HH.0.0.1, (주2).AC.3486-3489, '주님의 예언들'(마24:8-14)

※ (주2). The Lord’s predictions in Matthew (24 and 25), respecting the consummation of the age and His coming, and the consequent successive vastation of the church and the final judgment, are explained in the prefaces to chapters 26–40 of Genesis (n. 3353–3356, 3486–3489, 3650–3655, 3751–3757, 3897–3901, 4056–4060, 4229–4231, 4332–4335, 4422–4424, 4635–4638, 4661–4664, 4807–4810, 4954–4959, 5063–5071).

 

 

PERVERSION OF THE CHURCH (마24:8-14)

 

3486

At the beginning of the preceding chapter (n. 3353– 3356) were unfolded the things the Lord spoke and foretold concerning the consummation of the age, or the end of the days of the church (Matt. 24:3–7). Here, of the Lord’s Divine mercy it is permitted to unfold the things which follow on in order in the same chapter (verses 8–14), where are these words:

 

8이 모든 것은 재난의 시작이니라 9그 때에 사람들이 너희를 환난에 넘겨주겠으며 너희를 죽이리니 너희가 내 이름 때문에 모든 민족에게 미움을 받으리라 10그 때에 많은 사람이 실족하게 되어 서로 잡아주고 서로 미워하겠으며 11거짓 선지자가 많이 일어나 많은 사람을 미혹하겠으며 12불법이 성하므로 많은 사람의 사랑이 식어지리라 13그러나 끝까지 견디는 자는 구원을 얻으리라 14이 천국 복음이 모든 민족에게 증언되기 위하여 온 세상에 전파되리니 그제야 끝이 오리라 (마24:8-14) All these things are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you into tribulation, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the charity of many shall wax cold. But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole inhabited earth, for a testimony unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matt. 24:8–14).

 

3예수께서 감람 산 위에 앉으셨을 때에 제자들이 조용히 와서 이르되 우리에게 이르소서 어느 때에 이런 일이 있겠사오며 또 주의 임하심과 세상 끝에는 무슨 징조가 있사오리이까 4예수께서 대답하여 이르시되 너희가 사람의 미혹을 받지 않도록 주의하라 5많은 사람이 내 이름으로 와서 이르되 나는 그리스도라 하여 많은 사람을 미혹하리라 6난리와 난리 소문을 듣겠으나 너희는 삼가 두려워하지 말라 이런 일이 있어야 하되 아직 끝은 아니니라 7민족이 민족을, 나라가 나라를 대적하여 일어나겠고 곳곳에 기근과 지진이 있으리니 (마24:3-7)

 

 

3487

By the words that precede and that have been already unfolded (n. 3353–3356), there was described the first state of the perversion of the church, which was that they would begin no longer to know what is good and what is true; but would dispute about it among themselves, from which falsities would originate. By the words now cited there is described the second state of the perversion of the church, which is that they would despise good and truth, and also turn away from them and thus that faith in the Lord would step by step expire, as charity would cease.

 

 

3488

That the second state of the perversion of the church was described by the foregoing words of the Lord in the evangelist, is evident from their internal sense, which is as follows:

 

8이 모든 것은 재난의 시작이니라 All these things are the beginning of sorrows;

 

signifies those things which precede—that is, which are of the first state of the perversion of the church—which as before said is that they would begin no longer to know what is good and what is true, but would dispute about it among themselves, from which would arise falsities, and therefore heresies. That such things perverted the church before many centuries had elapsed is evident from the fact that the church in the Christian world was divided, and this according to opinions concerning good and truth; thus that the perversion of the church commenced long ago.

 

[2] 9그 때에 사람들이 너희를 환난에 넘겨주겠으며 너희를 죽이리니 Then shall they deliver you into tribulation, and shall kill you;

 

signifies that good and truth would perish, first by “tribulation,” that is, by perversion; afterwards by their “killing” them, that is, by denial. (That to “kill,” when predicated of good and truth, is not to receive, thus is to deny, may be seen above, n. 3387, 3395.) By “you,” that is, by the apostles, are signified all things of faith in one complex, thus its good as well as its truth. That these things are signified by the twelve apostles may be seen above (n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3354) and here the same is clearly evident; for it is not the preaching of the apostles that is treated of, but the consummation of the age.

 

[3] 9너희가 내 이름 때문에 모든 민족에게 미움을 받으리라 And ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake;

 

signifies contempt and aversion for all things which are of good and truth; “to hate” is to despise and hold in aversion, for this is of hatred; “of all nations” signifies by those who are in evil (that such are meant by “nations” may be seen above, n. 1259, 1260, 1849, 1868, 2588); “for my name’s sake” is on account of the Lord, thus on account of all things which are from him (that the Lord’s “name” is everything in one complex by which he is worshiped, thus everything which is of his church, may be seen above, n. 2724, 3006).

 

[4] 10그 때에 많은 사람이 실족하게 되어 서로 잡아주고 서로 미워하겠으며 And then shall many be offended, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another;

 

signifies enmities on account of these things; “many shall be offended” denotes enmity in itself; the human itself of the Lord is that against which there is enmity; that this would be an offense and a stumbling-block is here and there predicted in the Word; “they shall deliver up one another” denotes enmity among themselves from falsity against truth; “and shall hate one another” denotes enmity among themselves from evil against good.

 

[5] 11거짓 선지자가 많이 일어나 많은 사람을 미혹하겠으며 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray;

 

signifies preachings of falsity (that “false prophets” are those who teach falsities, thus false doctrine, may be seen above, n. 2534) “and shall lead many astray” denotes that there should be derivations therefrom.

 

[6] 12불법이 성하므로 많은 사람의 사랑이 식어지리라 And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the charity of many shall wax cold;

 

signifies the expiring of charity together with faith; “because iniquity shall be multiplied” denotes according to the falsities of faith; “the charity of many shall wax cold” denotes the expiring of charity, for they keep pace together; where faith is not, there charity is not, and where charity is not, faith is not; but charity is that which receives faith, and no charity is that which rejects faith: this is the origin of every falsity and every evil.

 

[7] 13그러나 끝까지 견디는 자는 구원을 얻으리라 But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved;

 

signifies the salvation of those who are in charity; “he that endureth to the end” is he who does not suffer himself to be led astray, thus who does not succumb in temptations.

 

[8] 14이 천국 복음이 모든 민족에게 증언되기 위하여 온 세상에 전파되리니 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole inhabited earth, for a testimony unto all nations;

 

signifies that this should first become known in the Christian world; “shall be preached” denotes that it should be made known; “this gospel of the kingdom” is this truth that it is so; “gospel” denotes the annunciation; “kingdom” denotes truth (that “kingdom” denotes truth may be seen above, n. 1672, 2547); “in the whole inhabited earth” denotes the Christian world (that “earth” is the region where the church is, thus the Christian world, may be seen above, n. 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2928, 3355). The church here is called “inhabited” from the life of faith, that is, from the good which is of truth; for in the internal sense “to inhabit” denotes to live; and the “inhabitants” are the goods of truth (n. 1293, 2268, 2451, 2712, 3384); “for a testimony” denotes that they may know, and not make a pretext that they have been ignorant; “to all nations” denotes to evils (n. 1259, 1260, 1849, 1868, 2588); for when they are in falsity and evil, they no longer know what is true and what is good; they then believe falsity to be truth, and evil to be good, and the reverse; and when the church is in this state, “then shall the end come.” In what now follows and what of the Lord’s Divine mercy will be unfolded prefatory to the next chapter of Genesis, that state of the church is treated of which is called the “abomination of desolation,” which is the third state.

 

 

3489

That the church is of such a character does not appear to those who are within the church; namely, that they despise and hold in aversion all things which are of good and truth; also that they bear enmities against such things, and especially against the Lord himself; for they frequent places of worship, hear preaching, and are in a kind of sanctity when there; they go to the holy supper, and at times converse with one another in a becoming manner concerning such things—this is done by bad men as well as by good men—and they also live among themselves in civic charity or friendship. Consequently in the eyes of men no contempt appears, still less aversion; and less still enmity against the goods and truths of faith, and thus against the Lord. These things however are external forms by which one person misleads another; while the internal forms of the men of the church are altogether unlike, being quite contrary to the external forms. The internal forms are those which are here described, and which are as above mentioned; their real quality appears to the life in the heavens, for the angels do not attend to any other than internal things, that is, to ends, or to intentions and desires, and to the derivative thoughts.

 

[2] How unlike these are to the externals is evident from those who come from the Christian world into the other life, concerning whom see above (n. 2121–2126); for in the other life they think and speak according to their internals alone; for externals are left behind together with the body; and there it is manifest that however peaceable such have seemed in the world, they nevertheless entertained hatred one against another, and against all things which are of faith, and especially against the Lord; for when in the other life the Lord is merely mentioned in their presence, a sphere not only of contempt but also of aversion and enmity against him is manifestly exhaled and diffused from them, even from those who in appearance had spoken and preached piously about him; and it is the same when charity and faith are mentioned.

 

[3] In the internal form (which is there manifested) they are of such a character that if while they had lived in this world their externals had been loosed and removed, that is, had they not then feared for their life and had they not feared the laws, and especially had they not feared for their reputation, on account of the honors which they solicited and pursued, and on account of the wealth which they desired and eagerly sought, they would have rushed one against another with intestine hatred, in accordance with their impulses and thoughts; and would have seized the goods of others without any conscience, and likewise without any conscience would have butchered others, most especially the innocent. Such as regards their interiors are Christians at this day [A.D. 1751], except a few whom they do not know; from which it is evident what is the quality of the church.