271# 既然早已预言，在此教会之末期，亦将有黑暗兴起；其因乃由于不认识主乃天地之上帝，又由于信仰与仁义分离。为免由此使人对圣言的纯正理解灭亡，教会也随之灭亡，故主如今乐意启示圣言的灵义，并显明圣言在此意义中，又由此在字义中，含有不可胜数之事；藉这些事，几乎已经熄灭的、由圣言而来的真理之光，可以得以恢复。
在启示录多处曾预言，此教会之末期，真理之光几乎将被熄灭；此意亦为主以下话语所指：“那些日子的灾难一过，日头就变黑了，月亮也不放光，众星要从天上坠落，天上的权能也要震动；那时，他们要看见人子带着能力和大荣耀，驾着天上的云降临”（太24:29-30）。
此处“日头”是指主就爱而言；“月亮”是指主就信仰而言；“众星”是指真与善的知识而言；“人子”是指主就圣言而言；“云”是指圣言字义；“荣耀”是指圣言的灵义，以及此灵义透过其字义所显出的透光性；“权能”则指圣言的能力。
271# 经上预言，在当今教会结束时，黑暗将再次出现，因为当今教会不知道主是天地之神，并将信与仁分离。因此，为了防止对圣言的真正理解灭亡，教会也因此灭亡，主乐意在这个时候揭示圣言的灵义或属灵意义，并表明，圣言在属灵意义上，并从属灵意义而在属世意义上包含无数事物；通过这些事物，几乎熄灭的来自圣言的真理之光可以恢复。在当今教会结束时，真理之光几乎会熄灭，这一点在启示录中的许多地方都预言了。这也是主说这些话的意思：
那些日子的灾难一过去，日头就变黑了，月亮也不放光，众星要从天上坠落，天势都要震动。那时，他们要看见人子，有荣耀，有能力，驾着天上的云降临。（马太福音24:29，30）
此处“日头”是指在爱方面的主；“月亮”是指在信方面的主；“众星”是指在真理和良善的知识方面的主；“人子”是指在圣言方面的主；“云”是指圣言的字义；“荣耀”是指圣言的灵义，它通过字义发光；“能力”是指圣言的能力。
271. It has been predicted that at the end of this church darkness will arise again through ignorance that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth and through separation of faith from goodwill. Therefore to prevent the loss of a genuine understanding of the Word and a consequent loss of the church, the Lord has now chosen to reveal the spiritual meaning of the Word. He has chosen to reveal the fact that in this meaning, and from it in the earthly meaning, the Word contains countless things for restoring the church's light of truth, which has almost gone out.
Many passages in the Book of Revelation predict that at the end of this church the light of truth will almost go out. This is also the meaning of the following words of the Lord:
Immediately after the affliction of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Humankind coming in the clouds of heaven with glory and power. (Matthew 24:29-30)
"The sun" here means love for the Lord, "the moon" means faith in the Lord, and "the stars" mean concepts of what is good and true. The Son of Humankind means the Lord in his role as the Word. "The cloud" means the Word's literal meaning, and "the glory" means the Word's spiritual meaning and the way it shines through the literal meaning. "The powers" mean the Word's power.
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271. Since it has been predicted that at the end of the present church too darkness will arise, due to its failure to know that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and due to the separation of faith from charity, it has now pleased the Lord, so that this should not result in the loss of a genuine understanding of the Word and so the loss of the church, to reveal its spiritual sense, and to demonstrate that the Word in that sense, and from this in the natural sense, contains countless means whereby the light of truth coming from the Word, which is almost extinguished, may be restored. Many passages in Revelation predict that the light of truth will be almost extinguished at the end of the present church; and this too is the meaning of these words of the Lord:
Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with glory and power, Matthew 24:29-30.
The sun there means the Lord in respect of love, the moon the Lord in respect of faith; the stars, the Lord in respect of knowledge of truth and good. The Son of Man means the Lord in respect of the Word, a cloud, the literal sense of the Word, glory, the spiritual sense of the Word, and the way it is visible through its literal sense; powers mean its strength.
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271. As it was foretold that again at the end of this church darkness would arise from not recognizing the Lord as the God of heaven and earth, and from the separation of faith from charity, lest in consequence of this the genuine understanding of the Word and with it the church should perish, it has pleased the Lord to reveal at this time the spiritual sense of the Word, and to make manifest that the Word contains in that sense, and from that sense in the natural sense, things innumerable, by means of which the almost extinguished light of truth from the Word may be restored. That the light of truth would be almost extinguished at the end of this church, is foretold in many places in the Apocalypse. This is the meaning also of these words of the Lord:
Immediately after the tribulation 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 they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with glory and power (Matthew 24:29, 30). By "the sun" here the Lord in respect to love is meant; by "the moon" the Lord in respect to faith; by "the stars" the Lord in respect to knowledges of truth and good; by "the Son of man" the Lord in respect to the Word; by "a cloud" the sense of the letter of the Word; by "glory" the spiritual sense of the Word, and its shining through the sense of the letter, and by "power" its potency.
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271. It was foretold that, at the end of the present Church, darkness would arise from failure to perceive that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and from the separation of faith and charity. Lest, therefore, the genuine understanding of the Word should perish, and thus the Church also, it has pleased the Lord now to reveal the spiritual sense of the Word, and to show that the Word in that sense, and from it in the natural sense, contains innumerable things by means of which the almost extinct light of truth from the Word may be restored. That the light of truth would be almost extinguished at the end of the present Church is foretold in many passages of the Revelation, and is also meant by these words of the Lord:
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun 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 they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" Matthew 24:29-30.
The sun there means the Lord as to love; the moon, the Lord as to faith; the stars, the Lord as to the knowledges of truth and good; the Son of Man, the Lord as to the Word; a cloud, the sense of the Letter of the Word; glory, the spiritual sense of the Word, beaming through the sense of the Letter; and power, the power of the Word.
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271. Quoniam praedictum est, quod in fine hujus Ecclesiae etiam oborirentur tenebrae ex non cognitione Domini, quod sit Deus Coeli et Terrae, et ex Fidei separatione a Charitate, ne per id genuinus intellectus Verbi periret, et sic Ecclesia, ideo placuit Domino nunc revelare SENSUM SPIRITUALEM VERBI, et manifestare quod Verbum in illo Sensu, et ex illo in Sensu naturali, contineat innumerabilia, per quae Lux veri ex Verbo paene exstincta, restituatur. Quod Lux veri in fine hujus Ecclesiae paene exstingueretur, praedicitur multis in locis in Apocalypsi; et quoque intelligitur per haec Domini verba, Statim post afflictionem dierum istorum Sol obscurabitur, et Luna non dabit lumen suum, et Stellae cadent e Coelo; et Virtutes Coelorum commovebuntur: et tunc videbunt Filium hominis venientem in nubibus Coeli cum gloria et virtute, Matthaeus 24:29-30; per Solem ibi intelligitur Dominus quoad amorem; per Lunam Dominus quoad fidem; per Stellas quoad cognitiones veri et boni; per Filium hominis Dominus quoad Verbum; per Nubem Sensus literae Verbi; per Gloriam Sensus spiritualis Verbi, ac transparentia ejus per Sensum literae ejus; et per Virtutes potentia ejus.