271.经上预言，在当今教会的末了，黑暗将再次出现。因为当今教会不知道主是天地之神，并将信从仁分离。因此，为防止丧失对圣言的纯正理解，从而丧失教会，如今主乐意揭开圣言的属灵之义，并证明：存在于属灵之义，并通过属灵之义而存在于属世之义中的圣言包含无数事物。凭借这些事物，出自圣言、几乎熄灭的真理之光能得以重现。启示录中的许多经文预言，真理之光在当今教会的末了几乎熄灭；这也是主说这些话的意思：
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，地上的万族都要哀哭。他们要看见人子，有能力，有大荣耀，驾着天上的云降临。（马太福音24:29，30）
此处“日头”表对主的爱；“月亮”表对主的信；“众星”表关于主的真理与良善的认知；“人子”表主的圣言；“云”表圣言的字义；“荣耀”表圣言的属灵之义，它透过字义显现出来，“能力”表属灵之义的力量。
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271. 聖言中預言, 在現今教會的末後日子, 黑暗將再次出現; 是因為對主其實就是天地之上帝的無知, 以及因著將信與義的割離。因此, 為了防止對聖言的純正理解的喪失,並因此帶來教會的淪落, 主如今決定揭開聖言的屬靈意義, 並揭示真相:聖言在屬靈意義,並由此而在屬世意義中包含著無數的事物, 可用來重燃教會幾乎已熄滅的真理之光。
『啟示錄』中許多經文預言真理之光將在現今教會的末日幾乎熄滅, 這也是主說下面話所表達的意思:那些日子的災難一過去, 日頭就變黑了, 月亮也不放光, 眾星要從天上墜落, 天勢都要震動。那時, 人子的兆頭要顯在天上, 地上的萬族都要哀哭。他們要看見人子, 有能力, 有大榮耀, 駕著天上的雲降臨(馬太福音24:29-30)。
此處的"日頭"表示對主的愛, "月亮"表示對主的信, "眾星"表示關於主的真理和良善的知識, "人子"表示作為聖言的主, "雲"表示聖言的文字意義, "榮耀"表示聖言的屬靈意義,通過文字意義來表現出來, "能力"表示屬靈意義的力量。
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271. It has been predicted that at the end of this church darkness will arise again through ignorance that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth and through separation of faith from goodwill. Therefore to prevent the loss of a genuine understanding of the Word and a consequent loss of the church, the Lord has now chosen to reveal the spiritual meaning of the Word. He has chosen to reveal the fact that in this meaning, and from it in the earthly meaning, the Word contains countless things for restoring the church's light of truth, which has almost gone out.
Many passages in the Book of Revelation predict that at the end of this church the light of truth will almost go out. This is also the meaning of the following words of the Lord:
Immediately after the affliction 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 they will see the Son of Humankind coming in the clouds of heaven with glory and power. (Matthew 24:29-30)
"The sun" here means love for the Lord, "the moon" means faith in the Lord, and "the stars" mean concepts of what is good and true. The Son of Humankind means the Lord in his role as the Word. "The cloud" means the Word's literal meaning, and "the glory" means the Word's spiritual meaning and the way it shines through the literal meaning. "The powers" mean the Word's power.
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271. Since it has been predicted that at the end of the present church too darkness will arise, due to its failure to know that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and due to the separation of faith from charity, it has now pleased the Lord, so that this should not result in the loss of a genuine understanding of the Word and so the loss of the church, to reveal its spiritual sense, and to demonstrate that the Word in that sense, and from this in the natural sense, contains countless means whereby the light of truth coming from the Word, which is almost extinguished, may be restored. Many passages in Revelation predict that the light of truth will be almost extinguished at the end of the present church; and this too is the meaning of these words of the Lord:
Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with glory and power, Matthew 24:29-30.
The sun there means the Lord in respect of love, the moon the Lord in respect of faith; the stars, the Lord in respect of knowledge of truth and good. The Son of Man means the Lord in respect of the Word, a cloud, the literal sense of the Word, glory, the spiritual sense of the Word, and the way it is visible through its literal sense; powers mean its strength.
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271. As it was foretold that again at the end of this church darkness would arise from not recognizing the Lord as the God of heaven and earth, and from the separation of faith from charity, lest in consequence of this the genuine understanding of the Word and with it the church should perish, it has pleased the Lord to reveal at this time the spiritual sense of the Word, and to make manifest that the Word contains in that sense, and from that sense in the natural sense, things innumerable, by means of which the almost extinguished light of truth from the Word may be restored. That the light of truth would be almost extinguished at the end of this church, is foretold in many places in the Apocalypse. This is the meaning also of these words of the Lord:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall 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 they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with glory and power (Matthew 24:29, 30). By "the sun" here the Lord in respect to love is meant; by "the moon" the Lord in respect to faith; by "the stars" the Lord in respect to knowledges of truth and good; by "the Son of man" the Lord in respect to the Word; by "a cloud" the sense of the letter of the Word; by "glory" the spiritual sense of the Word, and its shining through the sense of the letter, and by "power" its potency.
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271. It was foretold that, at the end of the present Church, darkness would arise from failure to perceive that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and from the separation of faith and charity. Lest, therefore, the genuine understanding of the Word should perish, and thus the Church also, it has pleased the Lord now to reveal the spiritual sense of the Word, and to show that the Word in that sense, and from it in the natural sense, contains innumerable things by means of which the almost extinct light of truth from the Word may be restored. That the light of truth would be almost extinguished at the end of the present Church is foretold in many passages of the Revelation, and is also meant by these words of the Lord:
"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 they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" Matthew 24:29-30.
The sun there means the Lord as to love; the moon, the Lord as to faith; the stars, the Lord as to the knowledges of truth and good; the Son of Man, the Lord as to the Word; a cloud, the sense of the Letter of the Word; glory, the spiritual sense of the Word, beaming through the sense of the Letter; and power, the power of the Word.
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271. Quoniam praedictum est, quod in fine hujus Ecclesiae etiam oborirentur tenebrae ex non cognitione Domini, quod sit Deus Coeli et Terrae, et ex Fidei separatione a Charitate, ne per id genuinus intellectus Verbi periret, et sic Ecclesia, ideo placuit Domino nunc revelare SENSUM SPIRITUALEM VERBI, et manifestare quod Verbum in illo Sensu, et ex illo in Sensu naturali, contineat innumerabilia, per quae Lux veri ex Verbo paene exstincta, restituatur. Quod Lux veri in fine hujus Ecclesiae paene exstingueretur, praedicitur multis in locis in Apocalypsi; et quoque intelligitur per haec Domini verba, Statim post afflictionem dierum istorum Sol obscurabitur, et Luna non dabit lumen suum, et Stellae cadent e Coelo; et Virtutes Coelorum commovebuntur: et tunc videbunt Filium hominis venientem in nubibus Coeli cum gloria et virtute, Matthaeus 24:29-30; per Solem ibi intelligitur Dominus quoad amorem; per Lunam Dominus quoad fidem; per Stellas quoad cognitiones veri et boni; per Filium hominis Dominus quoad Verbum; per Nubem Sensus literae Verbi; per Gloriam Sensus spiritualis Verbi, ac transparentia ejus per Sensum literae ejus; et per Virtutes potentia ejus.