60.⑸他们如何被摧毁，他们的住处如何变成荒场。我在此简要描述这一点，《揭秘启示录》一书将有详述。没有人能知道此处所论述的巴比伦被摧毁了，除非有人亲眼看见这事发生。我蒙允许看见对所有人，尤其对属巴比伦者的最后审判是如何发生，又是如何实现的。因此，我会描述这一切。我获得这种许可，主要是为了向世人揭示：启示录中所预言的一切都是神所启示的，这是一本圣言的预言书。因为若不向世人揭示这一点，同时揭示包含在它的细节，如同包含在旧约先知书的细节中的内义，这本书可能会因无法理解而遭到弃绝。这会导致如此的怀疑，以至于它的内容会被认为不值得相信，并且最后的审判不会真的发生；属巴比伦者比其他人更不信。为防止这种情况发生，主乐意让我作见证人。但关于临到属巴比伦者的最后审判和巴比伦的毁灭，我无法在此陈述我所看到的一切，因为这足以填满一整卷书。我在此只能讲述一些大体情况，细节则留待《揭秘启示录》一书。由于巴比伦人定居并分散于灵界的许多地区，并在那里的所有方位上都形成自己的社群，如前所示（58节），所以我会描述他们是如何在各个方位上分别被摧毁的。
60. 5. How they were destroyed, and how their dwellings became a wasteland. This I would like to describe briefly here-there will be more in my explanation of the Book of Revelation. 1
No one else could know that the Babylon we are dealing with here was destroyed except someone who actually saw it happen. I have been allowed to see how the Last Judgment on all the peoples happened and how it was carried out, and particularly how it was carried out on the people of this Babylon. Therefore I will provide a description. The main reason this was granted to me was to reveal to the world that all the predictions in the Book of Revelation are divinely inspired and that it is a prophetic book of the Word. If this were not revealed to the world along with the inner meaning (which is contained in its details just as inner meaning is contained in the details of the prophetic books of the Old Testament), 2the Book of Revelation could be rejected as incomprehensible. A corollary would be disbelief-a conviction that what is said in it is not worthy of belief and therefore there is not going to be any Last Judgment. (The people [on earth] who are part of this Babylon are more susceptible to this point of view than anyone else.) Therefore to prevent all this from happening, it has pleased the Lord to make me an eyewitness.
However, I cannot present here everything I have seen about the Last Judgment on the people of Babylon or the destruction of that Babylon itself. I have seen so much that it would fill a large volume, so all I will be doing here is offering some general impressions, leaving the details for the explanation of the Book of Revelation.
Since the people of this Babylon had settled in and were spread out across a number of different areas in the spiritual realm and had formed communities in all four regions there (as explained in 58 above), I would like to describe how that destruction took place in each region.
Footnotes:
1. The destruction of Babylon is described in chapters 17 and 18 of the Book of Revelation. These chapters are discussed by Swedenborg in Revelation Unveiled 717-802. However, though Swedenborg there provides great detail about the evil and false nature of those represented by Babylon, and why they were destroyed, the intention expressed here of publishing a more detailed account of their destruction was never fulfilled. There are very brief descriptions of that destruction in Revelation Unveiled 755 772, but the reader is there (and in 769) referred to the current work for a description of those events. Nor does Swedenborg provide any substantive description of the judgment on those meant by Babylon in Revelation Explained, his earlier incomplete and unpublished commentary on the Book of Revelation. For the original detailed descriptions of the destruction of the spiritual Babylon that Swedenborg wrote but never published, see Spiritual Experiences (= Swedenborg 1998-2013) 5207-5222, 5229-5239, 5249-5257, 5269-5307, 5315-5346, 5765-5769, 5812-5813. Compare note 317, on the judgment on Protestants. [LSW]
2. On the particular books of the Bible that Swedenborg means by his reference to “the prophetic books of the Old Testament,” see note 4 in New Jerusalem 260. [Editors]
60. I should like to give here a brief description, how they were destroyed and their dwellings were turned into a desert; a fuller description will be given in the explanation of Revelation. Only one who has seen it can know that the Babylon there mentioned has been destroyed; and I have been allowed to see how the Last Judgment took place and was completed on all, and especially on those from Babylon, so I shall describe it. The chief reason why I received this permission was to ensure that it was revealed to the world that all the predictions in Revelation were divinely inspired and that this was a prophetic book of the Word. For without this revelation to the world, and that of the internal sense contained in its details, as in those of the Prophets of the Old Testament, the book might have been rejected through failure to understand it. This would result in such incredulity that its contents would be judged not to deserve belief, and in fact no Last Judgment would take place, a belief approved by those from Babylon more than others. To prevent this happening it has pleased the Lord to make me an eye-witness. I am unable to present here everything I saw concerning the Last Judgment on those from Babylon or the destruction of Babylon, because this would fill a whole book. I shall therefore report here only some general observations, reserving the details for my explanation of Revelation. Since the Babylonian people had spread their settlements across many districts in the spiritual sphere and had formed its communities in every quarter there (as shown above, 58), I should like to describe in turn how the destruction took place in each quarter.
60. V. How they were destroyed, and their habitations made a desert. This I will here describe in a few words; more fully in the Explanation of the Apocalypse. That Babylonia there treated of has been destroyed, no one but he who saw it can know, and it was given me to see how the Last Judgment was brought about and accomplished upon all, especially upon those of Babylon. I, therefore, will describe it. This was granted me, principally, in order to reveal to the world, that all things predicted in the Apocalypse are Divinely inspired, and that the Apocalypse is a prophetic book of the Word. For if this were not revealed to the world, and at the same time the internal sense which is in each expression there, as in each expression of the Prophets of the Old Testament, that book might be rejected, on account of not being understood; which would produce such incredulity, that the things there said would not be held worthy of belief, nor that any such Last Judgment would come; in which unbelief those of the Babylon would confirm themselves more than others. Lest this should be, it pleased the Lord to make me an eye-witness. But all that I saw of the Last Judgment upon those of the Babylon, or of the destruction of Babylon, cannot be here adduced, being in itself sufficient to fill a volume. In this place I shall merely relate certain general things, reserving the particulars for the Explanation of the Apocalypse. Inasmuch as the Babylonish nation was settled in and extended over many tracts in the spiritual world, and had formed to itself societies in all the quarters there (as was shown above, 58), I will describe how they were destroyed separately in each quarter.
60. ((v.)) Quomodo destructi et habitationes eorum desertum factae sunt, velim hic paucis describere; pluribus in Explicatione super Apocalypsin. Quod Babylonia, de qua ibi agitur, destructa sit, nemo alius potest scire, quam qui vidit; et mihi datum est videre quomodo ultimum judicium super omnes, et in specie super illos qui e Babylonia fuerunt, factum et peractum est, quare descriptionem faciam; hoc mihi concessum est, imprimis ob causam, ut reveletur mundo, quod omnia, quae in Apocalypsi praedicta sunt, Divinitus inspirata sint, et quod sit Liber propheticus Verbi; nam nisi id revelaretur mundo, et simul sensus internus, qui est in singulis ibi, sicut in singulis Prophetarum Veteris Testamenti, potuisset ille Liber ob non intellectum rejici; quod secum id incredulum ferret, quod illa, quae ibi dicuntur, non mereantur fidem, immo quod non ultimum aliquod judicium venturum sit, in qua fide se confirmarent illi qui e Babylonia, prae aliis: hoc ne fiat, placuit Domino, me facere testem ocularem. Sed omnia, quae visa sunt de ultimo judicio super illos qui e Babylonia, seu de destructione Babyloniae, non possunt hic afferri, quia tam multa sunt, ut librum facerent; quapropter hic solum aliquot communia tradam, reservando particularia ad Explicationem super Apocalypsin. Quoniam Babylonica gens consedit et extensa fuit super plures tractus in orbe spirituali, et societates sibi formavit in omni plaga ibi (ut ostensum est supra, 58), velim singillatim describere quomodo destructi sunt in qualibet plaga.