748# 启12:11.“他们胜过他，是因羔羊的血”表示通过从主的神性人身发出的神性真理抵抗并得胜。这从“血”和“羔羊”的含义清楚可知：“血”当论及主时，是指从祂发出的神性真理(参看AE 328a–c, 329a–f节)；“羔羊”是指神性真理方面的主(参看AE 314节)；由此可见，“胜过龙，是因羔羊的血”表示通过从主的神性人身发出的神性真理战胜他，也就是战胜“龙同他的使者”所表示的那些人。之所以说从主的神性人身发出的神性真理，是因为充满天堂，并构成天堂里的天使智慧的一切神性真理都从主的神性人身发出；主的神性人身与自成孕时就在祂里面的神性本身结合，以至于他们为一；自成孕时就在祂里面的神性本身就是祂称为父的；这神性与祂的人身合一，如同灵魂与身体合一；这就是为何主说：祂与父为一(约翰福音10:30, 38)；祂在父里面，父在祂里面(约翰福音14:7–11)。由于存在这样一种合一，所以主的人身得了荣耀之后，神性真理就从祂的神性人身发出。从主的神性人身发出的神性真理就是那被称为“圣灵”的。这神性真理从主得了荣耀的人身发出，主自己在约翰福音教导了这一点：
圣灵还没有来，因为耶稣还没有得荣耀。(约翰福音7:39)
得了荣耀的人身就是神性人身。不过，关于这个主题，详情可参看《新耶路撒冷及其属天教义》(280–310节)，以及《天堂与地狱》从头到尾。“羔羊的血”表示从主的神性人身发出的神性(可参看AE 476节)。
由此可见，圣言的字义多么不同于它的灵义；当仅以一种外在方式，不同时从内在看待圣言时，圣言如何被歪曲。这种不同何等之大，可从以下考虑清楚看出来：“羔羊的血”在字义上表示主的十字架受难，但在灵义上却表示从主的神性人身发出的神性真理。因此，如果字面上的真理，即米迦勒凭主的十字架受难战胜龙，被视为真实的真理，那么随之而来的结果是，主以此除去世上所有的罪，也以此打动祂的父怜悯人类；然而，这些观念与天上的天使所拥有的神性真理并不和谐一致，与对真理的正确理解也不和谐一致。谁会以为主凭十字架受难除去世上所有的罪，尽管每个人死后都会变成他在世上的生活的样子，作恶的下地狱，行善的上天堂？谁会以为父神因儿子在十字架上的血而动了怜悯之心，尽管祂自己就是怜悯本身，爱本身和良善本身？由此清楚可知，在此处和其它上千个地方，仅从外在，没有同时从内在被看待的圣言被歪曲了。从外在看圣言，就是从字面来看它；但从内在看圣言，就是从纯正真理的教义来看它。当从教义相信，主通过试探征服众地狱，同时荣耀了祂的人身，十字架受难是最后的试探和完全的胜利，祂通过这试探征服了众地狱，荣耀了祂的人身时，这一切就能被理解，从而被相信了；米迦勒凭十字架受难获胜，就成了表面的真理；而他凭从主的神性人身发出的神性真理获胜，就成了真实的真理。但当表面真理被视为真实的真理，并被确认时，圣言就被歪曲了，如前面以举例的方式所说明的(AE 719节)。
748. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.- That this signifies resistance and victory by means of Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord, is evident from the signification of blood, when used in reference to the Lord, as denoting the Divine Truth proceeding from Him (concerning which see above, n. Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 280-310), also in Heaven and Hell, from beginning to end. That the blood of the Lamb means the Divine proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord, may be seen above (n. 476).
[2] From these things it can be seen how much the sense of the letter of the Word differs from its spiritual sense; also, how the Word is falsified, when it is regarded exteriorly, and not also interiorly. How much it differs is plain from this, that the blood of the Lamb, in the sense of the letter, means the Lord's passion of the cross, but in the spiritual sense, the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human. If therefore it were to be taken as the literal truth that Michael conquered the dragon by the Lord's passion of the cross, it would follow as a consequence that the Lord by this took away all the sins of the world, and also by this moved His Father to mercy towards mankind, when yet these ideas are in harmony neither with Divine Truth which the angels in heaven possess, nor with a correct understanding of truth. Who could ever suppose that the Lord by the passion of the cross took away all the sins of the world, when notwithstanding every man's character after death is such as his life had been in the world, those who do evil coming into hell, and those who do good into heaven? Who can suppose that God the Father was moved to mercy by the blood of His Son on the cross, and that he had need of such a means, when nevertheless He is in Himself mercy itself, love itself, and good itself? From these things it is evident that the Word here, and in a thousand other places, regarded exteriorly only and not interiorly, is falsified. To regard it exteriorly is to look at it from the letter, but to regard it interiorly is to look at it from the doctrine of genuine truth. When it is believed from doctrine that the Lord subjugated the hells, and at the same time glorified His Human by means of temptations, and that the passion of the cross was the last temptation and the complete victory, by which He subjugated the hells, and glorified His Human, then this can be understood and believed; and that Michael conquered by the passion of the cross is seen to be an apparent truth; but that he conquered by means of Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord is seen to be a real truth. But if the apparent truth is taken for the real truth and confirmed, the Word is then falsified, according to what was stated above (n. 719), by way of illustration.
748. Verse 11. And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb, signifies resistance and victory by Divine truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of "blood," as being, in reference to the Lord, Divine truth proceeding (See above, n. n. 280-310; also in Heaven and Hell, from beginning to end. That "the blood of the Lamb" means the Divine proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human, may be seen above, n. 476.)
[2] From this it can be seen how much the sense of the letter of the Word differs from its spiritual sense; also how the Word is falsified when it is regarded in a merely exterior way, and not at the same time interiorly. How great the difference is can be seen from this, that "the blood of the Lamb" in the sense of the letter means the Lord's passion of the cross, but in the spiritual sense Divine truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human. If, then, that Michael conquered the dragon by the Lord's passion of the cross is taken as the real truth, it follows thence that by this the Lord took away all the sins of the world, and also by this moved His Father to mercy towards the human race; and yet these ideas are not in harmony with Divine truth which the angels in heaven have, nor with the genuine understanding of truth. How can it be understood that the Lord by the passion of the cross took away all the sins of the world, when yet every man after death becomes such as his life has been in the world, those who do evil coming into hell, and those who do good into heaven? And how can it be understood that God the Father was moved to mercy by the blood of the Son on the cross, and that He had need of such means, when yet He is in Himself mercy itself, love itself, and good itself? From this it is evident that the Word, here and in a thousand other places is falsified if it is looked at in a mere exterior way, and not at the same time interiorly. To look at it exteriorly is to look at it from the letter, but to look at it interiorly is to look at it from the doctrine of genuine truth. When it is believed from doctrine that the Lord subjugated the hells and at the same time glorified His Human by means of temptations, and that the passion of the cross was the last temptation and complete victory by which He subjugated the hells and glorified His Human, this can be understood and consequently believed; and that Michael conquered by the passion of the cross becomes an apparent truth, while that He conquered by the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human becomes the real truth. But when the apparent truth is taken for the real truth, and is confirmed, then the Word is falsified, according to what has been set forth above (n. 719) in the way of illustration.
748. [Vers. 11.] "Et illi vicerunt illum per sanguinem Agni" - Quod significet resistentiam et victoriam per Divinum Verum procedens ex Divino Humano Domini, constat ex significatione "sanguinis", cum de Domino, quod sit Divinum Verum procedens (de qua supra, n. 328 [a-c] 329[a-f]); ex significatione "Agni", quod sit Dominus quoad Divinum Humanum (de qua etiam supra, n. 314); ex quibus constare potest quod per "vincere draconem per sanguinem Agni" significetur vincere illum, hoc est, illos qui per "draconem et angelos ejus" significantur, per Divinum Verum procedens ex Divino Humano Domini. Dicitur Divinum Verum procedens ex Divino Humano Domini, ex causa, quia omne Divinum Verum, quod implet caelos, et facit sapientiam angelorum in caelis, procedit ex Divino Humano Domini; Divinum enim Humanum Domini unitum est ipsi Divino, quod in Ipso ex conceptione erat, adeo ut unum sint: ipsum Divinum, quod a conceptione in Ipso erat, est quod vocavit Patrem; hoc cum Humano Ipsius unitum est sicut anima cum corpore; inde est quod Dominus dicat
Se unum esse cum Patre (Johannes 10:30, 38);
Et quod Ipse in Patre sit et Pater in Ipso (14:7-11);
et quia talis unio est, ideo Divinum Verum post glorificationem Humani Ipsius procedit ex Divino Humano Ipsius. Divinum Verum procedens ex Divino Humano Domini est quod vocatur "Spiritus Sanctus"; quod hic procedat ex Humano Domini glorificato, docet Ipse apud Johannem,
"Nondum erat Spiritus Sanctus, quia Jesus nondum glorificatus erat" (7:39);
Humanum glorificatum est Divinum Humanum. (Sed de his plura videantur in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 280-310; tum in opere De Caelo et Inferno, a principio ad finem: quod per "sanguinem Agni" intelligatur Divinum procedens ex Divino Humano Domini, videatur supra, n. 476.)
[2] Ex his videri potest quantum differt sensus litterae Verbi ex sensu spirituali ejus; tum quomodo falsificatur Verbum, si modo exterius, et non simul interius, spectetur. Quantum differt, constare potest ex eo, quod per "sanguinem Agni" in sensu litterae intelligatur passio crucis Domini, at in sensu spirituali Divinum Verum procedens ex Divino Humano Domini; quare si pro ipso vero assumitur quod Michael draconem vicerit per passionem crucis Domini, inde sequitur quod Dominus per illam sustulerit omnia peccata mundi, et quoque per illam Patrem suum ad misericordiam pro humano genere commoverit; cum tamen hoc et illud non concordat cum Divino Vero quod est apud angelos in caelo, et quoque discordat cum genuino intellectu Veri. Quis usquam intelligere potest quod Dominus per passionem crucis sustulerit omnia peccata mundi, cum tamen unusquisque homo post mortem fit qualis ejus vita fuit in mundo, et qui mala faciunt in infernum 1
veniunt, et qui bona faciunt in caelum? Quis intelligere potest quod Deus Pater ad misericordiam ex sanguine Filii in cruce commoveretur, et quod tali medio opus habuerit, cum tamen est ipsa Misericordia, ipse Amor, et ipsum Bonum in Se? Ex his patet quod Verbum hic, et in mille aliis locis, falsificetur, si modo exterius, et non simul interius, spectatur: exterius illud spectare est ex littera, at interius spectare est ex doctrina genuini Veri. Si ex doctrina credatur quod Dominus subjugaverit inferna, et simul glorificaverit Humanum suum per tentationes, et quod passio crucis fuerit ultima tentatio et plena victoria, per quam subjugavit inferna, et simul glorificavit Humanum suum, tunc cadit id sub intellectum, et inde in fidem; fitque hoc, quod Michael vicerit per passionem crucis, verum apparens; at quod vicerit illum per Divinum Verum procedens a Divino Humano Domini, fit verum reale: at si apparens verum sumitur pro vero reali, et confirmatur, tunc falsificatur Verbum, secundum illa quae supra (n. 719), illustrationis causa, allata sunt.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.