L62.在启示录，经上描述了基督教会的状态，如它的结局到了，现在就是了；并且假先知，龙，淫妇和兽所指的基督教会的人被投入地狱之后，因而最后的审判完成之后，经上在那里又补充说：
我又看见一个新天新地。因为先前的天和先前的地已经过去了。我约翰又看见圣城新耶路撒冷由神那里从天而降。我听见有大声音从天上出来说，看哪！神的帐幕在人间。祂要与人同住，他们要作祂的子民；神要亲自与他们同在，作他们的神。坐宝座的说，看哪！我将一切都更新了。又对我说，你要写上，因这些话是真实可信的。（启示录21:1-3，5）
在先前的天和先前的地过去后，约翰所看见的“新天”和“新地”不是指一个新的布满星星的大气天空，就是诸如出现在世人眼前的那种，也不是指世人所住的一个新地；而是指灵界中的教会的一个新样和自然界中的教会的一个新样。
由于灵界和自然界中的教会的一个新样由在世时的主来实现，所以先知们作出了一个类似的预言，即那时一个新天和一个新地要出现（以赛亚书65:17；66:22）。因此，这个预言不可能是指肉眼可见的一个天和世人所居的一个地。灵界是指天使和灵人居住的世界；自然界是指世人居住的世界。灵界中的教会的一个新样是最近实现的，自然界中的教会的一个新样将要实现，这一点在《最后的审判》这本小册子中已有部分说明，在《最后的审判续》一书中将有更详细的说明。
62. The New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation Means a New Church
In the Book of Revelation we find a description of the state of the Christian church as it would be at its close and as it now is. We are told that those people from that church who were meant by the false prophet, the dragon, the whore, and the beasts were cast into hell. After this-after the completion of the Last Judgment, that is-it says the following:
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Then I, John, saw the holy city Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them and be their God.” The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And he said to me, “Write, because these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:1-3, 5)
The new heaven and the new earth that John saw after the first heaven and the first earth had passed away do not mean a new sky like the one we can see with our eyes, full of air and stars, or a new earth for us to live on, but a new kind of church in the spiritual world and a new kind of church in this earthly world.
[2] Because the Lord, when he was in this world, made a new kind of church in both the spiritual and the earthly worlds, it says similar things in the prophets, namely, that a new heaven and a new earth were going to come into being at that time, as we find in Isaiah 65:17; 66:22, and elsewhere -which cannot therefore be understood to refer to the sky that we can see with our eyes and the earth that we live on.
“The spiritual world” means the world where angels and spirits live, and “the earthly world” means the world where we are living. On the recent founding of a new kind of church in the spiritual world and the eventual founding of a new kind of church in the earthly world, there is some information in the booklet Last Judgment and more in the supplement to that work.
62. The New Church Is Meant by the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation
After the book of Revelation describes what the state of the Christian Church would be at its end, and what it is now, and after those people of that church who are meant by the false prophet, the dragon, the harlot, and beasts have been cast into hell, thus after the Last Judgment had been accomplished, we are told then:
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.... Then I, John, saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.... And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. And (He) Himself will be with them and be their God.... He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:1-3, 5)
The new heaven and new earth that John saw, after the first heaven and first earth had passed away, do not mean a new stellar or meteorological heaven visible to human eyes, nor a new earth for people to dwell on. Rather they mean the new existence of a church in the spiritual world, and the new existence of a church in the natural world.
[2] Since the new existence of a church in both worlds, spiritual and natural, was brought about by the Lord when He was in the world, therefore a similar prediction is made in the Prophets, namely that a new heaven and new earth would then come into existence, as said in Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, and elsewhere. And these cannot mean, therefore, a new heaven visible to the eyes, or an earth inhabitable by people.
By the spiritual world we mean the world where angels and spirits dwell, and by the natural world we mean the world where people dwell.
The new existence of a church has been recently brought about in the spiritual world, and the new existence of a church will be brought about in the world, as we have shown several times in the short work The Last Judgment, and as we will show more fully in its Continuation.
62. XII. A NEW CHURCH IS MEANT BY THE NEW JERUSALEM IN THE REVELATION.
In the Revelation, after the state of the Christian Church is described, as it would be at its end and as it now is; and after those of that Church who are meant by the false prophet, the dragon, the harlot and the beasts, were cast into hell; thus after the Last Judgment was accomplished, it is there said:
I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away ...
Then I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven ...
And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and He Himself shall be with them, their God.
And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:1-3, 5.
By the new heaven and the new earth which John saw, after the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, are not meant a new starry and atmospheric sky, such as appears before human eyes, nor a new earth upon which men dwell; but there is meant a renewing (novum) of the Church both in the spiritual world and in the natural world.
[2] As a renewal of the Church in both the spiritual and natural worlds was effected by the Lord when He was in the world, a similar prediction, namely, that a new heaven and a new earth should then come into being is made in the Prophets, as in Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; and elsewhere. Therefore by this prediction cannot be meant a heaven visible before the eyes and an earth habitable by men. By the spiritual world is meant the world where angels and spirits dwell; and by the natural world is meant the world where men dwell. That a renewal of the Church in the spiritual has lately been effected, and that a renewal of the Church in the natural world will be effected, has been briefly shown in the treatise on THE LAST JUDGMENT, and will be more fully shown in the CONTINUATION of that work.
62. In the Revelation, after a description of the state of the Christian Church as it would be at its end, and as it now is, 1and after those of that church who are signified by the false prophet, the dragon, the harlot, and the beasts, are said to have been cast into hell, it is added:
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth were passed away. And I John saw the Holy City New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, their God. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write, for these words are true and faithful (Revelation 21:1-3, 5).
By the "new heaven," and by the "new earth," which John saw, after the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, is not meant a new starry and atmospheric heaven such as appears before the eyes of men, nor a new earth such as that on which men dwell; but there is meant a newness of the church in the spiritual world, and a newness of the church in the natural world. As a newness of the church in both worlds, spiritual and natural, was effected by the Lord when He was in this world, a like prediction had been made in the Prophets, namely, that a new heaven and a new earth would then come into existence (as in Isaiah 65:17; 66:22, and elsewhere), which cannot possibly mean a heaven visible to the eyes, and an earth habitable by men. By the term spiritual world is meant the world where angels and spirits dwell, and by the term natural world is meant the world where men dwell. That a newness of the church in the spiritual world has been recently effected, and that a newness of the church in the natural world will be effected, has been partly shown in the little work on the Last Judgment, and will be shown more fully in the Continuation of that work.
Footnotes:
1. That is, in 1763. [Tr.]
62. (XII.) QUOD NOVA ECCLESIA INTELLIGATUR PER "NOVAM HIEROSOLYMAM" IN APOCALYPSI.
Postquam in Apocalypsi descriptus est status Ecclesiae Christianae, qualis erit in suo fine, et nunc est, et postquam in infernum conjecti sunt illi ab ea ecclesia qui per "pseudoprophetam," "draconem," "meretricem," et per "bestias" significantur, ita postquam Ultimum Judicium factum est, dicitur ibi,
"Vidi caelum novum et terram novam, prius enim caelum, et prior terra transivit Tunc ego Johannes vidi civitatem sanctam... Hierosolymam descendentem a Deo e caelum... Et audivi vocem magnam e caelo dicentem, Ecce tabernaculum Dei cum hominibus, qui habitabit cum illis, et illi populi Ejus erunt, et Ipse erit cum illis, Deus illorum. ...Dixit sedens super throno, Ecce nova omnia facio: et dixit mihi, Scribe, quia haec verba vera et fidelia sunt" (Apocalypsis 21:1-3, 5).
Per "caelum novum," et per "terram novam," quae vidit postquam prius caelum et prior terra transivit, non intelligitur novum caelum astriferum et atmosphaericum, quod coram oculis humanis apparet, nec nova terra super qua habitant homines; sed intelligitur novum ecclesiae in mundo spirituali. et novum ecclesiae in mundo naturali.
[2] Quoniam novum ecclesiae in utroque mundo, tam spirituali quam naturali, factum est a Domino cum in mundo fuit, ideo simile apud Prophetas praedicitur; nempe, quod novum caelum et nova terra tunc exstitura sint; (ut Esaiam 65:17; 66:22, et alibi:) per quae itaque non potest intelligi caelum aspectabile coram oculis, et terra habitabilis ab hominibus. Per mundum spiritualem intelligitur mundus ubi habitant angeli et spiritus, et per mundum naturalem intelligitur mundus ubi habitant homines. Quod novum ecclesiae in mundo spirituali nuper factum sit, et quod novum ecclesiae in mundo naturali fiet, aliquibus ostensum est in opusculo De Ultimo Judicio, et plenius ostendetur in Continuatione ejus.