757. 第2节 当今时代是主在福音书与启示录中所预言和描述的基督教会的末期
前节说明了世界的末了意味着教会的末期, 由此清楚表明主在福音书中提及的“世界的末了”所蕴含的意义 (马太福音24;马可福音13;路加福音21)。 因为经上记着:
耶稣在橄榄山上坐着, 门徒暗暗地来说: “你降临和世界的末了, 有什么预兆呢? ” (马太福音24:3)
然后主开始预言并描述这个即将逐步进行, 直到祂来的“世界的末了”; 那时, 祂驾着天上的云降临, 有能力, 有大荣耀, 并将祂的选民招聚了来 (马太福音24:30-31) 等等, 当然, 耶路撒冷毁灭的时候, 这些事决不会发生。 主以预言的风格描述这些事, 其中每一个字都有重大意义。 天国的奥秘3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4424) 一书详解了它们的含义。
757. Today the Christian Church Is at Its End; the Lord Foretold and Described This Event in the Gospels and in the Book of Revelation
The sections under the preceding heading showed that "the close of the age" means the time when the church is at an end. From this we can see what the Lord meant when he spoke of the close of the age in the Gospels (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21).
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, "What will the sign of your Coming and the close of the age be?" (Matthew 24:3)
Then the Lord foretold and described what the progressive stages would be like at the end, leading up to his Coming. He said, among other things, that he would come in the clouds of heaven with power and glory and gather his elect (Matthew 24:30-31), which never happened during the actual destruction of Jerusalem. The Lord described these events in the prophetic mode; in that mode, each expression is pregnant with meaning. (What each phrase there entails has been explained in Secrets of Heaven 3353-3356; 3486-3489; 3650-3655; 3751-3757; 3897-3901; 4056-4060; 4229-4231; 4332-4335; 4422-4424.)
757. II. The present time is the final period of the Christian church foretold and described by the Lord in the Gospels and Revelation.
The previous section showed that the ending of 'he age means the final period of the church. From this it is plain what is meant by the ending of the age which the Lord spoke of in the Gospels (Matt. chapter 24; Mark chapter 13; Luke chapter 21). For we read:
When Jesus was seated on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to him privately saying, What is the sign of your coming and the ending of the age? Matthew 24:3.
Then the Lord began to foretell and describe the ending which was to take place by stages up to His coming, and how He would come in the clouds of heaven with power and glory, and gather together His chosen people, and much more besides (verses 30-31); and none of these things happened when Jerusalem was destroyed. These descriptions were made by the Lord in a prophetic style, in which each and every phrase is a weighty matter. Their meaning has been explained in detail in ARCANA CAELESTIA (3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4424).
757. II. THE PRESENT IS THE LAST TIME OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, WHICH WAS FORETOLD AND DESCRIBED BY THE LORD IN THE GOSPELS AND IN THE APOCALYPSE.
It has been shown in the preceding article that the consummation of the age signifies the last time of the church, and this makes clear what is meant by "the consummation of the age" of which the Lord speaks in the Gospels (Matt.24:1, Mark 13:1; Luke21:1). For it is written:
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples drew near unto Him privately, saying, What shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the consummation of the age? (Matthew 24:3).
Then the Lord began and foretold and described this consummation, what it was to be step by step, until His coming; and that He was then to come in the clouds of heaven with power and glory, and was to gather His elect (verses24:30-31), and other events which in no wise took place at the destruction of Jerusalem. These things the Lord there described in prophetic discourse, in which every single word has weight. What these particular things involve has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4424).
757. II. THE PRESENT DAY IS THE LAST PHASE OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, WHICH THE LORD FORETOLD AND DESCRIBED IN THE GOSPELS AND IN THE REVELATION.
It was shown in the preceding article that the consummation of the age signifies the last phase of the Church; from which it is evident what is meant by the consummation of the age spoken of by the Lord in the Gospels,
for it is written,
"As Jesus sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying... What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the consummation of the age (A.V., the end of the world)?" Matthew 24:3.
Then the Lord proceeded to foretell and describe what the nature of the consummation would be in its successive stages even to His coming. He said that He would come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and would gather together His elect, with many other particulars, verses 30-31, which did not at all come to pass at the destruction of Jerusalem. In this passage the Lord described these things in prophetic language, every word of which has a wealth of meaning. What is involved in each of them is explained in the Arcana Caelestia 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4424.
757. Quod hodie sit ultimum tempus Ecclesiae Christianae, quod a Domino apud Evangelistas et in Apocalypsi praedictum et descriptum est.
Quod Consummatio saeculi significet 1 ultimum tempus Ecclesiae, in Articulo praecedente ostensum est, inde patet, quid per Consummationem saeculi, de qua Dominus apud Evangelistas, Matthaeus XXIV, Marcus XIII, Luca XXI, loquutus est, intelligitur; nam legitur, Considente Jesu super Monte Olivarum 2 accesserunt ad Ipsum Discipuli seorsim, dicentes, quodnam signum tui Adventus et Consummationis saeculi, Matthaeus 24:3et tunc exorsus Dominus praedixit et descripsit Consummationem, qualis successive futura est usque ad suum Adventum, et quod tunc venturus in nubibus Coeli cum virtute et gloria, et congregaturus electos suos, praeter plura, Vers. 30-31, quae nullatenus contigerunt in destructione Hierosolymae. Haec ibi Dominus sermone prophetico descripsit, in quo singula verba sunt totidem pondera; quid singula ibi involvunt, explicatum est in ARCANIS COELESTIBUS 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897 3 -3901, 4056 4 -4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4424.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio fortasse: significct.
2. Prima editio: olivarum.
3. Prima editio: 3898.
4. Prima editio: 4057.