HH.0.0.1, (주2).AC.3751-3757, '주님의 예언들'(마24:19-22)

※ (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).

 

 

THE LAST TIME OF THE CHURCH (마24:19-22)

 

3751

By way of preface to the preceding chapter an explication was given of what the Lord foretold in Matthew 24:15–18 concerning the last time of the church. Following this order there are now to be unfolded—by way of preface to the present chapter—the contents of the succeeding verses (19 to 22); namely, the words:

 

19그 날에는 아이 밴 자들과 젖 먹이는 자들에게 화가 있으리로다 20너희가 도망하는 일이 겨울에나 안식일에 되지 않도록 기도하라 21이는 그 때에 큰 환난이 있겠음이라 창세로부터 지금까지 이런 환난이 없었고 후에도 없으리라 22그 날들을 감하지 아니하면 모든 육체가 구원을 얻지 못할 것이나 그러나 택하신 자들을 위하여 그 날들을 감하시리라 (마24:19-22) But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath; for then shall be great affliction, such as was not since the beginning of the world even until now, neither shall be. And except those days should be shortened there should no flesh be preserved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Matt. 24:19–22).

 

 

3752

No one can possibly comprehend the signification of these words unless he is enlightened by the internal sense. That they are not said concerning the destruction of Jerusalem appears from many things in the chapter, as from this:

 

그 날들을 감하지 아니하면 모든 육체가 구원을 얻지 못할 것이나 그러나 택하신 자들을 위하여 그 날들을 감하시리라 Except those days should be shortened there should no flesh be preserved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened;

 

and from the following:

 

그 날 환난 후에 즉시 해가 어두워지며 달이 빛을 내지 아니하며 별들이 하늘에서 떨어지며 하늘의 권능들이 흔들리리라 그 때에 인자의 징조가 하늘에서 보이겠고 그들이 인자가 구름을 타고 능력과 큰 영광으로 오는 것을 보리라 After the affliction 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 shall appear the sign of the son of man; and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory;

 

and from other passages. That neither are the words now under consideration said concerning the destruction of the world, is also evident from many things contained in the same chapter; as from those which precede:

 

지붕 위에 있는 자는 집 안에 있는 물건을 가지러 내려가지 말며 밭에 있는 자는 겉옷을 가지러 뒤로 돌이키지 말지어다 He that is on the housetop, let him not come down to take anything out of his house; and he who is in the field, let him not return back to take his garments;

 

and also from these now brought under consideration:

 

너희가 도망하는 일이 겨울에나 안식일에 되지 않도록 기도하라 Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath;

 

and from the following:

 

그 때에 두 사람이 밭에 있으매 한 사람은 데려가고 한 사람은 버려둠을 당할 것이요 두 여자가 맷돌질을 하고 있으매 한 사람은 데려가고 한 사람은 버려둠을 당할 것이니라 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left; two women shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left.

 

But it is evident that the words in question are said concerning the last time of the church, that is, concerning its vastation; for the church is said to be vastated when there is no longer any charity.

 

 

3753

Everyone who thinks about the Lord with reverence and who believes that the Divine was in him, and that he spoke from the Divine, is able to know and believe that the above words, like the rest the Lord taught and spoke, were not spoken of one nation only, but of the universal human race; and not of its worldly, but of its spiritual state; and also that the Lord’s words comprehended the things which are of his kingdom and of the church, for these are Divine and eternal. Whoever believes in this manner, concludes that these words: “woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days” do not signify those who are with child and give suck; and that the words: “pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath” do not signify any flight on account of worldly enemies; and so in regard to the rest.

 

 

3754

In the preceding verses there were treated of three states of the perversion of good and truth in the church; and in the present verses a fourth state is treated of, which is also the last. Concerning the first state it was shown that it was that men began no longer to know what was good and true, but disputed among themselves concerning good and truth, whence came falsities (n. 3354). Concerning the second state, that it was that men began to despise good and truth, and also to hold them in aversion, and thus that faith in the Lord was about to expire, according to the degrees in which charity was about to cease (n. 3487–3488). Concerning the third state, that it was a state of desolation of the church in respect to good and truth (n. 3651–3652). Concerning the fourth state, we are now to show that it is that of the profanation of good and truth. That this state is here described may be seen from all the particulars in the internal sense, which is as follows.

 

 

3755

그 날에는 아이 밴 자들과 젖 먹이는 자들에게 화가 있으리로다 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days;

 

signifies those who have been imbued with the good of love to the Lord and the good of innocence. “Woe” is a form of expression signifying the danger of eternal damnation; “to be with child” is to conceive the good of heavenly love; “to give suck” is also a state of innocence; “those days” denote the states in which the church then is.

 

[2] 너희가 도망하는 일이 겨울에나 안식일에 되지 않도록 기도하라 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath;

 

signifies removal from those things, that it be not done precipitately, in a state of too much cold or of too much heat. “Flight” is removal from a state of the good of love and of innocence, just now spoken of; “flight in the winter” is removal therefrom in a state of too much cold; “cold” is when there is aversion to love and innocence, which is induced by the loves of self; “flight on the sabbath” is removal from them in a state of too much heat; “heat” is external sanctity, while within are the love of self and the love of the world.

 

[3] 이는 그 때에 큰 환난이 있겠음이라 창세로부터 지금까지 이런 환난이 없었고 후에도 없으리라 For then shall be great affliction, such as was not since the beginning of the world even until now, neither shall be;

 

signifies the highest degree of the perversion and vastation of the church in respect to good and truth, which is profanation; for profanation of what is holy occasions death eternal and much more grievous than any other states of evil, and so much the more grievous in proportion as the goods and truths profaned are of a more interior kind; and inasmuch as such interior goods and truths are open and known in the Christian church, and are profaned, it is said that “then shall be great affliction such as was not from the beginning of the world even until now, neither shall be.”

 

[4] 그 날들을 감하지 아니하면 모든 육체가 구원을 얻지 못할 것이나 그러나 택하신 자들을 위하여 그 날들을 감하시리라 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be preserved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened;

 

signifies the removal of those who are of the church from interior goods and truths to exterior, so that those may still be saved who are in the life of good and truth; by the “days being shortened” is signified a state of removal; by “no flesh being preserved” is signified that otherwise none could be saved; by “the elect” are signified those who are in the life of good and truth.

 

 

3756

That this is the internal sense of these words could be fully shown—as that by “those who are with child” are signified those who first become imbued with good; and that by “those who give suck” are signified those who become imbued with a state of innocence; that by “flight” is signified removal from good and innocence; by “winter,” aversion to such goods through the love of self taking possession of the interiors; and by “flight on the sabbath,” profanation, which takes place when there is holiness in externals, and the love of self and the world within. But as the same words and similar expressions occur throughout in what follows, of the Lord’s Divine mercy their signification shall then be shown to be such as is here stated.

 

 

3757

But as regards the profanation of what is holy, few know what it is; yet this can be seen from what has been already stated and shown concerning it, namely, that those are able to profane holy things who know, acknowledge, and become imbued with good and truth; but not those who do not acknowledge, and still less those who do not know them (see n. 593, 1008, 1010, 1059, 3398); thus that they who are within the church can profane holy things, but not they who are without it (n. 2051); that they who are of the celestial church can profane holy goods, and that they who are of the spiritual church can profane holy truths (n. 3399); that therefore interior truths were not disclosed to the Jews, lest they should profane them (n. 3398); that the Gentiles can least of all profane (n. 2051); that profanation is a commingling and conjunction of good and evil, and also of truth and falsity (n. 1001, 1003, 2426); that this was signified by the eating of blood, which was so severely prohibited in the Jewish church (n. 1003); that therefore in so far as possible men are withheld from the acknowledgment and faith of good and truth, unless they are able to remain therein (n. 3398, 3402); and that on this account they are kept in ignorance (n. 301–303); and that worship also becomes external (n. 1327–1328); that internal truths are not revealed until the church has been vastated, because then good and truth can no longer be profaned (n. 3398, 3399); that this was the reason why the Lord then first came into the world (n. 3398); how great a danger there is from the profanation of what is holy and of the Word (n. 571, 582).