28.论到最后的审判，人们普遍认为到那时，主会驾着天上的云，在荣耀中同众天使降临，并且那时祂会将所有自创世之初以来曾活过的人都从坟墓里复活，使他们的灵魂披上肉体，从而把他们召唤在一起进行审判：行善的得永生或天堂，作恶的得永死或地狱。
教会从圣言的字义获得这种信仰，并且只要人们不知道圣言中所提到的每个事物都有一个灵义，该信仰就无法被除去；这灵义才是真正的圣言本身，字义则充当它的基础或根基。没有这种字义，圣言不可能是神性，也不可能在天堂和世界为生活和信仰上的教义，以及结合而服务。因此，人若知道对应于圣言中的属世事物的属灵事物，就能知道“主驾着天上的云降临”不是指祂在云中出现，而是指祂在圣言中出现。主就是圣言，因为祂是神性真理；祂在其中要降临的“天上的云”是指圣言的字义，“荣耀”是指它的灵义；“天使”是指天堂，祂要从天堂显现，他们也是神性真理方面的主。因此，现在这些话的含义就显而易见了，即：当教会走到尽头时，主将打开圣言的灵义，由此揭示神性真理的本质；这是最后的审判即将来临的一个预兆。
至于圣言中所说的每个事物，甚至每个词都包含一个灵义，以及这灵义是什么样，可参看《属天的奥秘》一书，该书照灵义详细解释了创世记和出埃及记中的一切事物。从中提取的关于圣言及其灵义的段落集合可参看《白马》这本小册子，其中论述了启示录中所提到的白马。
28. A Last Judgment Must Take Place Where Everyone Is Together, So It Must Take Place in the Spiritual World, and Not in the Physical World
What people believe concerning the Last Judgment is that the Lord will then appear in glory in the clouds of heaven, accompanied by angels, and that he will raise from their burial places all the people who have lived since the beginning of creation. He will clothe their souls with their bodies again, and having called them all together will judge them, sending those who have done good things to eternal life or heaven and those who have done evil things to eternal death or hell. 1
[2] The churches have extracted this belief from their literal reading of the Word; 2and there has been no way to get rid of it as long as people do not realize that there is a spiritual meaning in absolutely everything the Word says, and that this meaning is the essential Word, the meaning for which the literal meaning serves as a foundation or basis. We need to realize also that if it were not for this kind of literal meaning the Word could not be divine and serve as a source of teaching about life and faith for both heaven and the world and join the two worlds together. If we know that there are spiritual things that correspond to the earthly things mentioned in the Word, then we are in a position to know that the Lord's coming in the clouds of heaven does not mean that he will be revealed in the clouds but that he will be revealed in the Word. The Lord is the Word because he is divine truth. The clouds of heaven in which he is to come are the literal meaning of the Word, and the glory is its spiritual meaning. The angels [that will accompany him] mean that heaven is involved in this revelation; they also mean the divine truths that come from the Lord. 3We can therefore see what these words mean-that at the end of the church the Lord is going to disclose the spiritual meaning of the Word and reveal the actual nature of divine truth. So this is a sign that the Last Judgment is at hand.
[3] On the presence of spiritual meaning within everything mentioned in the Word, even within every single word of the text, and on what that meaning is like, see Secrets of Heaven, where there is a detailed explanation of everything in Genesis and Exodus according to that meaning. For a collection of references assembled from that work concerning the Word and its spiritual meaning, see the booklet The White Horse Described in Revelation.
Footnotes:
1. The belief on the part of some Christians that at the time of the Last Judgment the Lord will appear in glory in the clouds of heaven, accompanied by angels, is based on Bible passages such as Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 24:30-31; 25:31; 26:64; Mark 14:61-62. (For the accompaniment of trumpets in particular, which are mentioned in the author's note a on Last Judgment 28:2, see 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 8:2.) The belief that the Lord will raise from their burial places all people who have lived since the beginning of creation is based on Bible passages such as Daniel 12:2-3, 13; Matthew 27:52-53; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. The belief that the Lord will clothe their souls with their bodies again is based on Bible passages such as Job 19:25-27; Isaiah 26:19; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:11. The belief that Christ will call them all together and judge them is based on Bible passages such as Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:22-30; Acts 17:31; Romans 2:3-16; 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 2 Peter 2:9; Jude verse 6. [LSW, SS, JSR]
2. By “the churches” here, Swedenborg is referring to the major Christian denominations of his time. Based as it is on Bible passages such as those referenced in note 1 in Last Judgment 28, the belief that Christ will return to judge everyone who has ever lived has, historically speaking, been widely accepted among Christians. The restatement of this belief as doctrine can be traced at least as far back as the church father Irenaeus of Lyons (around 130-around 202 C.E.), who wrote:
The Church, though disseminated throughout the world, . . . received from the Apostles and their disciples the faith in . . . Christ Jesus our Lord, and His coming from heaven in the glory of the Father to recapitulate all things, and to raise up all flesh of the whole human race, . . . and [the faith] that He would exercise just judgment toward all; and that, on the other hand, He would send into eternal fire the spiritual forces of wickedness, and the angels who transgressed and became rebels, and the godless, wicked, lawless, and blasphemous people; but, on the other hand, He would bestow upon [the righteous and holy] as a grace the gift of incorruption and clothe them with everlasting glory. (Irenaeus Against the Heresies 1.10.1 [= Irenaeus 1992, 48-49])
The Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian creeds contain similar formulations. [RS, SS]
[Swedenborg note] The Lord is the Word because he is divine truth in heaven: 2533, 2813, 2859, 2894, 3393, 3712. The Lord is also the Word because the Word is from him and is about him (2859); and in its deepest sense, the Word is about no one but the Lord, and focuses particularly on the glorification of his human nature, so the Lord himself is there: 1873, 9357. The Lord's Coming means his presence in the Word, and a revelation: 3900, 4060. “Clouds” in the Word mean the Word in the letter, or its literal meaning: 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8781, 9430, 10551, 10574. “Glory” in the Word means divine truth as it is in heaven and as it is in the spiritual meaning: 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429, 10574. “Angels” in the Word mean divine truths that come from the Lord, because angels are receivers of those truths and do not utter them as their own but as the Lord's: 1925, 2821, 3039, 4085, 4295, 4402, 6280, 8192, 8301. The trumpets that the angels will then sound mean divine truths in heaven that will be revealed from there: 8815, 8823, 8915.
28. V. THE LAST JUDGMENT IS TO BE WHERE ALL ARE TOGETHER, AND SO IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD, NOT ON EARTH.
The general belief about the Last Judgment is that the Lord accompanied by angels will appear in glory in the clouds of heaven, and He will then raise up from their graves all who have ever lived from the beginning of creation, clothe their souls with a body, and, when they have been summoned to meet, judge them, sending those who have lived good lives to everlasting life or heaven, and those who lived wicked lives to everlasting death or hell.
[2] The churches have taken this belief from the literal sense of the Word, and there was no possibility of removing it so long as it remained unknown that everything mentioned in the Word has a spiritual sense; and this sense is the real Word, the literal sense serving as its basis or foundation. Without this kind of literal sense the Word could not have been Divine, and have served both heaven and the world as a means of instruction on how to live and what to believe, and as a means of linking. So if anyone knows the spiritual facts corresponding to natural ones in the Word, he can know that the Lord's coming in the clouds of heaven does not mean His appearance there, but His appearance in the Word. The Lord is the Word, because He is Divine truth. The clouds of heaven in which He is to come are the literal sense of the Word, and the glory is its spiritual sense. The angels are heaven, from which He appears, and they are also the Lord as regards Divine truths. 1This makes plain the meaning of these words, namely, that when the church comes to an end the Lord will open up the spiritual sense of the Word, and thus reveal the essential nature of Divine truth. This will be a sign that the Last Judgment is at hand.
[3] For a demonstration that everything said in the Word, even every expression, contains a spiritual sense, and what this is like, see ARCANA CAELESTIA. This book expounds in full detail the contents of Genesis and Exodus in accordance with their spiritual sense. Some selected passages dealing with the Word and its spiritual sense may be found in my small work ON THE WHITE HORSE described in Revelation.
Footnotes:
1. The Lord is the Word, because He is Divine truth in heaven (2533, 2813, 2859, 2894, 3397, 3712). The Lord is the Word because the Word comes from Him and is about Him (2859). It is about nothing but the Lord, especially in its inmost sense about the glorification of His Humanity, so that the Lord Himself is contained in it (1873, 9357). The Lord's coming is His presence in the Word and the revelation of this (3900, 4060). A cloud in the Word means the letter of the Word, or its literal meaning (4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8781, 9430, 10551, 10574). Glory in the Word means Divine truth such as it is in heaven and in the spiritual sense (4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429, 10574). Angels in the Word mean Divine truths coming from the Lord, since angels are the means by which they are received, and they do not utter them of themselves but from the Lord (1925, 2821, 3039, 4085, 4295, 4402, 6280, 8192, 8301). The trumpets and horns then blown by angels mean Divine truths in heaven and revealed from heaven (8815, 8823, 8915).
28. V. THE LAST JUDGMENT MUST BE WHERE ALL ARE TOGETHER, THUS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD, AND NOT ON EARTH.
Concerning the Last Judgment, it is believed that the Lord will then appear in the clouds of heaven with the angels in glory, and awaken from the sepulchers all who have ever lived since the beginning of creation, clothing their souls with their bodies; and thus summoned together He will judge them, those who have done well, to eternal life or heaven, those who have done ill, to eternal death or hell. The churches derive this belief from the sense of the letter of the Word, nor could it be removed, so long as men did not know that there is a spiritual sense within each thing which is said in the Word, and that this sense is the Word itself, to which the sense of the letter serves for a foundation or basis, and that without such a letter, the Word could not have been Divine, or have served in heaven, as in the world, for the doctrine of life and faith, and for conjunction. He therefore who knows the spiritual things corresponding to the natural things in the Word, can know that by "the Lord's coming in the clouds of heaven," is not meant such an appearance of Him, but His appearance in the Word; for "the Lord" is the Word, because He is the Divine truth; "the clouds of heaven" in which He is to come, are the sense of the letter of the Word, and "the glory" is its spiritual sense; "the angels" are the heaven from which He will appear, and they also are the Lord as to Divine truths. 1Hence the meaning of these words is now evident, namely, that when the end of the church is, the Lord will open the spiritual sense of the Word, and thus the Divine truth, such as it is in itself; therefore that this is the sign that the Last Judgment is at hand. That there is a spiritual sense within each thing and expression in the Word, and what it is may be seen in the Arcana Caelestia, in which each and all things of Genesis and Exodus are explained according to that sense; and a collection of passages extracted from it, concerning the Word and its spiritual sense, may be seen in the little work on The White Horse, Mentioned in the Apocalypse.
Footnotes:
1. The Lord is the Word, because He is the Divine truth in heaven (2533, 2813, 2859, 2894, 3393, 3712). The Lord is the Word, also because it is from Him, and treats of Him (2859); and because it treats of the Lord alone, and primarily of the glorification of His Human in its inmost sense, so that the Lord Himself is therein (1873, 9357). The coming of the Lord is His presence in the Word, and revelation (3900, 4060). "Clouds" in the Word signify the Word in the letter, or the sense of its letter (4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8781, 9430, 10551, 10574). "Glory in the Word signifies Divine truth, such as it is in heaven, and such as it is in the spiritual sense (4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429, 10574). "Angels" in the Word signify Divine truths from the Lord, since angels are receptions of them, and do not speak them from themselves, but from the Lord (1925, 2821, 3039, 4085, 4295, 4402, 6280, 8192, 8301). "Trumpets" or "cornets," which the angels then have, signify Divine truths in heaven and revealed from heaven (8815, 8823, 8815).
28. (V.) QUOD ULTIMUM JUDICIUM FUTURUM SIT, UBI OMNES SIMUL SUNT, ITA IN MUNDO SPIRITUALI, ET NON IN TERRIS.
De Ultimo Judicio creditur, quod Dominus tunc appariturus sit in nubibus caeli cum angelis in gloria, et exsuscitaturus omnes, quotcunque vixerunt a principio creationis, e sepulcris, ac induiturus animas eorum corpore, et sic in unum convocatos judicaturus, qui bene egerunt, ad vitam aeternam seu caelum, et qui male egerunt, ad mortem aeternam seu infernum. Haec fides est in ecclesiis ex sensu litterae Verbi; nec potuit auferri, quamdiu ignotum fuit quod sensus spiritualis insit unicuivis rei quae dicitur in Verbo, et quod ille sensus sit ipsum Verbum, cui sensus litterae inservit pro fundamento seu basi, et quod absque tali littera non potuisset Verbum Divinum esse, ac inservire tam caelo quam mundo pro doctrina vitae et fidei, et pro conjunctione. Qui itaque novit spiritualia correspondentia naturalibus in Verbo, is scire potest, quod per "adventum Domini in nubibus caeli" non intelligatur Ipsius apparitio talis, sed apparitio in Verbo; "Dominus" enim est Verbum, quia est Divinum Verum; "nubes caeli," in quibus venturus, est sensus litterae Verbi; et "gloria" est sensus ejus spiritualis; "angeli" sunt caelum ex quo apparitio, et quoque sunt Dominus quoad Divina vera: 1inde patet quid per illa verba intelligitur; quod nempe Dominus, quando finis ecclesiae est, aperiturus sit sensum spiritualem Verbi, et sic Divinum verum, quale in se est; ita quod hoc sit signum, quod ultimum judicium instet. Quod unicuivis rei quae dicitur in Verbo, et unicuivis voci, insit sensus spiritualis, et qualis ille est, videatur in Arcanis Caelestibus, in quibus secundum illum sensum explicata sunt omnia et singula quae in Genesi et Exodo continentur, ex quibus Collecta de Verbo et ejus sensu spirituali, videantur in opusculo De Equo Albo, de quo in Apocalypsi.
(EX ARCANIS CAELESTIBUS.)
Footnotes:
1. Quod Dominus sit Verbum, quia est Divinum Verum in caelo (2533, 2818 (2813?), 2859, 2894, 3393, 3712).
Quod Dominus sit Verbum, etiam quia Verbum est ab Ipso, et de Ipso (2859); ac de solo Domino, imprimis de glorificatione Humani Ipsius, in intimo sensu Verbi, ita Ipse Dominus ibi (1873, 9357).
Quod adventus Domini sit praesentia Ipsius in Verbo, ac revelatio (3900, 4060).
Quod "nubes" in Verbo significet Verbum in littera, seu sensum litterae ejus (4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8781, 9430, 10551, 10574).
Quod "gloria" in Verbo significet Divinum verum, quale est in caelo, et quale est in sensu spirituali (4809, 5292 (5922, 8267, 8427, 9429, 10574).
Quod per "angelos" in Verbo significentur Divina vera quae a Domino, quoniam angeli sunt receptiones eorum, et non illa loquuntur ex se sed ex Domino (1925, 2821, 3039, 4085, 4295, 4402, 6280, 8192, 8301).
Quod "tubae " seu "buccinae," quae tunc angelis, significent Divina vera in caelo, et e caelo revelata (8815, 8823, 8915).