55、众所周知，宇宙的一切事物都是神所造的；因此，在圣言中，宇宙以及属于它的一切事物都被称为“耶和华手的工”。有些人认为世界整体上是从无中被造的，并且他们对“无”所持守的是一种绝对虚无的概念。然而，没有一物能从绝对虚无中产生，这是一个公认的永恒真理。因此，作为神的形像，因而充满神的宇宙，只能在神里面从神被造。因为神是存在本身，凡存在之物必出于那存在本身。从没有存在的无中创造有，这是完全矛盾的。
然而，在神里面从神被造之物并非神的延伸，因为神是存在本身，而受造物里面没有任何存在本身。如果受造物里面真的拥有任何存在本身，那么它将神的一个延伸，而神的一个延伸就是神。天使对此的观念如下：在神里面从神被造之物，就像对人来说，来源于他的生命的某种事物，但生命却从这种事物中抽离出来；该事物的性质虽与其生命一致，却不是他的生命。天使通过存在于其天堂中的许多事物证实这一点，他们说，这些事物在神里面，神也在这些事物里面；然就其存在而言，它们并非系神的神之物。天使用来证明这一点的许多事物，我会在下文作出说明，本节只提供上述信息。
55. Everything in the created universe is a vessel for the divine love and wisdom of the Divine-Human One. We acknowledge that everything in the universe, great and small, has been created by God. That is why the universe and absolutely everything in it is called "the work of Jehovah's hands" in the Word.
People do say that the whole world was created out of nothing, and they like to think of "nothing" as absolutely nothing. However, nothing comes from "absolutely nothing" and nothing can. This is an abiding truth. This means that the universe, being an image of God and therefore full of God, could be created by God only in God. God is reality itself, and everything that exists must come from that reality. To speak of creating something that exists from a "nothing" that does not exist is a plain contradiction of terms.
Still, what is created by God in God is not a continuation of him, since God is intrinsic reality and there is no trace of intrinsic reality in anything created. If there were any intrinsic reality in a created being, it would be a continuation of God, and any continuation of God is God.
The angelic concept involved is that anything created by God in God is like something within ourselves that we have put forth from our life, but the life is then withdrawn from it. It then agrees with our life, but still, it is not our life. In support of this, angels cite many things that happen in their heaven, where they say that they are in God and that God is in them, and yet that they have in their being no trace of God that is actually God. This may serve simply as information; more of the angels' evidence will be offered later [116].
55. Everything in the created universe is a recipient of the Divine love and wisdom of the human God. People know that each and every constituent of the universe has been created by God. Therefore the universe with each and every thing in it is called in the Word the work of the hands of Jehovah. 1
There are people who maintain that the world in its entirety was created out of nothing, and the idea they entertain of nothing is one of absolutely nothing, even though out of absolutely nothing comes nothing, nor can anything be produced from it. This is an immutable truth. Therefore the universe - being an image of God and thus full of God - could only have been created in God from God. For God is being itself, and from being must come whatever is. To create from nothing, which has no being, something that is, is completely contradictory.
[2] Still, however, whatever is created in God from God is not a continuous extension of Him, for God is being in itself, and created things do not have in them any being in itself. If created things were to have in them any being in itself, it would be an extension of God, and an extension of God is God.
The angelic idea of this is as follows, that what is created in God from God is like something which in the case of a person had originated from his life, but from which the life has been withdrawn, which is such as to accord with his life, but still is not his life. This angels affirm on the evidence of many testifications which occur in their heaven, where they say that they are in God and God in them, and yet have in their being nothing of God which is God. (We will report further testifications on whose evidence they affirm this in subsequent discussions. Let what we have said here serve simply to inform.)
Footnotes:
1. See Psalms 92:4, 102:25, 143:5; Isaiah 5:12, 19:25, 29:23, 45:11, 60:21; Job 10:3, 14:15, 34:19.
55. ALL THINGS IN THE CREATED UNIVERSE ARE RECIPIENTS OF THE DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM OF GOD-MAN
It is well known that each and all things of the universe have been created by God. Hence the universe with each and everything pertaining to it, is called in the Word the work of Jehovah's hands. The world in its complex is said to have been created out of nothing, and from nothing an idea of absolute nothingness is fostered. Yet out of absolute nothingness, nothing is or can be made. This is an abiding truth. The universe, therefore, which is God's image, and hence full of God, could only be created in God from God. For God is Esse itself, and from Esse must be whatever is. To create what is, from nothing which is not, is a direct contradiction. But yet, that which is created in God from God is not continuous from Him. For God is Esse in itself, and in created things there is not any Being in itself. If there were in created things any Esse in itself, this would be continuous from God and that which is continuous from God is God. The angelic idea of such a matter is that what is created in God from God is like that in a man which he had drawn from his life, but from which the life has been withdrawn. This is of such a nature that it conforms to his life, yet is not his life. The angels confirm this from many things which exist in their heaven where they say that they are in God and God in them, and yet they have in their esse nothing of God which is God. Many things from which they confirm this will be adduced in what follows. Here let the mere statement suffice as information.
55. ALL THINGS IN THE CREATED UNIVERSE ARE RECIPIENTS OF THE DIVINE LOVE AND THE DIVINE WISDOM OF GOD-MAN.
It is well known that each and all things of the universe were created by God; hence the universe, with each and every thing pertaining to it, is called in the Word the work of the hands of Jehovah. There are those who maintain that the world, with everything it includes, was created out of nothing, and of that nothing an idea of absolute nothingness is entertained. From absolute nothingness, however, nothing is or can be made. This is an established truth. The universe, therefore, which is God's image, and consequently full of God, could be created only in God from God; for God is Esse itself, and from Esse must be whatever is. To create what is, from nothing which is not, is an utter contradiction. But still, that which is created in God from God is not continuous from Him; for God is Esse in itself, and in created things there is not any Esse in itself. If there were in created things any Esse in itself, this would be continuous from God, and that which is continuous from God is God. The angelic idea of this is, that what is created in God from God, is like that in man which has been derived from his life, but from which the life has been withdrawn, which is of such a nature as to be in accord with his life, and yet it is not his life. The angels confirm this by many things which have existence in their heaven, where they say they are in God, and God is in them, and still that they have, in their esse, nothing of God which is God. Many things whereby they prove this will be presented hereafter; let this serve for present information.
55. QUOD OMNIA IN UNIVERSO CREATO SINT DIVINI AMORIS ET DIVINAE SAPIENTIAE DEI HOMINIS RECIPIENTIA. Notum est, quod omnia et singula Universi a Deo creata sint; inde Universum cum omnibus et singulis ejus in Verbo vocatur Opus manuum Jehovae. Dicitur quod Mundus in suo complexu creatus sit ex nihilo, et de nihilo fovetur idea plane nihili, cum tamen ex plane nihilo nihil fit, nec aliquid fieri potest; hoc constans veritas est; quare Universum, quod est imago Dei, et inde plenum Deo, non potuit nisi quam in Deo a Deo creari; Deus enim est ipsum Esse, et ab Esse erit quod est; a nihilo quod non est, creare quod est, est prorsus contradictorium.
[2] Sed usque creatum in Deo a Deo, non est continuum ab Ipso, nam Deus est Esse in Se, et in creatis non est aliquid Esse in se; si in creatis foret aliquid Esse in se, foret id continuum a Deo, et continuum a Deo est Deus. Angelica idea de hoc talis est, quod creatum in Deo a Deo, sit sicut id in homine, quod traxerat ex vita ejus, sed a quo extracta est vita, quod tale est, ut conveniat vitae ejus, sed usque non est vita ejus: hoc Angeli confirmant ex multis, quae in Coelo illorum existunt, ubi dicunt se esse in Deo, et Deum in illis, et tamen nihil Dei, quod Deus est, in suo esse habere: plura, ex quibus id confirmant, in sequentibus afferentur; 1 hic modo id sit pro scientia.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: afferrentur;