2, de quo supra, n. 783);
Tum per "thronum Satanae" (Apocalypsis 2:13).
Doctrinalia falsa etiam per "thronos" significantur alibi in Verbo;
-Ut apud Ezechielem,
"Descendent desuper thronis suis omnes principes maris, et abjicient amicula sua, .... ac terroribus induentur" (26:16);
apud Haggaeum,
"Evertam thronum regnorum, et perdam robur regnorum gentium" (2:22);
et apud Danielem,
"Videns fui, usque dum throni projecti sunt, et Antiquus dierum sedit" (7:9).
[5] (Continuatio de Sexto Praecepto.)
Quam sancta in se, hoc est, ex creatione, sunt conjugia, ex eo potest videri, quod sint seminaria generis humani; et quia ex genere humano est caelum angelicum, sunt etiam seminaria caeli; consequenter quod per conjugia non modo terrae, sed etiam caeli, impleantur habitatoribus; et quia finis totius creationis est genus humanum, et inde caelum, ubi ipsum Divinum habitet ut in suo, et tanquam in Se, et procreatio eorum secundum Divinum ordinem instaurata est per conjugia, patet quam sancta in se, ita ex creatione, sunt, et quam sancta inde erunt. Terra quidem aeque potest impleri habitatoribus per fornicationes et adulteria quam per conjugia, sed non caelum; causa est quia infernum est ex adulteriis, et caelum ex conjugiis: quod infernum sit ex adulteriis, est quia adulterium est ex conjugio mali et falsi, ex quo infernum in toto complexu vocatur adulterium; quod caelum sit ex conjugiis, est quia conjugium est ex conjugio boni et veri, ex quo etiam caelum in toto complexu vocatur conjugium, ut supra in suo articulo ostensum est. Per adulterium intelligitur, ubi amor ejus, qui vocatur amor adulterii, regnat, sive sit intra matrimonia, sive sit extra illa; et per conjugia intelligitur, ubi amor ejus, qui vocatur amor conjugialis, regnat. Quod terra aeque possit impleri habitatoribus per fornicationes et adulteria quam per conjugia, in sequente articulo ulterius explicabitur.
[6] Quando procreationes generis humani per conjugia, in quibus sanctus amor boni et veri a Domino regnat, fiunt, tunc fit in terris sicut in caelis, et regnum Domini in terris correspondet regno Domini in caelis; caeli enim consistunt ex societatibus secundum omnes varietates affectionum caelestium et spiritualium ordinatis, ex qua ordinatione existit forma caeli, quae supereminenter excedit omnes formas in universo. Similis forma foret in terris, si procreationes ibi per conjugia, in quibus amor vere conjugialis regnat, fierent; quot enim tunc familiae ex uno patrefamilias successive descenderent, tot imagines societatum caeli in simili varietate existerent; forent familiae tunc sicut arbores fructiferae variarum specierum, ex quibus totidem horti, in quibus singulis sua species fructus, qui horti simul sumpti sisterent formam paradisi caelestis; sed haec comparative dicta sunt, quia "arbores" significant homines ecclesiae, "horti" intelligentiam, "fructus" bona vitae, et "paradisus" caelum. Dictum mihI est e caelo quod talis correspondentia familiarum in terris cum societatibus in caelis fuerit apud antiquissimos a quibus ecclesia prima in hac tellure instaurata fuit, quae etiam a scriptoribus antiquis dicta fuit saeculum aureum ex causa quia amor in Dominum, amor mutuus, innocentia pax sapientia, et castitas in conjugiis, regnaverunt: et quoque dictum est e caelo quod tunc ad adulteria, sicut ad abominabilia inferni, interius horruerint.