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415. 四十三, 天堂的浩瀚
主的天堂浩瀚无边, 这一点从前几节的许多阐述和说明, 尤其从以下事实可推知, 即: 天堂出自人类(参看311-317节), 既出自那些生在教会的人, 也出自那些生在教会外的人(参看318-328节). 这意味着天堂包括自地球开始以来所有过着良善生活的人. 凡对地球各大洲, 地区, 国家有所了解的人, 都能推断出全球人口何等之多. 不管谁来计算, 都会发现, 每天都有数以万计的人死亡, 也就是说, 每年死亡的人以百万, 甚至千万计. 从数千年前的亘古时代开始, 这一过程就在持续进行. 所有这些人死后都进入另一个世界, 也就是所谓的灵界, 并且他们仍不断在进入. 但我不能说其中有多少人已经成为或正在成为天堂天使. 我被告知, 上古之人绝大多数成为天使, 因为那时人们的思维更内在, 更属灵, 他们因这种思维而处于天堂的情感; 但后来时代的人成为天使的, 则没有那么多, 因为随着时间推移, 人们变得越来越外在, 思维也开始变得越来越属世, 他们因这种思维而处于尘世的情感. 这一切证明, 单单来自地球居民的天堂何等巨大.
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415. 天國的浩瀚廣大
對於主的天國的浩瀚與廣大, 這從前面的很多描述可知, 特別是天國源起於人類(參311-317節), 既包括出身教內者, 也包括出身教外者(參318-328節)等事實。這意味著自地球創始以來, 凡過良善生活者, 皆屬於天國。
熟悉地球各大洲, 地區, 國家的人, 可推知全球的人口是巨大的。以數學統計, 每天離世者數以萬計, 每年則數以百萬計。從數千年前的遠古時代開始, 這過程一直在延續。所有這些人, 死後都進入了心靈世界, 而且這一幕每天都在上演。
我不知這當中有多少人已成為天人或正成為天人, 但我被告知, 遠古時代的人多數成了天人, 以其思想更深沉, 更屬靈, 因而專注於屬天的情感。相比之下, 後來的時代, 成為天人的人有所減少。因為隨著時間的推移, 人逐漸變得外在, 開始在肉體的層次思考, 因而沉迷於塵世的情感。
所以, 單單從地球的人口, 即可知天國是廣大的。
415. The Vastness of Heaven
The vastness of the Lord's heaven follows from many of the things that have been presented above, especially from the fact that heaven is from the human race (see 311-317), not only that portion of it born within the church but also the portion born outside it (see 318-328). This means that heaven includes everyone who has lived a good life since the very beginning of our planet.
Anyone familiar with the continents and regions and nations of this world may gather what a multitude of people there are on our whole globe. Anyone who goes into the mathematics of it will discover that thousands and thousands of people die on any given day, making hundreds of thousands or millions every year; and this has been going on since the earliest times, thousands of years ago. All of these people have arrived in the other world, called the spiritual world, after their decease, and they are still arriving.
I cannot say how many of these are or are becoming angels of heaven. I have been told that most of the earliest people became angels, because they thought more deeply and spiritually and were therefore enveloped in heavenly affection; while for later ages it was not so many because as time passed we became more externally minded and began to think more on the natural level, which meant that we were enveloped in more earthly affection.
This enables us to gather at the outset that heaven is huge simply from the inhabitants of this planet.
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415. THE IMMENSITY OF HEAVEN
That the heaven of the Lord is immense can be confirmed from many things that have been said and shown in the foregoing sections, especially from this, that heaven is from the human race (see above, 311-317), both from those born within the Church and from those born out of it (318-328); thus it consists of all from the beginning of this earth who have lived a good life. How great a multitude of men there is on the entire face of the globe anyone who knows anything about the divisions, the regions, and kingdoms of the earth may conclude. Whoever goes into a calculation will find that several thousands of men die every day, that is, some myriads or millions every year; and this from the earliest times, since which several thousands of years have elapsed. All of these after death have come into the other world, which is called the spiritual world, and they are constantly coming into it. But how many of these have become or are becoming angels of heaven cannot be told. This I have been told, that in ancient times the number was very great, because men then thought more interiorly and spiritually, and from such thought were in heavenly affection; but in the following ages not so many, because in the process of time man became more external and began to think more naturally, and from such thought to be in earthly affection. All of this confirms how great heaven is even from the inhabitants of this earth alone.
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415. XLIII. THE IMMENSITY OF HEAVEN.
The immensity of the heaven of the Lord is evident from many things that have been said and shown in the foregoing chapters, especially from this, that heaven is from the human race (311-317), both from those born within the church and from those born out of it (318-328); thus it consists of all from the beginning of this earth that have lived a good life. How great a multitude of men there is in this entire world any one who knows anything about the divisions, the regions, and kingdoms of the earth may conclude. Whoever goes into a calculation will find that several thousands of men die every day, that is, some myriads of millions every year; and this from the earliest times, since which several thousands of years have elapsed. All of these after death have gone into the other world, which is called the spiritual world, and they are constantly going into it. But how many of these have become or are becoming angels of heaven cannot be told. This I have been told, that in ancient times the number was very great, because men then thought more interiorly and spiritually, and from such thought were in heavenly affection; but in the following ages not so many, because in the process of time man became more external and began to think more naturally, and from such thought to be in earthly affection. All of this shows how great heaven is even from the inhabitants of this earth alone.
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415. [XLIII.] DE IMMENSITATE CAELI.
Quod caelum Domini immensum sit, constare potest ex pluribus quae in antecedentibus dicta et ostensa sunt; cumprimis ex eo, quod caelum sit ex humano genere (videatur supra, 311-317), et non modo ex illo, quod intra ecclesiam natum est, sed etiam ex illo, quod extra (318-328): ita ex omnibus a primo ortu hujus telluris, qui in bono vixerunt. Quanta multitudo hominum in universo hoc terrarum orbe est, quisque qui de partibus, regionibus et regnis hujus telluris aliquid novit, concludere potest. Qui calculum init, deprehendet, quod inde ad plura millia hominum quolibet die obeant, ita intra annum ad aliquot myriades seu milliones; et hoc a primis temporibus, a quibus intercesserunt aliquot millia annorum; qui omnes post obitum in alterum mundum, qui vocatur mundus spiritualis, venerunt, et jugiter veniunt. Quot autem ex illis angeli caeli facti sunt et fiunt, non dici potest; hoc mihi dictum est, quod antiquis temporibus permulti, quia tunc homines interius et plus spiritualiter cogitaverunt, ac inde in caelesti affectione fuerunt at quod sequentibus aevis non tam multi, quia homo successu temporis exterior factus est, et plus naturaliter coepit cogitare, et inde in terrestri affectione esse. Ex his primum constare potest, quod caelum ex solis incolis hujus telluris magnum sit.