768. 第5节 主来并非表示祂要来摧毁可见的天和可居的地, 然后创造一个新天新地, 就象迄今很多不理解圣言灵义的人所想象的那样
当今教会流行的观点是, 主必来作最后审判, 祂驾着天上的云降临, 由众天使陪伴, 并有吹号声; 祂必聚集地上的居民和死去的人; 祂必分别恶人和善人, 如同牧人分别山羊, 绵羊; 然后将恶人或山羊丢入地狱, 抬举善人或绵羊升入天堂; 同时, 祂必创造一个可见的新天和一个可居的新地。 祂必降下被称为新耶路撒冷的圣城, 这城按着启示录 (21章) 的描述建造, 是碧玉和精金的, 城墙的根基是用各样宝石修饰的, 长宽高都一样, 共有四千里; 所有选民都必聚集到那城里, 无论现在还活着的, 还是自世界之初就已死了的; 到那时, 这些人必回到自己身体, 在那作为他们天堂的壮丽城市享受永恒幸福。 这就是当今教会对于主来和最后审判的主流观点。
768. The Lord's Coming Is Not His Coming to Destroy the Visible Heaven and the Inhabitable Earth and to Create a New Heaven and a New Earth, As Many Have Supposed Because They Have Not Understood the Word's Spiritual Meaning
In the churches in existence today, there is a strongly held opinion about the Second Coming. They believe that when the Lord comes for the Last Judgment, he will appear in the clouds of heaven with angels and the sound of trumpets. He will gather together all the people who are living on the earth and also the people who have died. He will separate the evil among them from the good, as a shepherd separates the goats from the sheep. Then he will cast the evil (the goats) into hell, and lift the good (the sheep) into heaven. At the same time he will create a new visible heaven and a new inhabitable earth. He will send a city down onto this new earth, which will be called the New Jerusalem. Its structure will follow the description given in Revelation 21 That is, it will be made of jasper and gold. The foundations of its walls will be made of precious stones of every kind. Its height, breadth, and length will be equal, at twelve thousand stadia each. All the elect will be brought together into this city, including people who were still alive and also people who had died at any time since the world began. The elect will then return to their bodies and experience everlasting joy in that magnificent city, their heaven.
This is the belief concerning the Lord's Coming and the Last Judgment that is dominant in the Christian churches of today.
768. V. The Lord's coming does not mean His coming to destroy the sky we see and the earth where we live, and to create a new heaven and a new earth, as many people up to now have imagined through not understanding the spiritual sense of the Word.
The opinion current in the churches of the present day is that when the Lord comes to perform the Last Judgment, He will appear in the clouds of the sky accompanied by angels and a blowing of trumpets; and He will gather together all the inhabitants of the earth, as well as those who have died. Then He will separate the wicked from the good, as a shepherd separates the goats from the sheep; and He will throw the wicked, that is, the goats, into hell, and raise the good, that is, the sheep, into heaven. At the same time He will create a new visible sky and a new habitable earth. He will send down upon this a city, to be called the New Jerusalem, built according to the description in Revelation (chapter 21), of jasper and gold, with the foundations of its wall made of every kind of precious stone; its height, width and length will be equal, each measuring twelve thousand stades. All the elect will be gathered into this city, both those then living and those who have died since the beginning of the world. They will then return to their bodies and experience everlasting joy in that magnificent city, which will be a heaven for them. This is the dominant opinion in the Christian churches at the present time about the Lord's coming and the Last Judgment.
768. V. THE LORD'S COMING IS NOT HIS COMING TO DESTROY THE VISIBLE HEAVEN AND THE HABITABLE EARTH, AND TO CREATE A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH, AS MANY, FROM NOT UNDERSTANDING THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD, HAVE HITHERTO SUPPOSED.
The prevailing opinion in the churches at the present day is, that when the Lord shall come for the last judgment, He will appear in the clouds of heaven with angels and the sound of trumpets; will gather together all who still dwell on the earth, together with all who have died; will separate the wicked from the good, as a shepherd separates the goats from the sheep; will then cast the wicked or the goats into hell, and will raise the good or the sheep into heaven; and at the same time will create a new visible heaven and a new habitable earth, and will send down upon that earth the city called the New Jerusalem, built according to the description of it in the Apocalypse (chap. 21), that is, of jasper and gold, and the foundations of its wall of every precious stone, while its height, breadth, and length will be equal, each twelve thousand furlongs; also that into that city will be gathered all the elect, both those who are still alive and those who have died since the beginning of the world; that these will then return into their bodies, and in that magnificent city, as their heaven, will enjoy eternal blessedness. This is the prevailing opinion in the Christian churches of today respecting the Lord's coming and the last judgment.
768. V. THE COMING OF THE LORD IS NOT HIS COMING TO DESTROY THE VISIBLE HEAVEN AND THE HABITABLE EARTH, AND TO CREATE A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH, AS MANY, NOT UNDERSTANDING THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD, HAVE HITHERTO SUPPOSED.
According to the prevailing opinion at this day in the Churches, when the Lord comes for the Last Judgment, He will appear in the clouds of heaven with angels and the sound of trumpets. He will gather together all those who are still on the earth, and also those who have died; and separating the evil from the good as a shepherd separates the goats from the sheep, He will then cast the evil, or the goats, into hell, and raise the good, or the sheep, into heaven. Further, He will also create a new visible heaven and a new habitable earth, and upon this He will send down a city which will be called the New Jerusalem, whose structure will be as described in the Revelation, chapter 21. Thus it will be of jasper and gold, and the foundations of its walls of every kind of precious stone, while its height, breadth and length will be equal, each twelve thousand furlongs. All the elect will be gathered into this city, both those then living and those who have died since the beginning of the world. The latter will return into their bodies and enjoy everlasting bliss in that magnificent city, as in their heaven. This opinion concerning the Coming of the Lord and the Last Judgment is at this day prevailing in Christian Churches.
768. Quod Adventus Domini non sit Adventus Ipsius ad delendum Coelum aspectabile et Terram habitabilem, et ad creandum Novum Coelum et Novam Terram, sicut hactenus multi ex non intellecto sensu spirituali Verbi opinati sunt.
Sententia hodie vigens in Ecclesiis est, quod Dominus, cum ad ultimum judicium veniet, appariturus sit in nubibus Coeli cum Angelis et clangore tubarum, et congregaturus omnes qui super Tellure habitant, et simul qui defuncti sunt, ac separaturus malos a bonis, sicut pastor hircos ab ovibus, et quod tunc conjecturus sit malos seu hircos in infernum, ac bonos seu oves elevaturus in Coelum: et quod tunc simul creaturus sit Novum Coelum aspectabile, et Novam Terram habitabilem; et super hanc demissurus sit Urbem, quae vocabitur Nova Hierosolyma, cujus structura erit secundum descriptionem in Apocalypsi 21, videlicet ex jaspide et auro, et ejus muri fundamenta ex omni lapide pretioso, ac ejus altitudo, latitudo et longitudo aequales, unaquaevis 12000 Stadiorum; et quod in hanc Urbem congregarentur omnes electi, tam qui vivunt, quam qui ab initio Mundi obiverunt; et quod hi tunc redituri in sua corpora, ac aeterno gaudio in magnifica illa Urbe, ut in suo Coelo, fruituri. Haec Sententia de adventu Domini, et de Ultimo judicio, est hodie regnans in Ecclesiis Christianis.