SS14.当主向门徒说到时代的完结，也就是教会的末期时，在祂对教会一系列状态变化的预言的末尾，祂说：
那些日子的灾难一过去，日头就变黑了，月亮也不放光，众星要从天上坠落，天势都要震动。那时，人子的兆头要显在天上，地上的众支派都要哀哭。他们要看见人子，有能力，有大荣耀，驾着天上的云降临。祂要差遣祂的使者，用号筒的大声，将祂的选民从四风，从天这边到天那边，都招聚了来。（马太福音24:29-31）
就灵义而言，这些话不是说太阳和月亮要变黑，众星从天上坠落，主的兆头要显在天上，人们会看见祂与拿着号筒的使者在云里。相反，每个词都表示与教会有关的某种属灵事物，这些话论及教会末期的状态。因为就灵义而言，“变黑”的“日头”表示作为爱的一个对象的主；“不放光”的“月亮”表示作为信的一个对象的主；“从天上坠落”的“众星”表示将要消亡的良善与真理的知识；“显在天上”的“人子的兆头”表示神性真理的显现；“地上哀哭”的“众支派”表示一切信之真理和一切爱之良善的缺乏；“人子，有能力，有荣耀，驾着天上的云降临”表示主在圣言中的存在，以及启示；“云”表示圣言的字义，“荣耀”表示圣言的灵义；用号筒大声的使者表示作为神性真理源头的天堂；“将选民从四风，从天这边到天那边，都招聚了来”表示教会在爱与信方面的一个新样。
这段经文的意思不是说太阳和月亮变黑，众星坠落到地上，这一点从先知书很清楚地看出来，其中同样的话论到主降世时的教会状态。如以赛亚书：
耶和华的日子临到，必有残忍和烈怒。天上的众星群宿都不发光，日头一出，就变黑暗；月亮也不放光。我必因邪恶察罚世界。（以赛亚书13:9-11；24:21，23）
约珥书：
耶和华的日子将到，已经临近。一个黑暗、幽冥的日子，一个密云、乌黑的日子；日月昏暗，星星也不再发光。（约珥书2:1-2，10；3:15）
以西结书：
我要把天遮蔽，使众星昏暗；我要用云遮掩太阳，月亮也不放光；我必使天上的亮光都变为昏暗，把黑暗放在你的地上。（以西结书32:7-8）
“耶和华的日子”表示主的降临，当良善和真理在教会荡然无存，也不再有关于主的任何知识时，主就会降临。
14. When the Lord speaks to his disciples about the close of the age, which is the last time of the church, at the end of his predictions about the sequence of changes of state he says,
Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Humanity will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will wail; and they will see the Son of Humanity coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a trumpet and a loud voice, and they will gather his chosen people from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)
[2] Spiritually understood, this does not mean that the sun and moon will be darkened, that the stars will fall from heaven, and that a sign of the Lord will appear in heaven and he will be seen in the clouds accompanied by angels with trumpets. Rather, the particular words are here used to mean spiritual events that have to do with the church, spiritual events about its state at its end. The underlying reason is that in the spiritual meaning the sun that will be darkened is the Lord as an object of love; the moon that will not give its light is the Lord as an object of faith; the stars that will fall from heaven are the knowledge of what is good and what is true that will come to an end; the sign of the Son of Humanity in heaven is the manifestation of divine truth; the tribes of the earth that will wail are a complete lack of true belief and of good actions that come from love; the coming of the Son of Humanity in the clouds of heaven with power and glory is the Lord’s presence in the Word, and a revelation - the clouds being the literal meaning of the Word and the glory being the spiritual meaning of the Word. The angels with a trumpet and a loud voice mean heaven as our source of divine truth; and the gathering of the chosen people from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other, means a new kind of church, specifically its love and faith.
[3] It is obvious from the prophets that this does not mean the darkening of the sun and the moon and the falling of the stars to earth, because things like this are said there about the state of the church when the Lord will come into the world. It says in Isaiah, for example:
Behold, the fierce day of Jehovah is coming, a day of blazing wrath. The stars of the heavens and their constellations will not shine their light. The sun will be darkened in its rising, and the moon will not make its light shine. I will execute judgment upon the world for its malice. (Isaiah 13:9-11; 24:21, 23)
In Joel,
The day of Jehovah is coming, a day of darkness and gloom; the sun and the moon will be darkened and the stars will withhold their light. (Joel 2:1-2, 10; 3:15)
In Ezekiel,
I will cover the heavens and darken the stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. I will darken all the bright lights and bring darkness upon the land. (Ezekiel 32:7-8)
The day of Jehovah means the Coming of the Lord, which happened when there was no longer anything good or true left in the church, and there was no knowledge of the Lord.
14. Where the Lord speaks with His disciples about the end of the age, which is the final period of the church, at the end of His predictions concerning its successive changes in state, He says:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)
[2] This, in the spiritual sense, does not mean that the sun and moon will be darkened, that the stars will fall from heaven, and that a sign of the Lord will appear in the sky. Nor does it mean that people will see Him on the clouds, or at the same time angels with trumpets. Rather each of these predictions has some spiritual meaning having to do with the church, regarding whose state at its end these predictions were made.
Indeed, in the spiritual sense the sun that will be darkened means the Lord in relation to love. The moon that will not give its light means the Lord in relation to faith. The stars that will fall from heaven mean concepts of goodness and truth that will perish. The sign of the Son of man in heaven means an appearance of Divine truth. The tribes of the earth that will mourn mean an absence of any truth as a matter of faith, and of any goodness as a matter of love. The coming of the Son of man on the clouds of heaven with power and glory means the Lord’s presence in the Word and a revelation of Him. The clouds symbolize the Word’s literal sense, and glory the Word’s spiritual sense. The angels with a great sound of a trumpet symbolize heaven and Divine truth coming from it. Gathering the elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other, symbolizes a renewal of the church as regards love and faith.
[3] That this prediction does not mean a darkening of the sun and moon and a falling of the stars to earth is quite clear from the Prophets, in which similar predictions occur regarding the state of the church when the Lord would come into the world. As in Isaiah:
Behold, the day of Jehovah is coming, cruel..., one of wrathful anger.... ...the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its rising, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. I will visit upon the world its malice.... (Isaiah 13:9-11, cf. 24:21, 23)
In Joel:
(Behold, ) the day of Jehovah is coming..., a day of gloom and pitch darkness.... The sun and moon will darken, and the stars diminish their brightness. (Joel 2:1-2, 10, cf. 2:31, 3:15)
In Ezekiel:
...I will cover the heavens and darken the stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. All the shining lights of the heavens I will darken..., and bring darkness upon (the) land.... (Ezekiel 32:7-8)
The day of Jehovah means the Lord’s advent, which occurred when there was no longer any goodness and truth left in the church, and no knowledge of the Lord.
14. Where the Lord speaks to His disciples about the consummation of the age, which is the last phase of the Church, at the end of His predictions concerning its successive changes of state, He says,
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. Matthew 24:29-31.
[2] By these words in the spiritual sense it is not meant that the sun and the moon would be darkened, that the stars would fall from heaven, that the sign of the Lord would appear in heaven, and that He would be seen in the clouds, and also that angels with trumpets would be seen; but by all the expressions in this passage are meant spiritual things relating to the Church, concerning the state of which at its end these things are said. For in the spiritual sense, by the sun which shall be darkened is meant the Lord as to love; by the moon which shall not give her light (lumen) is meant the Lord as to faith; by the stars which shall fall from heaven, the cognitions of good and truth which will perish; by the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, the appearing of Divine Truth; and by the tribes of the earth that shall mourn, the want of all truth which is of faith, and of all good which is of love. By the Coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven with power and glory is meant the presence of the Lord in the Word, and revelation; by the clouds is signified the sense of the Letter of the Word, and by glory, the spiritual sense of the Word. By the angels with a great sound of a trumpet is signified heaven, whence comes Divine Truth; by gathering together the elect from the four winds from one end of the heavens to the other, is signified that which is new (novum) in the Church as to love and faith.
[3] That the darkening of the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars to the earth, are not here meant, clearly appears from the Prophets, for in them similar things are said concerning the state of the Church when the Lord was about to come into the world.
Thus, in Isaiah:
Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel... with fierce anger... For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil. [Isaiah 13:9-11]; 14:21, 23.
In Joel:
The day of Jehovah cometh ... A day of darkness and of thick darkness ... The sun and the moon shall be dark.
And the stars shall withdraw their shining. Joel 2:1-2, 10; 3:15.
In Ezekiel:
I will cover the heavens, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights ... will I make dark... and set darkness upon thy land. Ezekiel 32:7-8.
By the day of Jehovah is meant the Coming of the Lord, which took place when there was no longer any good and truth left in the Church nor any rational conception of the Lord.
14. In speaking to His disciples about the consummation of the age (which is the last time of the church), at the end of His predictions concerning the successive changes of state in the church, the Lord says,
Immediately after the affliction of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth wail, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and much glory. And He shall send His angels with a trumpet and a great voice, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the end of the heavens even to the end of them (Matthew 24:29-31).
[2] By these words, in the spiritual sense, is not meant that the sun and moon would be darkened, that the stars would fall from heaven, that the Lord's sign would appear in heaven, and that He would be seen in the clouds together with angels with trumpets, but by every word is meant some spiritual thing that is of the church, concerning the state of which at its end these things were spoken. For, in the spiritual sense, the "sun, which shall be darkened" means the Lord as to love; the "moon, which shall not give her light" means the Lord as to faith; the "stars, which shall fall from heaven" means the knowledges of what is good and true that would perish; the "sign of the Son of man in heaven" means the appearing of Divine truth; the "tribes of the earth, which shall wail" means the lack of all truth that is of faith, and of all good that is of love; the "coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven with power and glory" means the Lord's presence in the Word, and revelation; "clouds" signify the sense of the letter of the Word, and "glory," the spiritual sense of the Word; the "angels with a trumpet and a great voice" signifies heaven whence comes Divine truth; to "gather together the elect from the four winds, from the end of the heavens even to the end of them" signifies a newness of the church in respect to love and faith.
[3] That there is not meant a darkening of the sun and moon, nor a falling of the stars to the earth, is very evident from the prophets, in which like things are said about the state of the church when the Lord should come into the world.
As in Isaiah:
Behold the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, and of wrath of anger; the stars of the heavens, and the constellations thereof, shall not give their light, the sun shall be darkened in His rising, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine; I will visit upon the world its wickedness (Isaiah 13:9-11; 24:21, 23).
In Joel:
The day of Jehovah cometh, a day of darkness and of thick darkness; the sun and the moon shall be blackened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining (1-2, 10; 3:15).
In Ezekiel:
I will cover the heavens, and blacken the stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine; all the luminaries of light I will make dark, and will set darkness upon thy land (Ezekiel 32:7-8).
"The day of Jehovah" means the Lord's advent, which took place when there was no longer anything good and true left in the church, and not any knowledge of the Lord.
14. Ubi Dominus de Consummatione Saeculi, quae est ultimum tempus ecclesiae, coram discipulis suis loquitur, ad finem praedictionum de successivis status mutationibus ejus, dicit,
"Statim post afflictionem dierum illorum sol obscurabitur, et luna non dabit lumen suum, et stellae cadent de caelo, et potentiae caelorum commovebuntur. Et tunc apparebit signum Filii hominis in caelo, et tunc plangent omnes tribus terrae; et videbunt Filium hominis venientem in nubibus caeli cum potentia et gloria multa. Et emittet angelos cum tuba et voce magna, et congregabunt electos Ipsius a quatuor ventis, ab extremo caelorum usque ad extremum illorum" (Matthaeus 24:29-31).
Per haec in sensu spirituali non intelligitur, quod sol et luna obscurarentur, quod stellae caderent de caelo, quodque appariturum esset signum Domini in caelo, et quod visuri Ipsum in nubibus, et simul angelos cum tubis; sed per singula verba ibi intelliguntur spiritualia, quae ecclesiae sunt; de cujus statu in fine, illa dicta sunt. In sensu enim spirituali per "solem" qui obscurabitur, intelligitur Dominus quoad amorem; per "lunam" quae non dabit lumen suum, Dominus quoad fidem; per "stellas" quae cadent de caelo, cognitiones boni et veri quae periturae; per "signum Filii hominis in caelo," apparitio Divini Veri; per "tribus terrae" quae plangent, defectus omnis veri quod fidei, et boni quod amoris; per "adventum Filii hominis in nubibus caeli cum potentia et gloria," praesentia Domini in Verbo et revelatio; per "nubes" significatur Verbi sensus litterae, et per "gloriam" Verbi sensus spiritualis; per "angelos cum tuba et voce magna," significatur caelum unde Divinum Verum; per "congregare electos a quatuor ventis ab extremo caelorum ad extremum illorum," significatur novum ecclesiae quoad amorem et fidem. Quod non intelligatur obscuratio solis et lunae, ac delapsus stellarum in terram, constat manifeste ex Prophetis, apud quos similia dicuntur de ecclesiae statu, quando Dominus in mundum venturus est. Ut apud Esaiam,
"Ecce dies Jehovae venit saevus... et excandescentiae irae; ... stellae caelorum, et sidera illorum, non lucebunt luce sua, obtenebrabitur sol in ortu suo, et luna non splendere faciet lumen suum: visitabo super orbem malitiam" ([13:9-11 vide etiam] 24:21, 23).
Apud Joelem,
"Venit dies Jehovae, dies tenebrarum et caliginis: sol et luna atrati erunt: et stellae contrahent splendorem suum" (2:1-2, 10; 3:15) 1. 2
Apud Ezechielem,
"Obtegam... caelos, et atrabo stellas... solem nube obtegam, et luna non lucere faciet lumen suum: omnia luminaria lucis... obtenebrabo... et dabo tenebras super terra" (32:7-8). 3
Per "diem Jehovae" intelligitur adventus Domini; qui fuit, quando non amplius erat aliquod bonum et verum in ecclesia residuum, et non aliqua cognitio Domini.
Footnotes:
1. Ezechiel 2:1-2, 10 pro "Ezechiel 3:4"
2. B. A. habet Joel 3:15 pro "Joel 4:15"
3. "32" pro "22."