118.（2）若没有这种救赎，无人能得救，天使也不可能平安无事。首先必须说明何为救赎。救赎意味着摆脱诅咒，从永死中解救出来，从地狱中拯救出来，从魔鬼手中释放被掳的和受捆绑的。主是通过制服地狱，建立一个新天堂做到这一切的。人无法以其它方式得救，这是因为灵界与尘世联结得如此紧密，以致它们不可分割。这种联结尤其影响人的内层，也就是所谓的灵魂和心智。善人的内层与天使的灵魂和心智联结，恶人的内层与地狱灵的灵魂和心智联结。这种联结具有这样的性质：若天使与灵人从世人那里被带走，人必死去，如同一根木头。同样，若世人从天使和灵人那里被带走，他们也不能继续存在。这清楚表明为何救赎在灵界进行，为何在地上的教会建立之前，天堂与地狱有必要归入秩序。这在启示录说得很清楚，那里说明，创造新天堂之后，新耶路撒冷，也就是新教会，从那天堂而降（启示录21:1，2）。
118. (2)如果沒有這樣的救贖, 無人能被拯救, 且沒有天人能繼續安然地生存。
首先要明白什麼是救贖。救贖意味著從詛咒中釋放被俘虜和被捆綁的,從永死中解救他們, 從地獄中奪回他們, 從魔鬼的手中把他們帶回來。主藉著獲取地獄的控制權和建立新天國來完成這個工作。
否則我們無法得救, 因為心靈世界與物質世界的聯繫緊密,甚至無法分開。兩個世界通過我們的內在——我們的靈魂和思想相互聯繫。 善者, 其靈魂和思想與天國之靈相連。惡者, 其靈魂和思想與地獄之靈相連。我們與善靈或惡靈相連, 如果將他們與我們分開, 我們就會立刻僕倒死去, 像根木頭倒下那樣。同樣, 如果將我們從他們分開, 善靈或惡靈也無法繼續存在。這就是為什麼救贖行為發生在心靈世界, 為什麼一個新的教會建立之前, 必須要重整天國和地獄。這個過程在『啟示錄』中很清晰:在新的天國建立後, 新耶路撒冷——就是新的教會, 從天降下(啟示錄21:1-2)。
118. 2. Without that redemption no human being could have been saved and no angels could have continued to exist in their state of integrity. First I need to say what redemption is. To redeem means to free the captive and the bound from damnation, to rescue them from everlasting death, to snatch them from hell, and to carry them away from the hand of the Devil. The Lord did this by gaining control over the hells and establishing a new heaven.
Otherwise we could not have been saved, because the spiritual world is so closely connected to the earthly world that they are inseparable. The main connection between the two worlds is through our inner levels - our souls and our minds. For good people, that connection is with the souls and minds of angels; for evil people it is with the souls and minds of hellish spirits. We are so united to the angels or the hellish spirits that if they were taken away from us we would fall down as dead as a piece of wood. Neither could the angels or the hellish spirits continue to exist if we were taken away from them. This makes it clear why redemption was brought about in the spiritual world and why heaven and hell had to be restructured before a church could be established on earth. This sequence is clear in the Book of Revelation: after the new heaven was made, the New Jerusalem, which is the new church, came down from that heaven (Revelation 21:1-2).
118. (ii) BUT FOR THAT REDEMPTION NO PERSON COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED, NOR COULD THE ANGELS HAVE REMAINED UNHARMED.
It must first be stated what redemption is. To redeem means to free from damnation, to reclaim from everlasting death, to snatch from hell, and to release the captives and those in bondage from the hands of the devil. The Lord performed this by conquering the hells and founding a new heaven. The reason why people could not by any other means be saved was that the spiritual world is so closely integrated with the natural world that they are inseparable. This principally affects people's interiors, what is called their souls and minds; those of the good are linked with the souls and minds of angels, those of the wicked with the souls and minds of the spirits of hell. Their union is such that if a person were deprived of them, he would fall lifeless, like a block of wood. Likewise neither could angels and spirits remain in existence, if human beings were taken away from them. This will make it plain why redemption took place in the spiritual world, and why heaven and hell had to be brought into order before a church could be established upon earth. This is clearly stated in Revelation, where it is said that after the creation of a new heaven, the New Jerusalem, which is the new church, came down from that heaven (Revelation 21:1-2).
118. (2) Without that redemption no man could have been saved, nor could the angels have continued in a state of integrity. It shall be told first what redemption is. To redeem means to liberate from damnation, to deliver from eternal death, to rescue from hell, and to release from the hand of the devil the captive and the bound. This the Lord did by subjugating the hells and establishing a new heaven. Man could have been saved in no other way, for the reason that the spiritual world and the natural are so closely connected that they cannot by any means be separated. This connection is especially in the interiors of men, which are called their souls and minds, the interiors of the good being connected with the souls and minds of angels, and of the wicked with the souls and minds of infernal spirits. This union is such that if angels and spirits were taken away from man he would drop dead as a log. In like manner angels and spirits could not continue to exist if men were taken away from under them. This makes clear why redemption was effected in the spiritual world, and why it was necessary that heaven and hell should be reduced to order before a church could be established on earth. That this is so is very evident from the Apocalypse, where it is said that after the new heaven had been formed, the New Jerusalem, which is the New Church, descended from it (Revelation 21:1-2).
118. (2) WITHOUT THAT REDEMPTION NO MAN COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED, NOR COULD THE ANGELS HAVE CONTINUED IN A STATE OF INTEGRITY.
It shall first be stated what redemption is. To redeem means to deliver from condemnation, to save from eternal death, to rescue from hell, and to release the captive and the bound from the power of the devil. This the Lord did by subduing the hells and founding a new heaven. Man could not otherwise have been saved, because the spiritual world is so connected with the natural that they cannot be separated. The connection is primarily with the interiors of men, called their souls and minds, those of good men being connected with the souls and minds of angels, and those of evil men with the souls and minds of infernal spirits. So close is this connection that if angels and spirits were removed from a man, he would fall down dead, like a log; and in the same way they would cease to exist if men were withdrawn from them. Hence it is plain why redemption took place in the spiritual world, and why heaven and hell had to be reduced to order before a Church could be established on earth. That this is so is very evident from what is said in the Book of Revelation, that after the new heaven was formed, there came down out of that heaven the New Jerusalem, which is the New Church Revelation 21:1-2.
118. II. QUOD ABSQUE ILLA REDEMPTIONE NULLUS HOMO SALVARI POTUERIT, NEC ANGELI IN STATU INTEGRITATIS SUBSISTERE. Primum dicetur quid Redemptio; Redimere significat liberare a damnatione, vindicare a morte aeterna, eripere ex Inferno, ac auferre captivos et vinctos e manu diaboli: hoc a Domino factum est per quod subjugaverit Inferna, et condiderit novum Coelum; quod homo alioquin non salvari potuerit, est quia Mundus Spiritualis cum Mundo naturali 1 talem nexum habet, ut separari nequeant, principaliter cum interioribus horum quae Animae et Mentes eorum vocantur, bonorum cum animabus et mentibus angelorum, et malorum cum animabus et mentibus spirituum infernalium; talem unionem habent, ut si illi ab homine removerentur, homo caderet mortuus sicut stipes; similiter nec Angeli et Spiritus possunt subsistere, si illis subtraherentur homines. Inde patet, quamobrem Redemptio facta est in Mundo spirituali, et quamobrem Coelum et Infernum 2 prius ordinanda sunt, antequam Ecclesia in terris instaurari possit: quod ita sit patet clare in Apocalypsi, quod postquam Novum Coelum factum est, ex Coelo illo descenderit Nova Hierosolyma, quae est Nova Ecclesia, 21:1-2.
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