Page:The Doctrines of the New Church Briefly Explained.djvu/101

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The generally accepted belief among Christians at the time Swedenborg wrote (and the belief is still quite prevalent), was, that this natural world with all its appurtenances is one day to be utterly destroyed; the earth to be burned up; the sun, moon and stars to be extinguished, and the wheels of time to cease revolving; that the hosts of human beings who have lived and died since the dawn of creation, would then be resurrected and summoned to judgment; and that this would be "the end of the world."

This doctrine is so unreasonable as to render unnecessary any thing like a serious refutation. It involves such a manifest departure from all the known laws of order, progress, preservation and reproduction, as well as of Divine wisdom and beneficence, as to render it utterly incredible to every thoughtful and reflecting mind. It doubtless had its origin in the mistranslation of the Greek phrase  (he sunteleia tou aiōnos), and the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the symbolic language of the New Testament, especially of that which speaks of the passing away of the former heaven and earth, of the darkening of the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars—all of which language as interpreted by the rule of