23、⑵最后审判前的征兆和察罚。那些为自己造假天堂的人上面出现了某种像暴风云一样的东西，这种表象是由于主在他们头顶上的天使天堂中的同在，特别是由于祂在最低层天堂中的同在。祂的同在是为了防止该天堂的居民当中有人因与假天堂的联结而被裹挟走，并与他们一同灭亡。此外，高层天堂也会下降，从而离他们更近，这会揭开那些即将面临审判之人的内层；一旦内层揭开，他们就不再像以前那样看似道德的基督徒，而是变得像恶魔。他们会针对神、主、圣言、信和教会而彼此闹事、争吵；由于那时他们的恶欲也得以自由放任，所以他们带着蔑视和嘲笑弃绝这一切，并冲进各种罪恶中。这些所谓的天堂居民的状态就这样发生改变。与此同时，他们用世人所不知的技巧为自己所造的一切壮丽表象都消失不见了。他们的宫殿变成了简陋的棚屋；他们的花园变成了沼泽；他们的教堂变成了一堆堆废墟；甚至连他们所住的山冈都变成了砾石堆，以及对应于他们邪恶的心智和欲望的其它类似事物。因为灵界的一切可见事物都是灵人与天使的情感的对应。这些就是审判即将到来的征兆。
23. 2. The signs and the reckoning that preceded the Last Judgment. Above the people who had made pseudo-heavens for themselves something like storm clouds appeared as a result of the Lord’s presence in the angelic heavens that were overhead, especially his presence in the lowest heaven. His presence increased there in order to prevent any of that heaven’s inhabitants from being carried off to destruction at the same time because of the closeness of their connection [with the pseudo-heavens].
The higher heavens also came down closer to them, which revealed the deeper levels of the people on whom the judgment was about to come. Once this happened these people no longer bore any resemblance to moral Christians as they had before, but became instead like demons. They rioted and squabbled with each other about God, the Lord, the Word, faith, and the church; and since their compulsions to evil had been given free rein as well, they rejected all these things with contempt and ridicule, and plunged into wickedness of every kind.
That is how the state of these supposed heaven-dwellers changed. At the same time, all the wonderful things they had made for themselves by arts unknown in the world vanished. Their mansions turned into wretched huts, their gardens into swamps, their churches into rubble, and even the hills they lived on into piles of rocks and other such things that corresponded to their lawless dispositions and compulsions. This is because everything we see in the spiritual world corresponds to the feelings that are prevalent among spirits and angels. These were signs of the coming judgment.
23. (ii) The signs and visitations which preceded the Last Judgment. There appeared above those who had made themselves something like heavens a patch of cloud. This was caused by the Lord's presence in the heavens of angels above them, chiefly by His presence in the lowest heaven, to prevent the link with them carrying any of its inhabitants off to share in their destruction. The higher heavens actually came down closer to them; this caused the interiors of those about to be judged to be disclosed. Upon this they no longer looked like moral Christians, but like demons. They rioted and quarrelled among themselves about God, the Lord, the Word, faith and the church. And because their lusts for evil were then also given their freedom, they treated all these subjects with contempt and ridicule, rushing into crimes of every kind. In this way all those inhabitants of heaven underwent a change of state. Then all at once all the magnificent buildings they had erected for themselves by skills unknown in the world vanished; their palaces were turned into miserable huts, their gardens into pools, their churches into ruins, and the very hills on which they lived into piles of rocks and similar things corresponding to their criminal characters and appetites. All the things to be seen in the spiritual world are correspondences of the affections entertained by spirits and angels. These were the signs of the coming judgment.
23. II. The signs and visitations before the Last Judgment .
There was seen above those who had formed to themselves seeming heavens as it were a storm cloud, which appearance was from the presence of the Lord in the angelic heavens above them, especially from His presence in the lowest heaven, lest any of them on account of the conjunction should be carried away and perish with them. The higher heavens moreover were brought down nearer to them, by which the interiors of those upon whom the Judgment was about to come were disclosed; on which disclosure, they appeared no longer like moral Christians, as before, but like demons. They were tumultuous and strove among themselves about God, the Lord, the Word, faith, and the church; and because their lusts for evils were then also set free, they rejected all these things with contempt and ridicule, and rushed into every kind of enormity. Thus the state of those heavenly inhabitants was changed. Then at the same time all their splendid appearances, which they had made for themselves by arts unknown in the world, vanished away; their palaces were turned into vile huts; their gardens into stagnant pools; their temples into heaps of rubbish; and the very hills upon which they dwelt, into gravel heaps, and into other similar things, which corresponded to their wicked minds and lusts. For all the visible things of the spiritual world are correspondences of the affections of spirits and angels. These were the signs of the coming Judgment.
23. (ii.) De Signis et Visitationibus ante ultimum judicium.- Visum est super illos, qui sibi sicut caelos fecerunt, sicut nimbosum, quod apparuit ex praesentia Domini in caelis angelicis, qui supra illos, imprimis ex praesentia Ipsius in caelo ultimo, ne aliqui ex illis propter conjunctionem auferrentur et simul perirent. Caeli superiores etiam propius ad illos delati sunt, per quod interiora eorum, super quos judicium venturum erat, recludebantur: quibus reclusis non amplius apparuerunt sicut Christiani morales, ut prius, sed sicut daemones; tumultuabantur et rixabantur inter se de Deo, de Domino, de Verbo, de Fide, et de Ecclesia: et quia concupiscentiae ad mala tunc etiam in liberum emissae sunt, rejecerunt omnia illa cum contemptu et subsannatione, et in flagitia omnis generis ruebant. Ita status caelicolarum istorum mutatus est. Tunc simul omnia splendida illorum, quae per artes in mundo ignotas sibi fecerant, evanuerunt, palatia eorum versa sunt in viles casas, horti in stagna, templa in rudera, ac ipsi colles, super quibus habitabant, in scrupeta, et in similia alia, quae flagitiosis illorum animis et cupiditatibus correspondebant. Nam omnia visibilia mundi spiritualis sunt correspondentiae affectionum, quae sunt apud spiritus et angelos. Haec erant signa venturi judicii.