571# “他们原是预备好了，到某年某月某日某时”表示不断处于状态。这从“预备好了，到某年某月某日某时”的含义清楚可知，“预备好了，到某年某月某日某时”是指不断处于状态，也就是剥夺自己对真理的一切理解，因而剥夺属灵生命的状态，这由接下来的话来表示，即“要杀人的第三部分”；因为在圣言中，“时”、“日”、“月”、“年”表示生命的状态，无论总体还是具体，故“预备好了”这些时期表示不断处于这种状态。“时”、“日”、“月”、“年”不是指小时、天、月、年，因为在灵界，时间不是划分为这些时间间隔。事实上，天使天堂从中获得光和热的太阳，不像自然界的太阳表面上那样移动；因此，它不是造成年、月、日或时的原因。相反，灵界的时间是按生命的状态来划分的，尽管它们像自然界的时间那样彼此交替。至于这些是什么，可参看《天堂与地狱》，那里论述了天堂的太阳(HH 116–125节)；天堂天使的状态变化(HH 154–161节)；天堂的时间(HH 162–169节)。由此可见，天使“原是预备好了，到某年某月某日某时”表示不断处于接下来所论述的状态。“时”表示状态，“日”、“月”、“年”也是，这一点从圣言中提到它们的经文明显看出来，但在此引用这些经文太冗长了。然而，情况就是这样，这一点可从《天堂与地狱》关于时间的说明，以及从《属天的奥秘》一书清楚看出来：在圣言中，“时间”不是指时间，而是指生命的状态(AC 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 4814, 4901, 4916, 7218, 8070, 10133, 10605节)。“时间”之所以表示状态，是因为灵界没有一天当中被称为早晨、中午、傍晚和夜间的固定时间，也没有一年当中被称为春、夏、秋、冬的固定时间，同样没有如我们世界上那样的光暗和热冷的变化，取而代之的是在爱与信方面的状态变化；从这些不可能有对我们的时间所划分的时间间隔的概念，尽管那里的时间像自然界的那样行进(对此，参看《属天的奥秘》，1274, 1382, 3356, 4882, 6110, 7218节)。由于天使天堂的太阳，也就是主，始终在它的升起之处，不像我们世界的太阳表面上那样转动，并且对天使和灵人来说，只有状态的变化照着他们对爱之良善和信之真理的接受而存在，所以时间对应于状态的变化，并表示它们(《属天的奥秘》，4901, 7381节)。因此，天使和灵人的思维没有时间的概念，这对世人来说是不可能的(《属天的奥秘》，3404节)。
571. Who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year.- That this denotes continually in the state, is evident from the signification of being prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, as denoting to be continually in a state, namely, of depriving themselves of all understanding of truth, and thence of spiritual life, signified by the words which follow: "that they should slay the third part of men." For by hours, days, months, and years, in the Word, are signified states of life in particular and in general, therefore by being prepared for those times, is signified to be continually in that state. The reason why hours, days, months, and years, in the spiritual sense of the Word, do not signify hours, days, months, and years, is, that times in the spiritual world are not distinguished into such intervals. For the Sun, from which the angelic heaven receives its light and its heat, does not move round, as the sun in the natural world does according to appearance, therefore it is not the cause of either years, months, days, or hours. But times in the spiritual world, which are nevertheless successive like times in the natural world, are distinguished by states of life. What these are, may be seen explained in Heaven and Hell, where it is treated concerning the Sun in heaven (n. 116-125); concerning the changes of the states of the angels in heaven (n. 154-162); and concerning time in heaven (n. 162-199). From these considerations it is evident, that by the angels being prepared for an hour, a day, a month, and a year, is signified to be continually in that state, which is treated of in what follows. That an hour signifies a state, and similarly that a day, a month, and a year signify states, is evident from those places in the Word where they are mentioned, but it would take us too long to quote them here. That such however is the case, is clear from what has been shown concerning time in Heaven and Hell; as well as in the Arcana Coelestia, where it is also shown, that times in the Word do not signify times but states of life (n. 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 4814, 4901, 4916, 7218, 8070, 10133, 10605). The reason why times signify states, is also, that in the spiritual world there are not fixed times of the day, called morning, noon, evening, and night, nor fixed times of the year, called spring, summer, autumn, and winter, neither changes of light and shade, of heat and cold, as in our world, but instead of these there are changes of state in regard to love and faith, and from these no idea can exist of the intervals into which our times are divided, although times have progression there as in the natural world; concerning which, see Arcana Coelestia 1274, 1382, 3356, 4882, 6110, 7218). And as the Sun of the angelic heaven, which is the Lord, is continually in its rising (in ortu), and does not make revolutions as the sun of our world appears to do, and as only changes of state exist with the angels and spirits according to their reception of the good of love, and of the truth of faith, therefore times correspond to changes of state and signify them (n. 4901, 7381); and therefore angels and spirits think without the idea of time, which is not possible with man (n. 3404).
571. That had been prepared for the hour, and day, and month, and year, signifies continually in the state. This is evident from the signification of "being prepared for the hour and day and month and year," as being to be continually in the state, that is, of depriving themselves of all understanding of truth, and thence of spiritual life, which is signified by what follows, namely, "that they should kill the third part of men;" for "hours," "days," "months," and "years," signify in the Word the states of life in particular and in general, therefore "to be prepared for" these periods signifies to be continually in that state. "Hours," "days," "months," and "years," do not mean hours, days, months, and years, because in the spiritual world times are not divided into such intervals, for the sun from which the angelic heaven has its light and its heat is not carried around as the sun in the natural world is apparently, therefore it does not cause years, months, days, or hours; but times in the spiritual world, although they succeed each other as times do in the natural world, are distinguished by the states of life. (What these are may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, under the head, The Sun in Heaven, n. 116-125; Changes of the State of the Angels in Heaven, n. 154-161; Time in Heaven, n. 162-169.) From this it can he seen that the angels "had been prepared for the hour, day, month, and year," signifies to be continually in the state that is treated of in what follows. That an "hour," signifies state, so also a "day," a "month," and a "year," in like manner, is evident from the passages in the Word in which they are mentioned, but to quote those passages here would be too lengthy. (This, however, can be seen from what is shown respecting Time in the work on Heaven and Hell; also Arcana Coelestia, that "times" do not signify in the Word times, but states of life, n. 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 4814, 4901, 4916, 7218, 8070, 10133, 10605.) "Times" signify states for the reason that in the spiritual world there are no stated times of the day called morning, noon, evening, and night, nor stated times of the year called spring, summer, autumn, and winter; nor are there changes of light and shade, of heat and cold, as in our world, but instead of these there are changes of state in respect to love and faith; and from these no idea can be had of the intervals into which our times are divided, although times have progression there as in the natural world (as to this see Arcana Coelestia 1274, 1382, 3356, 4882, 6110, 7218). And as the sun of the angelic heaven, which is the Lord, is continually in its rising, and makes no revolutions as the sun of our world apparently does, but there are instead merely changes of state with the angels and spirits according to their reception of the good of love and the truth of faith, therefore times correspond to changes of state and signify them (Arcana Coelestia 4901, 7381). Therefore angels and spirits think apart from any idea of time, which man cannot do (Arcana Coelestia 3404).
571. "Qui parati in horam et diem et mensam et annum." - Quod sit continue in statu, constat ex significatione "parati esse in horam et diem et mensem et annum", quod sit continue in statu esse, nempe deprivandi se omni intellectu veri et inde vita spirituali, quod significatur per illa quae sequuntur, quae sunt, "ut occiderent tertiam partem hominum": per "horas" enim, "dies", "menses", et "annos" in Verbo significantur status vitae in particulari et communi; inde per "esse paratos in illa", significatur continue esse in illo statu.
Quod "horae", "dies", "menses", "anni", non significent horas, dies, menses, annos, est quia in mundo spirituali tempora non sunt distincta in talia intervalla; Sol enim, ex quo caelum angelicum suam lucem et suum calorem habet, non circumfertur sicut sol in mundo naturali ad apparentiam; quare non facit annos, nec menses, nec dies, nec horas; sed tempora ibi, quae usque succedunt sicut tempora in mundo naturali, distinguuntur per status vitae: (qui quales sunt, videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno, ubi agitur De Sole in Caelo, n. 116-125; De Mutationibus Status Angelorum in Caelo, n. 1
154-169: De Tempore in Caelo, n. 162-169): ex his constare potest quod per quod angeli "parati essent in horam, diem, mensem et annum", significetur continue in statu esse illo de quo sequitur.
Quod "hora" significet statum, quod "dies", quod "mensis", et quod "annus" similiter, constare potest ex locis in Verbo ubi nominantur; sed illa loca hic afferre, prolixum nimis foret. (Quod tamen ita sit, constare potest ex illis quae in opere De Caelo et Inferno de tempore ostensa sunt; tum in Arcanis Caelestibus, quod "tempora" in Verbo non significent tempora, sed status vitae, n. 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 4814, 4901, 4916, 7218, 8070, 10133, 10605.) Quod "tempora" significent status, etiam causa est, quod in mundo spirituali non sint stata tempora diei, quae mane, meridies, vespera et nox vocantur; nec stata tempora anni, quae ver, aestas, autumnus et hiems dicuntur; nec vices umbrae et lucis, caloris et frigoris, ut in nostro mundo; sed loco illorum sunt mutationes status quoad amorem et fidem, ex quibus non aliqua notio intervallorum, in quae distincta sunt nostra tempora, dari potest, tametsi tempora progrediuntur ibi sicut in mundo naturali (de qua re in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 1274, 1382, 3356, 4882, 6110, 7218): et quia Sol caeli angelici, qui est Dominus, jugiter in ortu est, nec circumvolutiones facit, sicut apparet sol nostri mundi, sed solum existunt mutationes status apud angelos et spiritus secundum receptionem boni amoris et veri fidei, ideo tempora correspondent mutationibus status, ac illas significant (n. 4901, 7381): quod ideo angeli et spiritus cogitent absque idea temporis, quod homo non potest (n. 3404).
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.