665# “有生命的灵从神那里进入他们里面”表示对一些人来说，为了新教会的开始，来自主的神性真理的流注的光照和对该流注的接受。这从“来自神的生命的灵”和“进入他们里面”的含义清楚可知：“来自神的生命的灵”是指从主发出的神性真理(对此，我们很快就会谈到)；“进入他们里面”，即进入被杀并被丢出去的“见证人”里面，是指“生命的灵”所表示的神性真理的流注的光照和对该流注的接受；它还表示对一些人来说，新教会的建立，这从接下来的经文明显看出来，在那里，经上说“他们就驾着云上了天”，因而所指的是对一些人来说，因为“两个见证人”表示爱之良善和教义之真理，他们还指与这些良善和真理同在的人，因为所有这些人都是“见证人”。
当教会的结束即将来临时，主规定，随后要出现一个新教会，因为没有一个拥有圣言、得以认识主的教会，世界就无法继续存在。事实上，没有圣言，因而没有对主的认识和承认，天堂就无法与人类结合，因此从主发出的神性真理无法以新生命流入；没有与天堂，并通过天堂与主的结合，人将不是一个人，而是一个野兽。这就是为何当旧教会走到尽头时，主总是提供一个新教会。对接下来的经文的解释将说明，为何所指的，仅仅是新教会的开始，而不是它的建立。
前面(AE 24, 183, 318节)已经说明和证明，“来自神的生命的灵”或“神的灵”和“圣灵”表示从主发出的神性，这神性被称为神性真理，一切智慧和聪明都来自神性真理。当一个人正在被改造和重生时，因而当教会正在他里面开始并建立时，那光照并流入他的，正是这发出的神性，这可从前面从圣言所引用的经文(AE 183节)，以及以下以西结书中的经文明显看出来：
耶和华对我说，人子啊，你要向灵发预言，要发预言，对风说，主耶和华如此说，灵啊，要从四风而来，吹进这些被杀的人里面，使他们可以活过来。我发预言的时候，灵就进入他们，他们就活了，并且双脚站起来，成为一支极大的军队。(以西结书37:9, 10)
这段经文论述了先知在山谷表面所看到的“枯骨”，这些“枯骨”是指以色列家；对此，这一章的第11节经文已经明确声明了。“以色列家”表示教会，这家或教会在此被比作“枯骨”，是因为它没有爱之良善或教义之真理。披在骨头上并围绕它们的“筋、肉和皮”，尤其进入他们、使他们活了的灵描述了一个新教会通过吸入新生命，或重生而建立；他们里面的“灵”在此还表示对神性真理的流注和由此而来的属灵生命的接受。先知对风说“灵啊，要从四风而来”，是因为“四风”是指灵界的四个方位，那里的四个方位表示整个范围内或整体上的爱之良善和教义之真理。关于这些事物的含义，可参看前文(AE 417, 418, 419d,e, 422节)和《天堂与地狱》(141–150节)。
665. The spirit of life from God entered into them.- That this signifies enlightenment and the reception in some of Divine Truth from the Lord for the beginning of a new church, is evident from the signification of the spirit of life from God, as denoting the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, concerning which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of entering into them, namely, into the witnesses that were slain and cast forth, as denoting enlightenment and the reception of influx, namely, of Divine Truth, which is signified by the spirit of life. That this takes place with some for establishing a new church is evident from the verse that follows, where it is said, that they ascended into heaven in a cloud, thus with some. For the two witnesses signify the goods of love and truths of doctrine, and those are meant with whom these are, for all such are witnesses.
[2] When the end of the church is at hand, it is then provided by the Lord that a new church shall succeed, because without a church in which the Word is, and in which the Lord is known, the world could not continue to exist. For without the Word, and the knowledge and acknowledgment of the Lord, heaven could not be conjoined to the human race, and consequently the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord could not flow-in with new life. And without conjunction with heaven, and by that means with the Lord, a man would not be a man, but a beast; for this reason a new church is always provided by the Lord, when the old comes to its end. The reason why the beginning only of a new church is meant, and not yet its establishment, will be shown in the explanation of the verse that follows.
[3] That by the spirit of life from God, or by the spirit of God, and by the Holy Spirit, is meant the proceeding Divine from the Lord, called the Divine Truth, from which are all wisdom and intelligence, has been said and shown above (n. 37:9, 10).
[4] This treats of the dry bones seen by the prophet upon the faces of the valley, by which the house of Israel is signified, as is plainly declared in verse 11 of the same chapter. And the house of Israel signifies the church, which house or church is there compared to dry bones, because it possesses no good of love or truth of doctrine. The establishment of a new church by the in-breathing of new life, or by regeneration, is described by the sinews, flesh, and skin, with which the bones were clothed and encompassed, and especially by the spirit which entered into them, and from which they lived. The spirit in them also signifies there the reception of the influx of Divine Truth, and spiritual life therefrom. The prophet said unto the wind, "come, O spirit, from the four winds," because the four winds signify the four quarters in the spiritual world, and the four quarters there signify the goods of love and the truths of doctrine in their entirety. Concerning the signification of these things it may be seen above (n. 417, 418, 419, 422, and in the Heaven and Hell, 141-150).
665. The spirit of life from God entered into them, signifies enlightenment and the reception of Divine truth from the Lord with some for the beginning of the New Church. This is evident from the signification of "the spirit of life from God," as being the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (of which presently); also from the signification of "entering into them," namely, into the "witnesses" that were slain and cast forth, as being enlightenment and reception of influx, namely, of Divine truth, which is signified by "the spirit of life;" it means also with some for establishing the New Church, as is evident from the following verse, where it is said that "they went up into heaven in the cloud," thus it is meant with some, for "the two witnesses" signify the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, also they mean those with whom these goods and truths are, for all such are "witnesses."
[2] When the end of the church is at hand then it is provided by the Lord that a New Church shall succeed, for without a church in which is the Word and in which the Lord is known, the world cannot subsist; for without the Word, and thence the knowledge and acknowledgment of the Lord, heaven cannot be conjoined to the human race, nor therefore can the Divine proceeding from the Lord flow in with new life; and without conjunction with heaven and through that with the Lord, man would not be a man, but a beast. This is why a New Church is always provided by the Lord when an old church comes to its end. Why the beginning only of the New Church and not yet its establishment is meant, shall be told in the explanation of the following verse.
[3] That "the spirit of life from God" or "the Spirit of God," and "the Holy Spirit," mean the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is called the Divine truth, from which is all wisdom and intelligence, has been said and shown above (n. Ezekiel 37:9, 10).
[4] This treats of "the dry bones" seen by the prophet upon the face of the valley, which signify the house of Israel, as is plainly declared in verse 11 of that chapter. "The house of Israel" signifies the church, and that house or church is here compared to "dry bones" because it had no good of love or truth of doctrine. The establishment of a New Church by the inbreathing of a new life, or by regeneration, is described by the "sinews, flesh, and skin," with which the bones were clothed and encompassed, and especially by the "spirit" that entered into them, and from which they lived; the "spirit" in them here signifies also the reception of the influx of Divine truth and consequent spiritual life. The prophet said to the wind, "Come from the four winds, O spirit," because "the four winds" signify the four quarters in the spiritual world, and the four quarters there signify the goods of love and the truths of doctrine in the whole complex. (On the signification of these see above, n. 417, 418, 419, 422, and in the work on Heaven and Hell 141-150.)
665. "Spiritus vitae a Deo intravit in illos." - Quod significet illustrationem et receptionem Divini Veri a Domino apud quosdam, ad novam ecclesiam incohandam, constat a significatione "spiritus vitae a Deo", quod sit Divinum Verum procedens a Domino (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "intrare in illos", nempe in "testes" occisos et projectos, quod sit illustratio et receptio influxus, nempe Divini Veri, quod per "spiritum vitae" significatur; quod sit apud quosdam, ad novam ecclesiam instaurandam, patet a versu sequente, ubi dicitur quod "ascenderint in caelum in nube", ita apud quosdam; nam per "binos testes" significantur bona amoris et vera doctrinae, ac intelliguntur ii apud quos illa sunt, omnes enim illi sunt testes.
[2] Quando finis ecclesiae instat, tunc providetur a Domino ut nova ecclesia succedat; nam mundus absque ecclesia, in qua Verbum est et in qua Dominus notus, non subsistere potest: absque Verbo enim, et inde cognitione et agnitione Domini, caelum non potest conjungi humano generi, proinde nec Divinum a Domino procedens cum nova vita influere; et absque conjunctione cum caelo, et per id cum Domino, homo non foret homo, sed bestia; inde est quod semper a Domino nova ecclesia provideatur, quando vetus finitur: quod incohatio ecclesiae novae solum intelligatur, et nondum ejus instauratio, dicetur causa in sequentis versus explicatione.
[3] Quod per "spiritum vitae a Deo", seu per "spiritum Dei", ac per "spiritum sanctum", intelligatur Divinum procedens a Domino, quod vocatur Divinum Verum, ex quo omnis sapientia et intelligentia, supra (n. 24, 183, 318) dictum et ostensum est: hoc Divinum procedens est quod illustrat hominem, et quod influit apud illum, cum reformatur et regeneratur, ita quando incohat et instauratur ecclesia apud illum, ut manifeste constare potest a locis e Verbo supra (n. 183) allatis; et quoque ab hoc apud Ezechielem,
Jehovah "dixit ad me, Propheta super spiritu, et propheta, fili hominis, et dic ad ventum, Sic dixit Dominus Jehovih, A quatuor ventis veni, spiritus, et inspira in occisos hos, ut vivant: et cum prophetavi, ...intravit in eos spiritus, et revixerunt, et steterunt super pedibus suis, exercitus magnus valde admodum" (37:9, 10):
[4] agitur ibi de "ossibus aridis" visis prophetae super faciebus vallis, per quae significatur domus Israelis, ut manifeste dicitur versu 11, ibi; et per "domum Israelis" significatur ecclesia; quae domus seu ecclesia comparatur ibi "ossibus aridis", quia illi non bonum amoris et verum doctrinae; instauratio novae ecclesiae per inspirationem novae vitae, seu per regenerationem, describitur per "nervos", "carnem" et "cutem", quibus induta et circumducta sunt ossa, et imprimis per "spiritum" qui intravit in illos, ex quo vixerunt; per "spiritum" in illis etiam ibi significatur receptio influxus Divini Veri, et inde vita spiritualis: quod propheta diceret ad ventum, "A quatuor ventis veni, spiritus", est quia per "quatuor ventos" significantur quatuor plagae in mundo spirituali, et per "quatuor plagas" ibi significantur bona amoris et vera doctrinae in omni complexu (de qua earum significatione videatur supra, n. 417, 418, 419 [d, e] , 422; et in opere De Caelo et Inferno 141-150 1
).
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.