古埃及、古希腊、古犹太、古印度、古中国……世界许多古老民族的文化中都流传着“末后救世”和“万法归一”的预言，其中，源出于古埃及文化的预言版本，可能是世界上最早的“创世主末后救世”预言之一。
古埃及的文明历史可以上溯到五千年之前，柏拉图的作品《蒂迈欧篇》中曾记述了埃及祭司向希腊人讲过大洪水之前亚特兰蒂斯的史前文明历史。
古埃及文化中有一位重要人物——托特（Thoth），相传他出现在上古文明之初，就像中国黄帝时代的仓颉，是文字和书写的发明者，有着超凡的智慧和知识，被视作“智慧之神”和“知识之主”、伟大的祭司和先知。
公元前4世纪，埃及被希腊托勒密王朝统治，之后又被罗马帝国吞并，这期间，古希腊语成为了埃及的通用语言。在这时期的文献中，“托特”也被用希腊语记作“赫尔墨斯”，古埃及的文化就被重叠到“赫尔墨斯”身上。公元2-3世纪前后整理出来的《托特之书》（世俗体埃及语系）和《赫尔墨斯文集》（希腊语、拉丁语系）特别流行，对后世的西方文化和宗教产生着深远的影响。但其中也混杂着当时秘密教派的伪托之作，在欧洲文艺复兴时期、自然科学奠基时代、共济会共产主义思潮兴起时，以及近现代的新纪元运动中被广为推崇。倾向于魔法秘术和控制自然的“赫尔墨斯秘教”思想深深地影响了德国的黑格尔、马克思及光照帮等秘密教派，也是共产主义理论的思想源头之一。
而这其中有一部被记作《阿斯克勒庇俄斯‧完美阐述》（Asclepius·the Perfect Discourse）的拉丁语文献，记录着古埃及圣者“三重伟大的托特”关于埃及未来的预言：古埃及文明和宗教的消亡、末后世界的种种乱象，最后是宇宙创世主救世，晓谕众生，净化宇宙，世上会出现灾劫或瘟疫、战乱，有幸走过劫数的人们将步入新的历史纪元。
在原文的对话中，预言者被尊称为“三重伟大”，这是古埃及圣者托特（Thoth）的特有称号，讲的是在远古时代预见埃及和世界的将来，可见这是指古埃及的托特（希腊名字亦称“赫尔墨斯”），而不是希腊奥林匹斯神谱系中的赫尔墨斯，所以我们就称它《托特预言》。这段预言内容独特、宏观大气，讲对神以及创世主的信仰，和后世崇尚魔法秘术及控制自然的伪托之作截然不同，也深受历史研究者重视。它与一些上古的文化历史特征吻合，很可能代表着当时人们的一些信仰共识，是埃及古老的文化和预言在当时社会（公元2-3世纪前后）的传承，反映出一些古老文化思想最早时的模样。
这个古老的预言版本中描述了许多细节：各民族古老文化与神的对应；当人们排神、不相信神、背离正统文化和道德时，思想会走向变异；到了末后，众神就不再管人，邪灵将在世间肆虐，指挥着人走向犯罪和毁灭。这邪灵（evil angels）的涵义正好对应着希伯来《圣经‧旧约》中的“堕落天使”撒旦魔，以及撒旦崇拜者马克思炮制的共产邪党背后的共产邪灵。预言还讲到了世界会因此而混乱不堪，末后世上会出现瘟疫、战争和灾祸，世人将在劫难中偿还罪业……这时，宇宙的创世主将来到人世间，召唤人们回归正途，听从创世主教诲的人会得到救度。而创世主的意旨和智慧——造就宇宙的恒古不变的本源根本法则——将使世界和宇宙重归美好，这和东方预言中“法正乾坤”“万法归一”的描述极为相似。其实，许多古老民族和文化中都流传着相似的末后救世预言。
以下是这篇古老预言的全文翻译。本文依据的底本是沃尔特‧斯科特教授（Walter Scott，1855－1925，英国古典学者）于1924年出版的《赫尔墨斯文集》英译本。
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古埃及《托特预言》
（中文全译）
（一）序言
你不知道么，阿斯克勒庇俄斯，埃及是其天界神国在大地上对映的缩影，或更准确地说，天界神国的造化法则被传到下界的土地上，就形成了埃及文化的生命力。不，应该说，整个宇宙的造化法则都映聚在我们世间的这土地上，同时他又存在于其圣域（法界）中。嗯，智者应该在事情到来前就有全面的了解和预见，所以，你一定不能对这件事情一无所知：将来会有一天，埃及人再如何虔诚地信仰和敬奉神，都会变得徒劳无用；众神将离开大地，回到天上；埃及将被神遗弃。神不再住留，这片曾经繁荣的信仰诞生地将变得荒芜。
Do you not know, Asclepius, that Egypt is an image of heaven, or, to speak more exactly, in Egypt all the operations of the powers which rule and work in heaven have been transferred to earth below？Nay, it should rather be said that the whole Kosmos dwells in this our land as in its sanctuary. And yet, since it is fitting that wise men should have knowledge of all events before they come to pass, you must not be left in ignorance of this: There will come a time when it will have been in vain that Egyptians have honored the Godhead with heartfelt piety and service; and all our holy worship will be fruitless and ineffectual. The Gods will return from earth to heaven; Egypt will be forsaken, and the land which was once the home of religion will be left desolate, bereft of the presence of its deities.
（二）古埃及文明和古老宗教的消亡
将来这片土地上会混杂着许多异族人；人们不但会忽视对神的敬奉，而且……埃及将会被斯基泰人或印度人或周边野蛮国家的种族所占领。到那时候，我们最神圣的土地，这片遍布神社和寺庙的土地上，将满是尸体和葬礼。最神圣的尼罗河呵，我面对着你哭泣，我向你预言将来会发生的事：鲜血汇流入河，你的河水也将因此溢过两岸，你圣洁的波浪不但被玷污，还会被血腥完全污染。
This land and region will be filled with foreigners; not only will men neglect the service of the gods, but … ; and Egypt will be occupied by Scythians or Indians or by some such race from the barbarian countries thereabout. In that day will our most holy land, this land of shrines and temples, be filled with funerals and corpses. To thee, most holy Nile, I cry, to thee I foretell that which shall be; swollen with torrents of blood, thou wilt rise to the level of thy banks, and thy sacred waves will be not only stained, but utterly fouled with gore.
你为此哭泣吗？阿斯克勒庇俄斯，更糟糕的还在后头。埃及还将经受更多的苦难，她将陷入更悲惨的困境，人们大面积地感染可怕的瘟疫。这片土地曾经是圣洁的，是虔诚礼敬众神的土地。为了回报她的虔诚，众神愿意在这片土地上住留。这片土地曾经是人们神圣而虔诚的修学圣地，看不到种种残酷的恶行。但将来，死去的人会远远多于活着的人；幸存下来的人呵，人们仅能通过其语言口音来知道他们是埃及人，但他们的种种行为表现，已经没有了埃及民族的文化特征。
Do you weep at this, Asclepius? There is worse to come; Egypt herself will have yet more to suffer; she will fall into a far more piteous plight, and will be infected with yet more, grievous plagues; and this land, which once was holy, a land which loved the gods, and wherein alone, in reward for her devotion, the gods deigned to sojourn upon earth, a land which was the teacher of mankind in holiness and piety, this land will go beyond all in cruel deeds. The dead will far outnumber the living; and the survivors will be known for Egyptians by their tongue alone, but in their actions they will seem to be men of another race.
噢，埃及，埃及，你的宗教，将来什么都不会留下，只留下一些零星不全的传说故事，这些连你自己将来的子孙也不会相信；除了镌刻在石头上的文字，你什么都不会留下，只有这些石刻诉说着你的虔诚。
O Egypt, Egypt, of thy religion nothing will remain but an empty tale, which thine own children in time to come will not believe; nothing will be left but graven words, and only the stones will tell of thy piety.
（三）未来世界的危机
到那一天，人们会厌倦生活，他们将不再认为宇宙值得虔诚的赞叹和崇敬。因此，所有神传的恩典中最重要的——宗教信仰——过去、现在、将来，没有任何事物的恩典比它更神圣——将面临着被毁灭的危险；人们会认为它是一种负担，并开始蔑视它。
And in that day men will be weary of life, and they will cease to think the universe worthy of reverent wonder and of worship. And so religion, the greatest of all blessings, for there is nothing, nor has been, nor ever shall be, that can be deemed a greater boon, will be threatened with destruction; men will think it a burden, and will come to scorn it.
届时，他们会不再爱我们这个世界——这世界是至高的主神、创世主无与伦比的造化，这辉煌的构造，是至善至美的汇萃，创世主的意旨容贯于其中，给予人类无尽的福祉。这种种美好汇聚成的世界，足以让看到的人升起无比的崇敬、赞叹和敬爱。
They will no longer love this world around us, this incomparable work of God, this glorious structure which he has built, this sum of good made up of many diverse forms, this instrument whereby the will of God operates in that which he has made, ungrudgingly favoring man’s welfare. this combination and accumulation of all the manifold things that can call forth the veneration, praise, and love of the beholder.
届时，人们将喜爱黑暗胜过光明，有人会认为死去比活着更有意义；人们不再真正地向往天国，虔诚的人会被视为傻瓜，不敬神的人反被认作聪明；狂人会被视为勇士，坏人反而会被当成好人。
Darkness will be preferred to light, and death will be thought more profitable than life; no one will raise his eyes to heaven; the pious will be deemed insane, the impious wise; the madman will be thought a brave man, and the wicked will be esteemed as good.
而相信灵魂不朽，或希望灵魂能不朽——这些我曾教诲你们的道理，人们都会嘲笑，甚至会去努力说服自己这些不存在。人们不再去讲述、也不再相信那些虔诚敬神的纯洁话语。
As for the soul, and the belief that it is immortal by nature, or may hope to attain to immortality, as I have taught you; all this they will mock, and even persuade themselves that it is false. No word of reverence or piety, no utterance worthy of heaven, will be heard or believed.
因此，众神将离开人类——这是多么让人痛心的事！只见邪魔在世间肆虐，它们会附入人群，指挥着可怜的人走向各种肆无忌惮的犯罪，把人们引向战争、抢劫、欺骗，以及所有背离人类善良本性的事情。
And so the Gods will depart from mankind – a grievous thing and only evil angels will remain, who will mingle with men, and drive the poor wretches into all manner of reckless crime, into wars, and robberies, and frauds, and all things hostile to the nature of the soul.
（四）创世主救世 净化地球和宇宙
届时，大地会震动，海洋将咆哮，星辰会偏离正轨，众神也将被迫沉默；地球上的果实会腐烂，土壤会变得贫瘠，那时空气也会恶化，所有的一切会混乱不堪，所有的美好将消失无踪。
Then will the earth tremble, and the sea bear no ships; heaven will not support the stars in their orbits, all voices of the Gods will be forced into silence; the fruits of the Earth will rot; the soil will turn barren, and the very air will sicken with sullen stagnation; all things will be disordered and awry, all good will disappear.
但是，当这一切发生时，阿斯克勒庇俄斯，这时，至高的主神、天上的父、先于一切而存在、造就一切神的创世主将观察发生的这一切，他以至善的意旨、殊胜的伟力，在乱世中救度。届时，他将向那些误入歧途者召唤，让他们回到正确的路上来；他将涤净全世界的罪恶：用洪水冲刷，用烈火燃烧，或者通过战争和瘟疫来将罪业销除殆尽。
But when all this has befallen, Asclepius, then the Master and Father, God, the first before all, the maker of that god who first came into being, will look on that which has come to pass, and will stay the disorder by the counterworking of his will, which is the good. He will call back to the right path those who have gone astray; he will cleanse the world from evil, now washing it away with waterfloods, now burning it out with fiercest fire, or again expelling it by war and pestilence.
因此，他会让他所创造的世界回复到最初的状态，宇宙也将再度变得美好，令众生崇敬、赞叹；至高的主神——创世主，浩瀚宇宙的创造者和恢复者，将被那个时代的人永久地赞颂和崇敬。这就是宇宙的新生，再造了万物的美好。宇宙天体的一切，神圣而令人敬畏地恢复如初。这一切是在时间的过程中按照创世主永恒的意旨而成就的。而创世主的意旨和法则没有时间上的起始，是贯穿时间、过去现在永恒不变的。
And thus he will bring back his world to its former aspect, so that the Kosmos will once more be deemed worthy of worship and wondering reverence, and God, the maker and restorer of the mighty fabric, will be adored by the men of that day with unceasing hymns of praise and blessing. Such is the new birth of the Kosmos; it is a making again of all things good, a holy and awe-striking restoration of all nature; and it is wrought in the process of time by the eternal will of God. For Gods will has no beginning; it is ever the same, and as it now is, even so it has ever been, without beginning.
因为，创世主的存在就是成就一切美好。
For it is the very being of God to purpose good.
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※译者注：英文底本清晰地将God（创世主）与the gods、the Gods（众神）区分开，并给予末后救世的God（创世主）明确的定义：the Master and Father, the first before all, the maker of that god who first came into being（意即“至高之主、至上的父、先于一切而存在、一切神的造就者”）；在预言的另一种英译版本中称他为“the Lord, the Father and god from the only first god, the Creator”（至高之主、至上的父、造就一切神的创世主），很明显，古老的预言明确地告诉人们：末后救世的，就是造就宇宙一切的创世主。＠＊
责任编辑：王愉悦#
