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545. 五十七, 主不将任何人投入地狱; 而是灵人自己如此行
有些人持有这样的观点: 神会因人的邪恶向他掩面, 撇弃他, 向他发怒, 将他投入地狱. 有些人甚至以为神会惩罚, 伤害人. 他们凭圣言的字义确认这种观点, 因为圣言说了类似的话; 殊不知, 解释字义的圣言灵义完全不同. 因此, 取自圣言灵义的教会纯正教义完全不是这样教导的, 也就是说, 神从不向人掩面, 从不撇弃他, 不将任何人投入地狱, 不向任何人发怒. 此外, 凡心智被启示的人在阅读圣言时, 单单从以下事实就能发觉这是真理, 即: 神是良善本身, 爱本身和怜悯本身; 良善本身不可能伤害任何人, 爱本身和怜悯本身不可能撇弃任何人, 因为这违背怜悯和爱, 因而违背神性本身. 所以, 凡心智被启示的人在阅读圣言时会清楚发觉, 神从不离开人; 祂因从不离开人, 故出于良善, 爱和怜悯对待他, 也就是说, 向他意愿良善, 爱他, 怜悯他. 他们由此看出, 说这类话的圣言字义藏有灵义在里面; 为适合人理解并照他的最初和一般观念而用在字义中的这些话必须根据灵义来解释.
注: 在圣言中, 怒气和忿怒被归于主; 其实它们在人里面, 经上之所以如此说, 是因为当人受到惩罚和诅咒时, 在人看来似乎是这样(天国的奥秘 798, 5798, 6997, 8284, 8483, 8875, 9306, 10431节). 邪恶也被归于主, 尽管来自祂的无非是良善(天国的奥秘 2447, 6071, 6991, 6997, 7533, 7632, 7679, 7926, 8227, 8228, 8632, 9306节). 在圣言中, 经上为何如此表述(天国的奥秘 6071, 6991, 6997, 7632, 7643, 7679, 7710, 7926, 8282, 9010, 9128节). 主是纯粹的怜悯和仁慈(天国的奥秘 6997, 8875节).
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545. 主掌管地獄
一些人以為上帝會因人作惡而背離他, 撇棄他, 向他發怒, 將他投入地獄。有的甚至以為上帝會懲罰人, 傷害人。他們引聖言的文字為證, 未曾意識到文字當中的靈義。使字義合情合理的靈義, 意思截然不同。就是說, 取自聖言靈義的真實不虛的教義, 所示完全不同。它告訴我們, 主從不背離人, 不撇棄人, 不向人發怒, 不將人投入地獄。
理智的人, 當他閱讀聖言時, 單從主是良善之本, 慈愛之本, 憐憫之本的事實, 便不難看出這一點。良善之本不可能傷害人, 慈愛之本, 憐憫之本不可能撇棄人, 因為這有違慈愛和憐憫, 故與神性本身相悖。所以, 理智的人在閱讀聖言時, 能清楚看出上帝從不背離人。既從不背離人, 也就始終以善良, 慈愛, 憐憫待人。就是說, 祂總是善待我們, 疼愛我們, 憐憫我們。
理智的人也看出, 聖言的字面意義之中藏有內在意義;為適合大眾理解能力和初淺觀念而述說的字面意義, 必須透過内在意義才能獲得解釋。
545. The Lord Does Not Cast Anyone into Hell: Spirits Cast Themselves In
Some people cherish the notion that God turns his face away from people, spurns them, and casts them into hell, and is angry against them because of their evil. Some people even go so far as to think that God punishes people and does them harm. They support this notion from the literal meaning of the Word where things like this are said, not realizing that the spiritual meaning of the Word, which makes sense of the letter, is wholly different. So the real doctrine of the church, which is from the spiritual meaning of the Word, teaches something else. It teaches that the Lord never turns his face away from anyone or spurns anyone, never casts anyone into hell or is angry. 1
Anyone whose mind is enlightened perceives this while reading the Word simply from the fact that the Lord is goodness itself, love itself, and mercy itself. Good itself cannot do harm to anyone. Love itself and mercy itself cannot spurn anyone, because this is contrary to mercy and love and is therefore contrary to the divine nature itself. So people who are thinking with an enlightened mind when they read the Word perceive clearly that God never turns away from us, and that because he does not turn away from us, he behaves toward us out of goodness and love and mercy. That is, he wills well toward us, loves us, and has compassion on us.
Footnotes:
1. Blazing wrath is attributed to God in the Word, but it is the wrath in us; and the Word says such things because it seems that way to us when we are being punished and condemned: Arcana Coelestia 798 [5798?], 6997, 8284, 8483, 8875, 9306, 10431. Even evil is attributed to the Lord, though nothing comes from the Lord but what is good: 2447, 6073 [6071?], 6992 [6991?], 6997, 7533, 7632, 7677 [7679?], 7926, 8227-8228, 8632, 9306. Why the Word says such things: 6073 [6071?], 6992 [6991?], 6997, 7643, 7632, 7679, 7710, 7926, 8282, 9009 [9010?], 9128. The Lord is pure mercy and clemency: 6997, 8875.
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545. THE LORD CASTS NO ONE INTO HELL; BUT THIS IS DONE BY THE SPIRIT HIMSELF
An opinion has prevailed with some that God turns away His face from man, rejects man from Himself, and casts him into hell, and is angry with him on account of his evil; and with some the opinion goes further, that God punishes man and does evil to him. They confirm themselves in this opinion from the sense of the letter of the Word, where similar things are said, not knowing that the spiritual sense of the Word, which explains the sense of the letter, is wholly different; and consequently that the genuine doctrine of the Church, which is from the spiritual sense of the Word, teaches otherwise, namely, that God never turns away His face from man, and never rejects man from Himself; that He casts no one into hell and is angry with no one. 1Everyone, moreover, whose mind is enlightened, perceives this to be true when he reads the Word, from a perception solely from it, because God is Good Itself; Love Itself; and Mercy Itself; and he has a perception that Good Itself cannot do evil to anyone, and Love Itself and Mercy Itself cannot reject man from itself; because this is contrary to the very essence of mercy and love, thus contrary to the Divine Itself. Therefore those who think from an enlightened mind clearly perceive, when they read the Word, that God never turns Himself away from man; and as He never turns Himself away from him He deals with him from goodness, love, and mercy, that is, wills good to him, loves him, and is merciful to him. And from this they see that the sense of the letter of the Word, in which such things are said, has stored up within itself a spiritual sense, and that these expressions, that are used in the sense of the letter in accommodation to man's apprehension and according to his first and general ideas, are to be explained in accordance with the spiritual sense.
Footnotes:
1. In the Word anger and wrath are attributed to the Lord, but they are in man, and it is so expressed because such is the appearance to man when he is punished and damned (Arcana Coelestia 798, 5798, 6997, 8284, 8483, 8875, 9306, 10431).
Evil also is attributed to the Lord, although nothing but good is from Him (Arcana Coelestia 2447, 6071, 6991, 6997, 7533, 7632, 7679, 7926, 8227-8228, 8632, 9306).
Why it is so expressed in the Word (Arcana Coelestia 6071, 6991, 6997, 7632, 7643, 7679, 7710, 7926, 8282, 9010, 9128).
The Lord is pure mercy and clemency (Arcana Coelestia 6997, 8875).
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545. THE LORD CASTS NO ONE INTO HELL; THE SPIRIT CASTS HIMSELF DOWN.
An opinion has prevailed with some that God turns away His face from man, casts man away from Himself, and casts him into hell, and is angry with him on account of his evil; and some believe also that God punishes man and does evil to him. In this opinion they establish themselves by the sense of the letter of the Word, where such things are declared, not knowing that the spiritual sense of the Word, by which the sense of the letter is made clear, is wholly different; and consequently that the genuine doctrine of the church, which is from the spiritual sense of the Word, teaches otherwise, namely, that God never turns away His face from man, and never casts man away from Himself, that He casts no one into hell and is angry with no one. 1Everyone, moreover, whose mind is enlightened perceives this to be true when he reads the Word, from the simple truth that God is good itself, love itself, and mercy itself; and that good itself cannot do evil to any one, and love itself and mercy itself can not cast man away from itself, because this is contrary to the very essence of mercy and love, thus contrary to the Divine Itself. Therefore those who think from an enlightened mind clearly perceive, when they read the Word, that God never turns Himself away from man; and as He never turns Himself away from him He deals with him from goodness, love, and mercy, that is, wills good to him, loves him, and is merciful to him. And from this they see that the sense of the letter of the Word, in which such things are declared, has stored up within itself a spiritual sense, and that these expressions that are used in the sense of the letter in accommodation to man's apprehension and according to his first and general ideas are to be explained in accordance with the spiritual sense.
Footnotes:
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545. [LVII.] QUOD DOMINUS NEMINEM IN INFERNUM DEJICIAT, SED QUOD IPSE SPIRITUS SEMET.
Apud quosdam invaluit opinio, quod Deus avertat faciem ab homine, rejiciat illum a Se, et conjiciat in infernum, et quod irascatur contra illum propter malum; et apud quosdam adhuc ultra, quod Deus puniat hominem, et faciat ei malum. In hac opinione confirmant se ex sensu litterae Verbi, ubi similia dicuntur; non scientes, quod sensus spiritualis Verbi, qui explicat sensum litterae, prorsus alius sit et quod inde genuina doctrina ecclesiae, quae ex sensu spirituali Verbi est, aliud doceat; quod nempe Deus nusquam avertat faciem ab homine, et rejiciat illum a Se, quod non conjiciat aliquem in infernum, et irascatur. 1Hoc etiam quisque, cujus mens in illustratione est, cum legit Verbum, percipit solum ex eo, quia Deus est ipsum Bonum, ipse Amor, et ipsa Misericordia; et quod ipsum Bonum non possit alicui malum facere, ac ipse Amor et ipsa Misericordia non possit rejicere hominem a Se, quia est contra ipsam essentiam misericordiae et amoris, ita contra ipsum Divinum. Quapropter illi qui ex mente illustrata cogitant, dum legunt Verbum, clare percipiunt, quod Deus nusquam Se avertat ab homine, et quia Se non avertit ab illo, quod ex bono, amore et misericordia cum illo agat, hoc est, quod bonum ejus velit, quod amet illum, et quod misereatur ejus. Inde etiam vident, quod sensus litterae Verbi, in quo talia dicuntur, sensum spiritualem in se recondat secundum quem explicanda sunt illa, quae in sensu litterae accommodate ad captum hominis, et secundum ejus primas et communes ideas, dicta sunt.
Footnotes: