877.“因为先前的天和先前的地已经过去了”表不是由主，而是由那些从基督教界进入灵界的人所形成的天堂，这些天堂在最后审判之日都被驱散了。“先前的天和先前的地”表示这些天堂，而非其它；对此，可参看前文（865节），那里解释了这些话：
我又看见一个白色的大宝座与坐在上面的，从祂面前天地都逃避，再无可见之处了。（启示录20:11）
那里已经说明，这些话表示主对一切先前的天，就是被那些只有文明道德的良善，没有属灵的良善，因而外在装作基督徒，内在却是魔鬼之人占据的众天堂施行普遍审判；这些天堂连同他们的领地都被完全驱散了。所揭示关于这些天堂的其余的事可见于1758年伦敦出版的《最后的审判》，以及1763年阿姆斯特丹出版的《最后的审判（续）》这两本书。故没有必要在此进一步补充说明。
877. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. This symbolizes the heavens formed, not by the Lord, but by the people themselves who came into the spiritual world from the Christian world, all of which were dispersed at the time of the Last Judgment.
That these heavens and no others are the heavens meant by the first heaven and the first earth that had passed away, may be seen in no. 865 above, where we explained the words, "I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face heaven and earth fled away" (Revelation 20:11), and where we showed that the statement symbolizes a universal judgment executed by the Lord on all the former heavens that were occupied by people possessing a civil and moral goodness, but no spiritual goodness, thus who gave the appearance of being Christians outwardly, but who inwardly were devils; whose heavens with their lands were totally dispersed.
More on this subject may be seen in the short work, The Last Judgment (London, 1758), and in A Continuation Concerning the Last Judgment (Amsterdam, 1763), to which it is unnecessary to add more.
877. 'For the former heaven and the former land were passed away' signifies the heavens not made by the Lord but by those who came into the spiritual world out of Christendom, which [heavens] were all done away with at the day of the last judgment. That these heavens and no others are understood by 'the former heaven' and by 'the former land' may be seen above (865) where these words have been expounded:
I saw a throne white and great, and One sitting upon it, from Whose face the heaven and the land fled away. Revelation 20:11.
There it has been shown that by these words is signified the universal judgment executed by the Lord upon all the former heavens, in which were those who were in civil and moral good but in no spiritual good, thus who in external things were pretending to be Christians but in internal things were devils; which heavens together with their territories were entirely done away with. The rest [of the things revealed] concerning these heavens may be seen in the little work concerning THE LAST JUDGMENT published at London in 1758, and in A CONTINUATION CONCERNING THAT [JUDGMENT] published at Amsterdam. It is unnecessary to add more to them here.
877. For the former heaven and the former earth were passed away, signifies the heavens which were formed, not by the Lord, but by those who came out of the Christian world into the spiritual world, who were all dispersed at the day of the Last Judgment. That these heavens and no others are meant by "the former heaven and the former earth which passed away" may be seen above, (865), where these words are explained:
I saw a great white throne, and One sitting upon it, from whose face the heaven and the earth fled away, (Revelation 20:11),
where it is shown that by those words is signified the universal judgment executed by the Lord upon all the former heavens, in which were such as were in civil and moral good, but in no spiritual good, thus who in externals simulated Christians, but in internals were devils; which heavens with their earth were entirely dispersed. For other particulars relating to this subject see Last Judgment, published at London, 1758, and Continuation of the Last Judgment, published in Amsterdam; to which it is unnecessary here to add anything further.
877. "Quia prius Caelum et prior Terra transiit," significat Caelos non a Domino, sed ad ipsis qui e Christiano orbe in spiritualem mundum venerunt factos, qui omnes die Ultimi Judicii dissipati sunt. - Quod hi Caeli et non alii per "prius Caelum et priorem Terram quae transiverunt" intelligantur, videatur supra (865), ubi explicata sunt haec:
"Vidi Thronum album et magnum, et Sedentem super eo, a Cujus facie fugit Caelum et Terra," (praec. 20:11).
ubi ostensum est, quod per illa verba significetur Judicium universale a Domino factum super omnes priores caelos, in quibus fuerunt qui in bono civili et morali et nullo spirituali erant, ita qui in externis simulabant Christianos sed in internis erant diaboli; qui caeli cum terra eorum prorsus dissipati sunt. Reliqua de his videantur in Opusculo de Ultimo Judicio Londini 1758 edito, et in Continuatione de illo, Amstelodami (1763) edita; quibus plura hic adjicere supervacaneum est.