180.福音书（马太福音24章；马可福音13章；路加福音21章）描述了基督教会如何一步步堕落并败坏。那里所提到的“从世界的起头至今都没有的大灾难，将来也必没有”，和圣言中的许多其它经文一样，表示真理遭到虚假的攻击，直到未被歪曲和终结的真理荡然无存。这也是启示录中“行毁坏可憎的”和但以理书中“在飞鸟上必是个可憎者、荒凉者，直到所定的结局”所表示的。这样的事在上述启示录经文中也有所描述。这一刻已经到来，因为教会不承认三一神的一体性，及其一位格、一体性中的三一，而是将其分裂为三位格。结果，他们将教会建立在三神观念上，只在口头上承认一神。他们就这样与主分离，最终到了对其人性中的神性没有任何观念的地步。而事实上，父神自己就在这人性中。因此，祂被称为“永恒的父”（以赛亚书9:6）。祂对腓力说：
人看见了我，就是看见了父。（约翰福音14:7，9）
180. 在福音書中(馬太福音 24章; 馬可福音 13章; 路加福音 21章), 有許多關於基督徒教會如何一步步墮落並崩潰的描述。那裡所說的"從世界的起頭直到如今, 沒有像這樣的, 將來也不會有的大災難", 以及聖言其它地方所說的災難, 是指真現被偽謬攻擊, 直到再無真理剩留, 全被歪曲,帶向終結。
"行毀壞可憎的", 以及"行毀壞可憎的如飛而至", 表示同樣的意思。179節所列的『啟示錄』中發生的各樣災難, 也是表示類似的攻擊。
這都歸因於教會不接受三一之中上帝只有一位, 不承認在一個位格中祂的三一, 卻將其分割為三個位格。因此將教會建立在如此概念之上:腦中思想三位上帝,口中卻說一位上帝。在此教會中的人們, 因此將自己與主分離, 直至到一個程度:對主的人性, 不再有任何神性的概念。然而事實上, 祂是父上帝自己的現身, 這就是為何祂被稱為"永在的父"(以賽亞書9:6); 祂對腓力說:"看見我, 就看見父"(約翰福音14:7, 9)。
180. The Gospel writers described the stages of decline and corruption that the Christian church would undergo (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). Their reference to "a great affliction such as has never existed since the world began and will never exist again" [Matthew 24:21] means an attack by falsities against the truth until there is no truth left that has not been falsified and finished off. ("Affliction" has the same meaning in other passages in the Word as well.)
Their reference to "the abomination of desolation" means the same thing, as does "the desolation [flying] on a bird of abominations" and "the close and the cutting down" in Daniel [Daniel 9:27]. The events in the Book of Revelation listed in the previous section [179] also describe the same attack.
This attack came because the church saw God's unity in the Trinity and his Trinity in the unity in three persons instead of one. The church has been mentally based on picturing three gods and vocally based on confessing one God. People in the church have separated themselves from the Lord, even to the point where they no longer have any concept of divinity in relation to his human nature. Yet he is in fact God the Father in human form, which is why he is called "Father of Eternity" (Isaiah 9:6) and why he says to Philip, "Those who have seen me have seen the Father" (John 14:7, 9).
180. In the Gospels (Matt. chapter 24; Mark chapter 13; Luke chapter 21) there are descriptions of how the Christian church stage by stage fell away and was corrupted. The mention there of the 'great affliction such as never was from the beginning of the world, nor ever will be' means, as in many other passages in the Word, the way truth was attacked by falsities, until there was no truth left which was not falsified and brought to an end. This too is the meaning of the 'abomination of desolation' there and the 'desolation upon the bird of abominations' and the 'ending and cutting off' in Daniel. It is the same thing which is described in Revelation, in the passages just quoted. It was caused by the church failing to acknowledge the oneness of God in the Trinity and His Trinity in oneness in one person, but rather dividing it into three persons. Thus they founded the church on the mental concept of three Gods, while verbally confessing belief in one God. For by this they separated themselves from the Lord, and eventually to such an extent that they had no idea left of divinity in His human nature, when in fact God the Father Himself is in the Human. This too is why He is called 'the Father of eternity' (Isaiah 9:6), and He says to Philip, 'He who sees me sees the Father' (John 14:7, 9).
180. In the Gospels (Matthew 24:1; Mark 13:1; andLuke 21:1) the successive states of decline and corruption in the Christian church are described; and "the great tribulation such as hath not been since the beginning of the world, nor ever shall be" which is there mentioned means (as in many other places in the Word) the infestation of truth by falsities, even until no truth remains that is not falsified and consummated. This also is meant by "the abomination of desolation" there mentioned; and again by "the desolation upon the bird of abominations" and by "the consummation and decision" in Daniel; and the same thing is described in the Apocalypse in the passages just quoted from that book. This has come to pass because the church, instead of acknowledging the unity of God in trinity and His trinity in unity in one person, has acknowledged these in three persons; and in consequence the church has been based in the mind upon the idea of three Gods, and on the lips upon the confession of one God; and thus men have separated themselves from the Lord, and at length to such an extent that no idea of Divinity in His Human nature is left with them, when in fact He is God the Father in the Human, and therefore He is called:
The Father of eternity (Isa.9:6)
And He said to Philip, He that seeth Me seeth the Father (John 14:7, 14:9).
180. In the Evangelists (Matthew 24; Mark 13; and Luke 21), are described the successive states of the decline and corruption of the Christian Church. In those chapters by the great affliction, such as was not since the beginning of the world, neither shall be, is meant, as elsewhere in the Word, the infestation of truth by falsities to such a degree that there does not remain a single truth which is not falsified and consummated. This is also meant by the abomination of desolation in those passages, and by the desolation upon the bird of abominations, and by the consummation and the decision in Daniel; and the same is described in the Revelation, in those passages which have just been quoted. This happened because the Church did not acknowledge the Unity of God in the Trinity, and His Trinity in Unity in one Person, but in three. The Church has therefore been based on the mental idea of three gods, but on the lip confession of one God. Thus men have separated themselves from the Lord to such it degree that they have no idea of Divinity in His Human Nature now left, although He is God the Father Himself in the Human; and on this account He is called the Father of Eternity, Isaiah 9:6;
and He says to Philip: "He that seeth me (A.V., hath seen) seeth (A.V., hath seen) the Father" John 14:7, 9.
180. Apud Evangelistas, Matthaeus 24, Marcus 13, 1 et Luca 21, 2 descriptae sunt successivae declinationes et corruptiones Ecclesiae Christianae, et ibi per afflictionem magnam, qualis non fuit ab initio Mundi, nec fiet, intelligitur, ut passim alibi in Verbo, infestatio veri a falsis, usque dum non supersit aliquod verum, quod non falsificatum et consummatum est; hoc etiam intelligitur per abominationem desolationis ibi, et hoc quoque intelligitur per desolationem super avem abominationum, et per consummationem et decisum, apud Danielem; et hoc idem describitur in Apocalypsi, per illa, quae mox supra inde adducta sunt. Hoc effectum est, per quod Ecclesia Unitatem Dei in Trinitate, et Trinitatem Ipsius in Unitate, non agnoverint in una Persona, sed in Tribus, ac inde fundaverint Ecclesiam in Mente super Idea trium Deorum, et in Ore super Confessione unius Dei, sic etenim separaverunt se a Domino, et tandem eousque, ut nullam ideam Divinitatis in Humana Ipsius Natura residuam habuerint, cum tamen est Ipse Deus Pater in Humano, quare etiam vocatur Pater aeternitatis, Esaias 9:5; 3 et dicit ad Philippum, Qui videt Me, videt Patrem, Johannes 14:7, 9.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: 13.
2. Prima editio: 21.
3. Sic Schmidt et Biblia Hebraica, sed 9:6 apud Biblia Anglica.