67.还必须知道的是，它虽被称为“先前的天”，但并不包括生活在主降世前的任何人，而完全由生活在主降临之后的人组成。因为如前所示（33-39 节），每个教会的末期都有一次最后的审判；那时，先前的天堂被废除，一个新天堂被创造或形成。从教会开始直到结束，凡表面上过着一种道德生活，并且于外在行为上维持一种虔诚和神圣的表象，即便里面什么也没有，只要思维和意图的内层能受到社会的文明道德法律的约束之人都被容忍。但在教会的末期，内层会显露出来；那时，审判就临到这些人身上。这就是为何临到地球居民的最后审判以前发生过两次，现在是第三次（参看46节）。同样，“天”和“地”以前也过去了两次，一个新天和一个新地被创造，而这“天”和“地”表示两个层面上的教会，如前所示（1-5节）。由此明显可知，旧约先知书中提到的新天新地不同于启示录中提到的新天新地。前者是主在世时所创造的，后者是现在祂正创造的。关于它们，我们在旧约先知书中读到：
看哪，我造新天新地，从前的事不再被记念。（以赛亚书65:17）
别处：
我要造一个新天和一个新地。（以赛亚书66:22），
更不用说但以理书中的相关经文了。
67. It is also important to know that although it is called “the first heaven” it did not include any of the people who had lived in this world before the Lord's Coming. It consisted entirely of people who had lived after his Coming, since (as already explained in 33-39) there is a Last Judgment at the end of every church. At that time a former heaven is done away with and a new one is created or formed. Between the beginning and the end of a church, allowances are made for all who have lived an outwardly moral life and have maintained reverent and holy outward behavior. This holds true even if they are not doing any of this inwardly, as long as the things they are thinking of inwardly and intending to do can be held in check by the civil and moral laws of society. At the end of a church, though, people's inner natures come to light, and then there is a judgment on those people.
Therefore a Last Judgment has been carried out on the inhabitants of our planet twice before, and a third one has just now happened (see 46 above). Likewise, “heaven” and “earth” have passed away twice before and a new heaven and a new earth have been created-“heaven” and “earth” meaning the church on each level, as noted in 1-5 above.
We can see, then, that the new heaven and the new earth mentioned in the prophets of the Old Testament are not the new heaven and the new earth mentioned in Revelation. When the Lord was in the world, he brought into being the new heaven and the new earth mentioned by the prophets, and he is now bringing into being the new heaven and the new earth mentioned in Revelation. In the Old Testament prophets, it says of the previous new heaven and new earth, “Behold, I am going to create a new heaven and a new earth, and the former ones will not be remembered” (Isaiah 65:17), and “I will make a new heaven and a new earth” (Isaiah 66:22), not to mention related passages in Daniel. 1
Footnotes:
1. Though the terms “new heaven” and “new earth” do not occur in Daniel, the passing away of one kingdom and the beginning of a new one, often coupled with a scene of judgment, is a major theme in that book. See, for example, Daniel 2, in which Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a statue as indicating the decline of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom among his successors, its eventual destruction, and the establishment of a new one that would never be destroyed. For Swedenborg's interpretation of the imagery in Daniel 2, see Secrets of Heaven 10030; Revelation Unveiled 913:3; Revelation Explained (= Swedenborg 1994-1997a) 176:2, 411:4, 1029:5. For other passages in the Book of Daniel with especially clear references to judgment, endings, and new beginnings, see Daniel's dream of the four beasts and its interpretation in Daniel 7 (especially Daniel 7:13-18, 26-27); the “seventy sevens” in Daniel 9:20-27; and the prophecy of the end of days in Daniel 12. [LSW, GFD, SS]
67. It needs further to be known that this which is called the first heaven was not composed of any who had lived before the Lord came into the world, but entirely of those who lived after His coming. At the end of each church (as shown in 33-39 above) a last judgment takes place, and then the former heaven is abolished and a new one is created or formed. From the beginning up to the end of a church all are tolerated who outwardly lived a moral life and maintained a pious and holy appearance in outward behaviour, even if there was nothing within it, so long as the internal levels of thoughts and intentions could be kept in check by the civil and moral laws of society. But at the end of a church the internal levels are disclosed, and then a judgment is passed upon the people. That is why a last judgment on the inhabitants of this planet has taken place twice before, and now for the third time (see 46 above). So too heaven with the earth has twice before passed away and a new heaven with a new earth has been created (as shown above, 1-5). From this it is plain that the new heaven and the new earth mentioned by the Old Testament Prophets are not the same as the new heaven and the new earth mentioned in Revelation. The former ones were created by the Lord when He was in the world, and the latter is being created by Him now. We read about them in the Old Testament Prophets as follows:
Behold, I shall create a new heaven and a new earth, and the former ones will not be remembered. Isaiah 65:17.
And elsewhere:
I shall make a new heaven and a new earth. Isaiah 66:22.
It is also said in Daniel.
67. It is moreover to be known, that this heaven which is called "the first," did not consist of any who had lived before the Lord's coming into the world, but all were from those who lived after His coming, for as was shown above (33-38) a Last Judgment is effected at the end of every church, and then the former heaven is abolished, and a new heaven is created or formed; for all who lived in an external moral life, and in external piety and sanctity, although not in any internal, were tolerated from the beginning to the end of the church provided the internals which belong to the thoughts and intentions could be held in bonds by the laws of society, civil and moral; but at the end of the church their internals are disclosed, and the judgment is then effected upon them. Hence it is that a Last Judgment has been effected upon the inhabitants of this planet twice before, and now for the third time (see above 46); thus also a heaven and an earth have twice passed away before, and a new heaven and a new earth have been created; for the heaven and the earth are the church in either world, as shown above (1-5). Hence it is plain, that "the new heaven and the new earth," mentioned in the prophets of the Old Testament, are not that "new heaven and new earth" mentioned in the Apocalypse, but that the former existed from the Lord when He was in the world, and that the latter exist from Him now. Concerning those in the prophets of the Old Testament, it is thus written:
Behold, I am about to create a new heaven and a new earth, neither shall the former be remembered (Isaiah 65:17). And in another place:
I am about to make a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 66:22).
Besides what is said in Daniel.
67. Porro sciendum est, quod hoc caelum, quod vocatur "primum," non fuerit ab aliquibus, qui ante adventum Domini in mundum vixerunt, sed omnes ab illis qui post adventum Ipsius; nam (ut supra 33-39 ostensum est,) in fine cujusvis ecclesiae fit ultimum judicium, et tunc abolitur prius caelum, et creatur seu formatur novum; a principio enim ad finem ecclesiae tolerati sunt omnes qui in morali vita externa, et qui in pio et sancto externo vixerunt, tametsi in nullo interno, modo interna quae sunt cogitationum et intentionum in vinculis teneri potuerint per leges societatis civiles et morales; sed in fine ecclesiae reteguntur interna, et tunc super illos fit judicium. Inde est quod ultimum judicium super habitatoribus hujus telluris bis prius factum sit, et nunc tertio (videatur supra, 46); ita quoque bis prius caelum cum terra transiverat, ac novum caelum cum nova terra creatum est; caelum enim et terra sunt ecclesia utrobivis (ut supra, 1-5 ostensum est). Inde patet, quod "novum caelum" et "nova terra," quae memorantur apud prophetas Veteris Testamenti, non sint id "novum caelum" et "nova terra" quae memorantur in Apocalypsi, sed quod illa exstiterint a Domino cum fuit in mundo, et quod hoc nunc ab Ipso. De illis apud Prophetas Veteris Testamenti ita legitur,
"Ecce Ego creaturus sum caelum novum et terram novam, nec commemorabuntur priora" (Esaiam 65:17);
Et alibi,
Caelum novum et terram novam facturus sum (Esaiam 66:22);
Praeter apud Danielem.